Potentially Stupid Buffalo Question

[rems]

To anyone who has/is applying or just knows anything about Buffalo's program:

When referring to the program in the SOP, should one write the full name of the school, and, if not, which abbreviation did you go with?

The full name -- University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Abbreviations: SUNY Buffalo, UB, University at Buffalo (leave off SUNY), SUNY at Buffalo, etc.

Any ideas?

[ProfLorax]

On 11/26/2012 at 12:32 PM, rems said:

To anyone who has/is applying or just knows anything about Buffalo's program:

When referring to the program in the SOP, should one write the full name of the school, and, if not, which abbreviation did you go with?

The full name -- University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Abbreviations: SUNY Buffalo, UB, University at Buffalo (leave off SUNY), SUNY at Buffalo, etc.

Any ideas?

I can't answer your question about Buffalo specifically, but I had a similar quandary about other schools. My solution was to peruse their website and only use the abbreviations the department themselves used. How does the English Department refer to institution on its website?

ETA: I also always used the full name of the institution the first time I used it, no matter what the abbreviation was! Hope that helps.

[rems]

Thanks! That definitely helps! I'm also applying to WashU, and I was wondering what to write for them as well. I currently have WashU in my SOP, and one of rec writers read it over and didn't say anything so I assumed it was okay. I am still considering going back through last minute and changing it in a typical grad-school-angst kind of way.

[sebastiansteddy]

In my SOP, I am calling the school by it's full name, then abbreviating it any time I mention it again. So I refer to it as New York University the first time I mention it, then NYU subsequently.

Just a tip from first-hand experience - don't forget the "The" in The Ohio State University. For some reason, people at OSU emphasize that it is THE Ohio State University - perhaps to differentiate it from Ohio University, which is a different school.

In my SOP, I refer to Buffalo as SUNY Buffalo, and then subsequently UB. Most people at Buffalo refer to it as UB (from first-hand experience). UB is a different school than Buffalo State, so make sure not to call it that.

Hope that helps!

[practical cat]

Just a tip from first-hand experience - don't forget the "The" in The Ohio State University. For some reason, people at OSU emphasize that it is THE Ohio State University - perhaps to differentiate it from Ohio University, which is a different school.

I've always thought that was awfully pretentious.

But yes. It's THE Ohio State University, OSU. Don't just call it Ohio unless you're talking trash about their football team (which you definitely should, just not on your application). Actually, with the Big Ten schools, I wouldn't call them by their state names unless I was talking about football.

I wouldn't stress about it though. There's only so much insider information on how institutions self-identify that anyone can possibly/reasonably have.

[thestage]

I'm calling them SUNY Buffalo whether they like it or not

it's a cutthroat world out there

[asleepawake]

UB is a different school than Buffalo State, so make sure not to call it that.

I learned this the hard way... I accidentally wasted my free GRE score report on Buffalo State!

[comp12]

I think it is fairly common to call it SUNY Buffalo.

I personally would just refer to SUNY Buffalo or SUNY at Buffalo at the first mention, and then simply as Buffalo thereafter. I think it might be a bit overkill to use a full name each time, and that it wouldn't read as smoothly. (Like if I'm applying to Columbia, yes maybe at first mention I might type out Columbia University, but each time after, I think simply Columbia will suffice. Sure, I might be theoretically talking about Columbia College of Chicago, but I think in this context, they'll know what school I'm talking about!)

I feel like with any state university system, after the first mention, simply the city of the campus will often suffice. No problem with calling it Berkeley or Davis after you already wrote UC...blah in the first sentence. Sure there's always the campus once in a while that is better known by an acronym, etc., like UCLA or UMKC or OSU or UNLV, but the SUNY system is one where I hear New York State people tend to just typically refer to by the campus city.

[comp12]

BTW, any Missourians know about proper way to colloquially call University of Missouri Columbia? I figure probably just University of Missouri is just about right, but since I have lots of acquaintances at UMKC, it just doesn't sound correct. I follow sports, so I tend to just spill out Mizzou, but I don't know if anybody calls it that in everyday life! Same as California. Inside the state, you ALWAYS call it Berkeley, very rarely even UC Berkeley, even more rarely UCB, and NEVER ever colloquially call it California or Cal, the latter two of course are only reserved for sports.

