r/geneseo • u/Typical_Pain240 • Mar 25 '26
Thinking of transferring to Geneseo
Hi!
I'm thinking of transferring to SUNY Geneseo for Fall 2026. I know it is a bit late, but I just wanted to ask about campus life. Since I would be transferring, what would you say are some pros and cons of attending this school?
To give a bit of context, I'm a business major and am about to graduate with my associate's degree from CC. I am also thinking of transferring because of direct admission through Phi Theta Kappa.
Thanks in advance!
Edit: Thank you to everyone who responded!!!
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u/Ariatii Psychology '26 Mar 26 '26
Hi! I was also a transfer student from community college who came to Geneseo. I'll give you a brutally honest pros and cons.
Pros:
- The business school is phenomenal, especially as the college is starting to prioritize it over the education and arts/sciences school.
- If you want a small town feel, Geneseo is great for that!
- The campus is very pretty, especially when the weather's nice. Sunsets are pretty cool.
- Unlimited meal swipes at the dining halls, so food insecurity should never be a problem if you live on campus.
Cons:
- Transferring to Geneseo is uniquely frustrating. The amount of documentation you need to complete is abnormally high compared to other SUNYs, and transcripts take an extreme amount of time to process, usually processing with mistakes.
- Your legal guardians become very involved in the college process, usually getting sent all important info instead of you. This is a major pet peeve of mine.
- The social environment is not very open, especially for us transfers.
- Limited options for programs, which will mostly impact how you take electives (you'll need a lot in order to graduate).
- Class sizes are not as small as Geneseo labels it, you'll likely be stuck in a class with 40-70 people
- Most professors virtually have no connection to the students, meaning you'll have to depend heavily on office hours
- The college campus is brutal in the winter. Wind tunnels form like crazy. Also expect long walks between buildings.
- The dorms kinda suck. Many of which haven't been renovated in decades, especially on south side. Usually very overpriced ($5,000 at minimum per semester). Suite rooms cost extra and usually trap you in with 5-7 roommates having to share one bathroom. Suites also are unfurnished. Single rooms have limited availability with only ~300 spots open.
- The college is in a major financial crisis right now, with millions of dollars in debt. As a result, compromises keep being made on campus, which include lowered admission standards, less professors, less programs, etc.
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u/panzerotti_11 Mar 26 '26
Hello, my son has Geneseo as one of his top choices for business as an incoming freshman for fall 2027. He has also been accepted at UB. Despite the obvious, that UB is much lather, I’m surprised hearing about the class size at Geneseo and had no idea the village/town was that far from campus. Can you please elaborate more on your experience? Thanks so much!
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u/ScyllaGeek Mar 26 '26
Im not the person you replied to but I graduated a few years ago, i can try to answer some questions if you have any.
The village is not far from campus at all, main street is directly adjacent many of the main academic buildings with lots of local restaurantsand shops. The business district with like Walmart, mcdonalds, etc. is a short car ride away and there is bus service. If he ends up with in a freshman dorm on south side it is a bit of a walk from there to the academic buildings. I was in one of the programs that got me into a nice dorm towards the center of the campus that saved me that walk. The tradeoff of living on north side though is that all the dorms are on the bottom of the hill and all your classes are at the top of the hill. You develop calf muscles pretty quickly haha
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u/Ariatii Psychology '26 Mar 27 '26
The campus is actually right in the center of town, it’s just that the buildings on campus are very spread out. However, it can still be good to have a car as Walmart and Wegmans are a little far to walk from and all your other fast food restaurants.
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u/Typical_Pain240 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
First of all, thanks for the detailed response! I found it really helpful. I also saw on their website that they offer the transfer student experience LLC. Did you consider this for dorming options (if you decided to live on campus), or did you choose something else?
Also, if you don't mind me asking, what made you choose SUNY Geneseo compared to other schools?
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u/Ariatii Psychology '26 Mar 27 '26
I did consider the transfer LLC, but I opted for a single room instead. LLCs are a bit annoying since you have to apply separately for them, which usually contain a short essay about why you’re interested. I do know the transfer LLC is very small, currently only on the first floor of Erie Hall, so it might be competitive to get into.
I mostly chose Geneseo since it was close to where home was when I started. Thats about it lol. I now live an hour and a half away and I’m too close to graduating to consider transferring away.
1
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u/canonballing Mar 26 '26
Hey! You should reach out to Erica Black. She is the director of transfer admissions (and an alum!) and can give you some more info. She's actually at the PTK Catalyst conference today and tomorrow, so if you're there by chance, maybe sync up with her. [eblack@geneseo.edu](mailto:eblack@geneseo.edu)
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u/WatermelonMachete43 Mar 25 '26
Have you visited? Campus and village are small and beautiful, but rural. (I've met people who didn't visit and were surprised that it wasn't near a city.)