SUNY-Buffalo

[kittie]

It would be nice to talk to another person in the same boat.

[kittie]

bump!

[rhinoceros party]

Hello! This seems to be a fairly empty thread...odd, considering that there are at least six people in the city one.

I'll be at SUNY Buffalo next year.

[kittie]

Awesome, rhino party! Great to see someone on this thread.

I looked at the English forum's UB page and it seems like a lot of English BAs applied for UB! You must be pretty amazing to not be culled from the herd.

What's your plan for UB?

I've been trying to figure out a place to live, but all the places near to campus seem to be geared toward undergrads and all the oncampus apartments cost buko bucks!

Are you excited?

When I tell people I'm moving to Buffalo, they only talk about the cold. I swear, it's like moving to Canada all over again. There's nothing wrong with cold weather, people!

I, for one, hate the sun, the beach, and the heat, so I'm sure I'll be just fine in Buffalo, New York. But I do love chicken wings, a cheap cost of living, and a great funding package!

hahahaha

Do you study a particular author or theme?

What did you think about that 'so you think you want to go to grad school' video?

[rhinoceros party]

From what I've heard, there were about 250 applicants or so for twelve-thirteen spots in the PhD program, and thirty people have been accepted (I think). That's not counting the people who got accepted to the master's program, too...there's a lot.

I've been told that I should live in either Elmwood Village or Allentown (I'm leaning toward Elmwood Village, since apparently it's the place where the hipsters live, and I need to be with my tribe ). There's great housing that's not that expensive in those places (of course, I'm coming at it from a San Franciscan's perspective, where $1000/mo is positively cheap, so...).

As for the cold; yes. It's kind of annoying! I dislike the cold, myself, and so I am planning to whine my way through the winters. I'm from California, but I've lived the last four years in Eastern Washington, where the winters are not as pleasant as those in the SF Bay area. Oh well. I do love chicken wings and funding.

I'm interested in genre and systems theory and postmodernism; a side interest is digital humanities. So you're classics? Do you have a particular research interest?

The "So you want to get a PhD in the humanities" video? I thought that was bloody hilarious. A friend (who is already in grad school) sent that to me right as I was filling out my grad applications, though, and I wanted to kick him. NOT NICE. Haha.

[kittie]

Wow! Applying to a phd truly is a numbers game. In the end, no matter how good we think we are, we're just lucky!

At least you're admitting that you are a hipster. I know quite a few people who talk about being hipster bait and laying hipster traps, but they never acknowledge their own hipster-ness! heh heh

Elmwood Village and Allentown seem to be the heart of downtown Buffalo and are too far away from the north campus for my tastes. I'm going to throw away the idea of a work/life balance and live in my grad student cubicle, only departing to my apartment to do the necessities like sleeping and taking the required amount of showers in order to not offend my graduate advisor. hahahaha

If I live off campus, I'll probably gear my search to the west around Chestnut Ridge Road or to the south around Maple Road, even though the chances are high that I might catch undergrad cooties.

I was born in Redwood city, but moved right after that to much hotter climes where I instantly succumbed to heat rash. grrr I like to tell people that I've hated hot weather since birth. hee hee I can't wait for a real winter, so that I can finally wear all my posh winter attire!

Genre theory, systems theory, postmodernism, digital humanities? I was not expecting that. It sounds like you were a computer geek in high school who failed math and then became an English major! Awesome! Death to Math, but whatever happened to those crazy English majors who just study Shakespeare? I like them. They're like gophers who only pop up out of the ground when someone mentions free wine.

I'm a crazy Classics major. Latin and Greek make me hot, but I'm branching out at UB to study more ancient history. My MA focused more on the Late Republic, but I'll probably end up working on Roman and non-Roman interaction on the Western frontier during the Empire. Just talking about it gets me all in a state.

That video was pretty amazing. I even put it on my fb and it got so many comments. I put the response video up which was all about why being a phd student in the humanities is a sweet deal, and got nada! I guess optimism isn't nearly as funny as cynicism.

[greenlee]

Hey there! I'll be in the English PhD program at UB this fall too! I actually grew up in Buffalo, too, so if you have any questions about the area I could probably help you out. I'm hella excited about UB, it's a great program, and the city's pretty awesome. I couldn't wait to leave it in high school, and now I realize all the cool shit it's got going on. I'm currently wasting away in central AZ right now, and I'm actually looking forward to actual seasons and precipitation.

[kittie]

Another person from Arizona!

Man, it seems like everyone in the southwest is relocating to UB.

Is it true that you guys don't call Buffalo Wings, Buffalo Wings, just Wings?

All my questions are UB specific, and not about Buffalo.

For example, how's the oncampus parking situation?

Thanks for commenting on this semi-dead thread!

[greenlee]

Another person from Arizona!

Man, it seems like everyone in the southwest is relocating to UB.

Is it true that you guys don't call Buffalo Wings, Buffalo Wings, just Wings?

All my questions are UB specific, and not about Buffalo.

For example, how's the oncampus parking situation?

Thanks for commenting on this semi-dead thread!

No problem, I'm curious to see how many people from GradCafe will be at UB this fall!

As for the wings question, when I was growing up everyone I know just called them wings, haha. I don't eat them anymore (I'm a vegetarian trying to go back to veganism, with very little luck, I love cheese too much), but some of the best wings I had in Buffalo came from Bob & Johns, a great place on Hertel Ave that I totally recommend.

