SUNY at Purchase College Reviews

"Do not waste your money. Professors are not motivated, they do not teach you well, and I felt like I am wasting my money and time for the classes. The food they provide on the campus is pretty much junk food such as pizza, burger, chips, cookies, and it is so expensive, and the dining hours are very limited. My friend got 10 pounds during her stay at Purchase. The book store does not have enough supplies, and more expensive than a local store. There is always a party and drug stuffs going on every night."

"I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Purchase College and graduated in 2014. While there, I studied under incredible professors like Leigh Dillon, Charles Tuthill, David Wells, Christopher McCann, and Dean Irby. The conservatory style program allows students to fully immerse themselves in their craft. The small class sizes allow for individualized attention at an unmatched level."

"One of the most important career decisions you will ever make is what college you pick to pursue your undergraduate degree. My list of what was important in a school mainly focused on cost and the schools education program. One of the universities that best matched these two particular areas was the State University of New York at Purchase College. Attending SUNY Purchase was an interesting college experience. Before attending, my research indicated that Purchase had a reputation for their academics in the arts, or to be more specific, performance, art, and dance. My heart was set on going to the most affordable school that had a stellar performance program, specifically in theater. Purchase college definitely lived up to this reputation. It carried multiple experienced professors, a beautiful performance space (Pepsico Theater), and a community full of talented young artists. The professors that were apart of the theater program contributed an abundant amount of passion for performance. Our graduating class was able to feed off of our professors contagious passion and develop a robust community centered around our love for the performing arts. Additionally, the school has a beautifully kept theater on campus, the Pepsico Theater. It hosted many different performances, not only ones created by our students but also numerous off campus productions. It gave our school community a great advantage as it was a huge resource of both entertainment and experience right at our fingertips. It was even used as a film set for Darren Aronofskys "The Black Swan" back in 2009. One more beneficial quality of SUNY Purchase was the student body. It had a diverse group of students, many of which shared the same interests as myself. This was a benefit that would not be offered at many other colleges. For example, I also took interest into SUNY Stonybrook. While the campus, academics, and price was all to my liking there, the majority of students were more focused on the sciences and engineering. Therefore attending Purchase would allow me to make long lasting relationships with individuals who will pursue the same career as myself, which would better serve my career goals. I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to attend SUNY Purchase for my undergrad. However, being it was one of the most affordable schools in the state, there were areas where the price was very apparent. Those areas include the practice theater space, the cafeteria, and the additional academic resources. The theater space was constantly missing and losing seats due to either theft or poor quality. The dressing rooms were incredibly small and unclean, which made practice rehearsals difficult as actors would constantly complain and sometimes not show up. The cafeteria and food cafes located around the campus also needed a face lift. Not just the inside design but mainly on the food itself. They used a food service known as Chartwells, which was extremely poor quality, in taste and freshness. Being the campus is in a secluded area where there was not many food sources to choose from, having better quality of food available on campus would have made my experience ten times better. Lastly, the on campus resources for students who are in need of additional assistance like tutoring had very minimal availability. Being I double majored in Mathematics/Computer Science along with Theater, I was constantly looking for study groups and guidance as some courses were academically rigorous. This element was not as prevalent on campus as I would have liked. All in all, SUNY Purchase is a great school to attend. As long as you feel that the pros mentioned outweigh the cons. Personally, I have no regrets on attending there and would do the same thing all over again if I were ever given the chance."

"SUNY Purchase was a wonderful experience. The staff was incredibly supportive, and all of the professors were passionate about the subjects they taught. I was always challenged to explore the subjects, and encouraged to think for myself. Now, several years later, my professors were all willing to jump at the chance to help me get into grad school - which they did! Their recommendations helped me get into a Master's program at NYU, so their support did not end when I left. I am grateful for my experience at Purchase, and I would recommend this school to anyone who is artistically minded."

"I studied Creative Writing at SUNY Purchase. Overall, I loved Purchase College. Purchase is an amazing school to go to if you are interested in the arts, because it has a number of different arts programs and conservatories, and the campus always offers opportunities to see great art for free or for a low price. I saw amazing art shows, dance performances, theatre, and concerts. It is a warm, open environment, and is not too big, so I never felt lost or too unfamiliar on campus. It was a wonderful environment to study Creative Writing, and my courses were generally very engaging and helped transform my thinking and understanding of the world. However, I did not decide to pursue Creative Writing as part of my career once I graduated. I am now in a graduate program for Early Childhood Education, so my career and my goals changed. I do not regret going to Purchase or getting my degree in Creative Writing, and I know a number of my fellow students have gone on to have successful careers in the writing field. I changed my mind and have chosen something else. Purchase helped prepare me for future study, helped transform my thinking and my values, connected me to amazing, important people, and helped me begin to discover what I truly wanted to pursue as a career."

"Purchase College truly is the gem of the SUNY system. As a graduate with a BFA in photography, I can attest to the quality of our professors. Most of whom come from distinguished universities such as Yale. We have many professors who choose to teach at Purchase over more expensive New York art schools such as Pratt or SVA. Our successful alum, Gregory Crewdson being the most popular, is definitely a draw to the program's appeal. Although, I believe that the program has lost some of its vigor over the last 5+ years. It is well known that graphic design majors who do not pass the intensive sophomore portfolio review, are allowed to transfer into the photography department without so much as a review of their photo work. Quite the insult to many of us who worked hard for our acceptances into the program. I suppose this is more about the school not wanting to lose these student's tuition money. I believe the photo program would benefit from a similar portfolio review. Despite these few drawbacks, I truly believe I received a fantastic education from Purchase. It is a close knit community with lots to offer."

