Prospective Students Sound Off About Enrolling at UB

It is the time of year when thousands of area high school students are preparing college applications, with UB no doubt on more than a few of their lists.

Last year, UB saw the biggest freshman class in its history, despite negative press such as the Princeton Review rankings and the struggles of the UB football team.

The numbers raised many questions about how UB is perceived by perspective students, and The Spectrum spoke with several area high school students who are currently considering colleges to find out why they will or will not be applying to UB.

"I will definitely not be applying to UB," said Jonathon Taylor, a senior and aspiring communication major at Kenmore West High School in Kenmore.

"The atmosphere at open house was very cold," said Taylor. "There was no direction."

Taylor said the campus was too big to meet his personal needs, and that is why he wants to go to SUNY Fredonia instead.

"Fredonia is a lot smaller and the communication program seemed more tailored to what I want," said Taylor. "They were very friendly. There was always somebody there to answer questions. Not at UB, though."

While some students did not enjoy orientation, they all agreed that when they visited the campus, they were tremendously taken with the facilities, discounting the residence halls.

"The facilities looked great," said Jack Tangeman, a senior at Williamsville East High School in Williamsville. "Especially the lecture halls and the gym. The dorms look small, but then again, all dorms are small."

Judyanne Flatau, a counselor at Kenmore West, said UB is not for everyone.

"Normally, students will research a school towards their major and location. It's all about what fits the student best," said Flatau, who is a UB alumna. "But we still have a lot of students that apply to UB. It is very popular."

Patricia Armstrong, director of admissions at UB, agrees because she says every individual is different.

"It is all about if a student can feel himself fitting in here," she said.

2002's No. 6 Party School in the Nation

Prospective students, for a large part, are ignoring UB's rank in the third tier of American universities by the U.S. News, and evaluations by the Princeton Review.

According to many students, the rankings have little affect on their decisions to apply to UB, at least the academic rankings.

"I didn't pay much attention to those," said Peterson. "But I loved the fact that UB was rated a great party school."

When UB was ranked right near the top of the nation in terms of party schools last year, UB administrators hoped that the rankings would not frighten students away.

According to many students, they did the opposite.

"The partying here is crazy. It's great that you can party and still get a good education," said Peterson.

"Being honest, it's a definitely a plus that UB is always ranked up there with the best party schools," said Tangeman.

While UB is renowned for its intense revelry, most students interviewed said MTV's presence on campus last year and the depictions of student debauchery had no affect on their desire to attend UB.

Campus Size Does Matter

"I have students come in and say that UB is their first choice," said Flatau, the counselor from Kenmore West. "But some students say it is too large, and you're just a number there."

For Taylor, the Kenmore West senior, the crowd competition just isn't worth it.

"It's just with the number of students there, I wouldn't get the attention that I need," he said.

According to Armstrong, UB has made great strides recently to improve that personal nurturing and advising that Taylor craves.

"We really have done a lot to increase personal communication with students," said Armstrong. "We've created the Student Response Center to deal with advising and help with registering and financial aid."

Still, other students love the fact that UB is larger than many towns.

"I think the bigger, the more diversity of things, the more choices," said Tangeman.

"The size is a plus because you see a lot of students. I was worried about being a number, which you are, but it's nice to blend in," said Peterson. "I also like how you don't have to show up to class if you don't want to."

A Great Back-Up School?

"There are a lot of students who may say that UB is their second or third choice," said Armstrong, "but very frequently they visit the campus, meet the staff and see all we have to offer and they love it."

Peterson falls into that category.

"UB was not my first choice," said Peterson. "I wanted to go to Cornell."

Peterson said while he hopes to end up in Cornell one day, he does not regret coming to UB, and while it may have been his "safety school," he is still receiving a great education.

Other people though, cannot imagine why UB would be considered "safe."

"I never though of UB as a back-up school." said Flatau. "Getting into UB is tough. I tell my (high school) students they need at least a 90 percent average to get in."

Tangeman, the high school senior in Williamsville, agrees that getting accepted into UB would be an honor.

"It is very tough to get in there," Tangeman said. "I have a lot of friends who automatically think they are going to get accepted when they aren't."