I've heard that since North Campus is so huge (over 1,000 acres), parking/mobility can be a problem, which is why the 24/7 shuttles sound like a good idea, since I'm planning on living in the Elmwood area (the places around North Campus trend to be expensive or sketchy, or both).

[kittie]

Thanks, greenlee!

I want to go on a wing crawl when I get there and try all the best spots!

Everybody always talks about Elmwood, but isn't it just too far away?

When I was a grad student, I lived in my office. I just went home to sleep and shower. Elmwood seems to be in the super trendy part of Buffalo, where the action is and all that, but I need to be near UB north. I looked at the Fall grad classes in my department and quite a few are at night, which only makes things worse for me since I wouldn't be comfortable walking around at night in a city I don't know, but mostly because I suck at night classes. I'm an early bird.

The more I hear about UB south, the less impressed I get.

What do you think about those super resort looking places like The Villas at Chestnut Ridge or Collegiate Village?

When they say a place is a student ghetto, do they mean that it's dangerous or do they just mean a lot of undergrads?

Don't mind me. I'm just trying to use all this negative information to convince myself that living on campus is my only option as a first year phd student.

blargh

[greenlee]

Thanks, greenlee!

I want to go on a wing crawl when I get there and try all the best spots!

Everybody always talks about Elmwood, but isn't it just too far away?

When I was a grad student, I lived in my office. I just went home to sleep and shower. Elmwood seems to be in the super trendy part of Buffalo, where the action is and all that, but I need to be near UB north. I looked at the Fall grad classes in my department and quite a few are at night, which only makes things worse for me since I wouldn't be comfortable walking around at night in a city I don't know, but mostly because I suck at night classes. I'm an early bird.

The more I hear about UB south, the less impressed I get.

What do you think about those super resort looking places like The Villas at Chestnut Ridge or Collegiate Village?

When they say a place is a student ghetto, do they mean that it's dangerous or do they just mean a lot of undergrads?

Don't mind me. I'm just trying to use all this negative information to convince myself that living on campus is my only option as a first year phd student.

blargh

Casa di Pizza, Bob & John's, Just Pizza and Jacobi's all have amazing wings, if my memory serves.

The reason I love Elmwood so much is that it's just a wonderful atmosphere; very cozy, and quiet if you live on the right street. It's one of the safest parts of the city as well. And while it's not five minutes away from North Campus, it's maybe 15-20 minutes by car. I plan on using the 24/7 shuttle between North and South quite often, since I'll be moving with my girlfriend and we only have one car between us. All my classes are on the North Campus, so I can totally relate to your preference for living nearby, especially if you have night classes. I don't know too much specifically about places around North Campus (except Campus Manor Apartments, which is apparently terrible, according to a friend of mine in the UB Bio PhD program) . I can tell you the campus Housing offered by UB is insanely expensive, but it does cover all utilities, and is often fully furnished. A studio apartment at the Villas is $940 a month, which would be 2/3 of my monthly stipend, but it has the advantage of being close to what you'd need.

The "student ghetto" of University Heights near South Campus is where a LOT of undergrads live, but there is some crime there. No murders or assaults or anything like that, but some theft, and a fair amount of weed selling. I lived in the area during school breaks when I was in college, and my bike was stolen, and a few cars in my apartment building's parking lot were broken into. However, I walked the area by myself late at night frequently and was never bothered, and it's not the most dangerous part of Buffalo by a long shot (stay away from the East side).

All in all, if you don't see yourself having the time or inclination to get into the "trendy" parts of Buffalo (which, let's be honest, you and I won't have the time! I cringe to think of how busy I'll be), on campus housing is a good option for you, since you'll be close to classes, teaching, research, etc. But do take a little bit of time to explore the city a bit even if you choose not to live there. I'm huge fan of Buffalo, and I can't wait to move back. It's just got such a great vibe.

[rhinoceros party]

Back! Good to see there's another addition to this thread.

As for the "places to live" debate, one of the reasons I was told to live in Elmwood Village or Allentown is because that's where a lot of the professors live, and they will often have "office hours" at coffeeshops in Elmwood. I heard this from multiple sources, so I'm guessing the info's legit. And since it's where a lot of other grad students live, there will probably be chances to carpool if you don't want to take the shuttle?

Aaaaaa I can't wait to get the registration informationnnnnn

[greenlee]

Back! Good to see there's another addition to this thread.

As for the "places to live" debate, one of the reasons I was told to live in Elmwood Village or Allentown is because that's where a lot of the professors live, and they will often have "office hours" at coffeeshops in Elmwood. I heard this from multiple sources, so I'm guessing the info's legit. And since it's where a lot of other grad students live, there will probably be chances to carpool if you don't want to take the shuttle?

Aaaaaa I can't wait to get the registration informationnnnnn

I heard that bit about office hours on Elmwood too, and I think it's fantastic. It'd probably help me feel like less of a gibbering mess around profs if I've got some caffeine and hipsterdom nearby I also heard that Talking Leaves Books on Main Street and Elmwood carries a lot of textbooks for classes, so that'll be hella convenient. I CANNOT wait for the registration stuff to come. I've been looking online at the fall classes and salivating. I can't wait to get started! Might as well feel this optimism for as long as I can!

[dipu]

Hello!!...

I have been admitted to SUNY Buffalo as well.....MS in electrical Engineering....

Is the department good there?

I got admit to ASU as well....but judging by the mere size of ASU, i am scared that i will get lost in the pool of students...

i just wish for a calm and serious work environment, in depth research...

can i expect that at buffalo?

o and would love to see snow as well

never seen it!!....