The College of Saint Rose — Attraction in City of Albany

Overpriced and cliquey, but nice school with great faculty. Great for students who need smaller class sizes.

Graduated with BA in Sociology in 2010.

Pros- very small class sizes. Around 25 for core liberal arts education courses, 10-15 for more focused courses in your major. I feel like straight out of high school, this is what I needed. Most of the faculty is great. The school is small so there is definitely a sense of community and you will see the same classmates in many different courses. The facilities like the auditorium, gym, cafeteria, library, bookstore, laboratories, etc- are awesome and were just recently renovated. The school is in a fairly convenient location (walking distance to downtown Albany). You can get by without a car- but might not be a bad idea to get a beater for weekend outings and running errands as the Capital Region is not super accessible. Freshman arent allowed a parking pass but it’s a city anyway so just park in a neighborhood several blocks away. A parking pass does not guarantee you a spot anyway.

Cons- For what it is, its very expensive. Saint Rose has many great programs, but it is essentially a "teacher factory". Most teachers in New York are going to be paying their loans forever (if they can find a job). Id steer away unless you are getting a decent scholarship package, or a student who really needs the small class sizes. The dorm/ housing situation is horrible. Theirs two nice dorm halls (Lima, Alumni Hall) which are decent and right on campus but do not have central air conditioning- then a hodge podge of private houses scattered around- then Brubacher Hall- a late 1800s sanitarium style dump that should be condemned about a half mile away. My advice would be to put up with dorm life your freshman year so you can make friends and form cliques- then rent an apartment together from then on. Its cheaper than staying in a dorm actually. Despite becoming coed in the 70s, its still about a 2/1 female to male ratio if not higher. The campus is nestled right in the middle of downtown Albany, and spread out crossed multiple blocks so lots of random people cut through the campus- creating a security risk.

Overall mixed opinions but Im...

Simply put, the 4 years I spent at The College of Saint Rose were the best 4 years of my life. I attended the Accepted Students Day the Spring before I matriculated and fell in love. The campus was beautiful, everyone was friendly and helpful. I left with every question answered and very at ease about where I would be spending the next 4 years. Saint Rose provided me with an opportunity to come out of my shell. I was the typical shy student. I had my group of friends and I stuck to them. I didn't participate in any campus activities, my days consisted of going to class and back to my room. At the beginning of my second year, I knew I wanted to make a change, I wanted to experience all Saint Rose had to offer. I became a mentor, and then a resistant assistant, joined clubs, and volunteered. I did it all. I became a leader on campus all while balancing my school work and employment. The resources are unlimited at Saint Rose, you just have to reach out. Class sizes are small which is perfect for those of us who like to get to know our professors. As a biology major, I found my classes to be challenging but not impossible and learning was fun. When you have professors who are passionate about their field it makes you passionate to learn and that is what you will find when you come to Saint Rose. With the help of one of my professors, I was able to secure a summer research internship at Albany Medical College. My time spent here was very productive. I was able to do things I never envisioned myself doing and really break out of my comfort zone. The College of Saint Rose helped me develop friendships and skills...

I feel like one star would be harsh, but three stars would be too nice. My experience with Saint Rose is that it is, like many colleges in this country: overpriced. That is a common complaint with all colleges, but it's more than that. I think the value of the education you get there doesn't really match what you are/will be (if you are taking loans) paying for. I feel the education at Saint Rose is not preparing the younger generation to enter the workforce or the real world. The school boasts great academics and don't get me wrong, some classes have been very objective based and informative. However, some classes made me feel like I was still in high school/the public education system. As in, 1) They aren't that challenging, 2) They don't teach me skills and knowledge that I'll need in the future and 3) It feels like some of the classes had a larger agenda to them (trying to convince students rather than teach). Besides the academics, the campus is nice. Personally, Albany, NY is not my cup of tea but for someone coming from the NYC area (which there's a lot at SR), it might be nicer to be in a much smaller city. Besides that, I think most adults see college campuses kind of deteriorating in terms of the academics and culture. I don't need to go into details about that. I think many adults and people in the workforce understand what I...