"SUNY Purchase is a great college for artists and those interested in a career in an interdisciplinary field. I highly recommend the school to those who want to meet like-minded individuals looking to shake up the art world. Those not interested in the arts may have trouble finding their tribe but can also find success. Purchase will open your mind to the possibilities within your field."

"SUNY Purchase has a diversity of students, professors and campus workers who truly represent the college. Being one of the top cinema studies programs in the country, the program has prepared me for where I would like my career to start. Education is a big part of my life and being the only person in my family to graduate with a degree I couldn't have chosen a better place to continue my education than SUNY Purchase."

"Overall the school good for creative studies, but I didn't feel like it did much to prepare you for a career. I did not have a dedicated career counselor and the internships posted on their internship portal were minimal (or just not that good). The school did do not take advantage of its close proximity to NYC when it came to networking, internships or other opportunities outside of the classroom. I did get a job in my desired field shortly after graduation, but only through an internship that I secured myself while in school, through outside sources."

"SUNY Purchase changed my life for the better. Not only was their writing program wonderful, but the diversity of their staff and students was incredibly refreshing for a girl from a small town in Connecticut like me. Being a state school, it was financially sensible but not at the expense of a great education. My professors were professionals who were still very much down to earth. My senior project advisor had been published on the front page of the New York Times and never did anything but encourage me and promote my work. I am extremely proud of my degree and perhaps most importantly, I feel it prepared me for the competitive writing world I know I'm headed towards. It helped me gain admission to one of the most prestigious graduate writing programs at Sarah Lawrence College and I will be forever grateful."

"I found Purchase College to be a very interesting campus. The students and faculty were usually very liberal, free spirited, and had very interesting ideas on life. The campus was very large and it was easy to move around. The campus was also surrounded by trees and wild life, which meant that I met a lot of interesting wild animals and, as an animal lover, I thought it was cool to meet a variety of species. The classes I took on Psychology made me learn a lot about Psych that I didn't know about before and it made me interested in the subject. It was also obvious that the teachers had a love for the subject and knew what they were talking about. Yet, as I learned about Psychology, it made me realize that I don't want to necessarily just have a job in Psychology but also combine Psychology with Theatre. As a result, I've been looking to take classes in both Drama Therapy or Applied Theatre. In fact, I first learned about Drama Therapy on Purchase's website. Had I not gone to the college, I never would've learned about Drama Therapy and that wouldn't have become my current path."

"The Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase is a small music school with a generally supportive, warm environment, a strong sense of camaraderie among students, nice large practice rooms, and world class faculty. Located in Westchester, near the Connecticut boarder, SUNY Purchase is rather insulated, which is either a pro or a con depending on what you're looking for. I enjoyed the fact that the school was up in the woods, in the middle of the forest basically, and the scenery always looked pretty through the practice room window. It is also about a 30 minute drive to Manhattan, so its close enough to get the flavor of the city when you feel like it, too. The faculty in the music department is fantastic, especially in the Jazz Studies program. I studied jazz bass with T.C., S.C., and D.W., took history classes from K.W., transcription classes with J.F., played in small groups directed by H.G., and took Rhythmic Analysis with J.R. I learned all the basic skills to be a performer, in a manner that was intensive, individualized, and geared toward learning the jazz tradition in order to find ones own artistic purpose and voice. The students were friendly and supportive, much more so than any of the big music schools I've visited. The faculty and students at SUNY Purchase try and cultivate an environment in which they can all enjoy what they are doing, and also achieve at the highest level."

"Formerly great art school that is gradually shifting its focus to its pungent sports program. If you're thinking of going, go now before the art is all gone. The sports there are a joke, too."

"I absolutely loved going to school here. I began my college experience at another SUNY school, transferred to another, and finally ended up at Purchase. I was accepted into Purchase when I first applied after graduating high school and I wish I saved myself the time and money by choosing this school as my first choice. I used to say that this school was extremely artsy. But that doesn't give the school any justice. If you want to go to a school where there is an overall acceptance of being different, and being yourself, and figuring out who yourself is(THIS! is what school is all about) I would recommend Purchase. The people arent "artsy", its not a "party school"... the students and staff are "Purchase-y"! If you dont know what that means now, you will definitely understand after visiting the school."

"The Conservatory at Purchase College has been an incredible experience for me. It is an extremely competitive and challenging program, however it is also nurturing and supportive. The teachers on faculty are wonderful, many of which also teach at such schools as Juilliard, Mannes, and Manhattan School of Music. SUNY Purchase is about 30 miles from NYC, so you are just far enough removed from all the action of the city to enjoy the calm of the suburbs, but close enough to take the train into the city at any time."

"What is great about the Jazz Studies program at Purchase, is that all of the professors are professional musicians. They know what it takes to make it in the music business, and they know how to communicate that to each and every student."

"wouldn't go anywhere else,great fun all around"