[Chai_latte]

All the people at SUNY Buffalo seem to call it UB. I was up there for a summer. Prior to that, as someone from NYC, I knew it as SUNY Buffalo. But, refer to it by its full name initially and then call it UB.

[Sparky]

BTW, any Missourians know about proper way to colloquially call University of Missouri Columbia? I figure probably just University of Missouri is just about right, but since I have lots of acquaintances at UMKC, it just doesn't sound correct. I follow sports, so I tend to just spill out Mizzou, but I don't know if anybody calls it that in everyday life!

Colloquially, everyone in the state says Mizzou (perhaps because the state can't decide how to pronounce its own name?). In fact, the only place I've ever seen or heard the school referred to as "Missouri" is in the context of national-level NCAA journalism. I don't think you could go wrong either way in your SOP. Another thing to do, though, might be to check the department website and see what they use (like, do faculty bios talk about "Z came to Mizzou in 1967..." or whatnot).

[rems]

Great! Thanks for the advice everyone!

And I wasn't aware of the importance of "The" for Ohio -- thanks for the tip!

[Two Espressos]

Regarding UB, it seems like "SUNY-Buffalo" is out of common parlance, at least according to their website. It changed this year, and before it had "SUNY-Buffalo" directly on it somewhere to the best of my knowledge. It's not that way anymore: the English department main page has "University at Buffalo The State University of New York" at the top. I guess "University at Buffalo" is more de rigeur now? You can always follow with "UB" in subsequent mentions of the university in the SOP.

That's what I did at least--"University at Buffalo" followed by "UB."

Edited November 27, 2012 by Two Espressos

[rems]

Regarding UB, it seems like "SUNY-Buffalo" is out of common parlance, at least according to their website. It changed this year, and before it had "SUNY-Buffalo" directly on it somewhere to the best of my knowledge. It's not that way anymore: the English department main page has "University at Buffalo The State University of New York" at the top. I guess "University at Buffalo" is more de rigeur now? You can always follow with "UB" in subsequent mentions of the university in the SOP.

That's what I did at least--"University at Buffalo" followed by "UB."

This is what I'm going with, I think. I think I might just write University at Buffalo in the first line and leave out the "State University of New York." I'm thinking it doesn't matter really as long as I kinda get the name right... If I leave out the subtitle, I think they'll understand esp. considering that they have a length cap.

And the website does use UB to abbreviate itself so I'm assuming I can use the same throughout.

Thanks everyone for your input!!

[bfat]

Another stupid Buffalo question:

WTF is up with their HORRIBLE site interface and one loooooong application page?

And how the hell are we supposed to submit the LORs (no link to request them)? Do they have to be mailed? What is this, the 15th century?

[sebastiansteddy]

I haven't started working on their actual application yet, but on their website it says "Three letters of recommendation, submitted electronically." If it's not there, it might be cause for an e-mail.

[mostlytoasty]

Another stupid Buffalo question:

WTF is up with their HORRIBLE site interface and one loooooong application page?

And how the hell are we supposed to submit the LORs (no link to request them)? Do they have to be mailed? What is this, the 15th century?

Recommendation e-mails will not be sent until you submit your application, so do it early. I really dislike this method, ugh.

[waparys]

Recommendation e-mails will not be sent until you submit your application, so do it early. I really dislike this method, ugh.

Urgh Maryland does that, too. Now they keep reminding me to submit their supplement--as though I've forgotten!

[bfat]

UUUUUUGGH, that's horrible. Penn State does that too, but at least their application isn't due until Jan 15.

[sebastiansteddy]

I think UC Riverside does that too. It's not all that uncommon, thought I don't get the logic behind it.

[Two Espressos]

Another stupid Buffalo question:

WTF is up with their HORRIBLE site interface and one loooooong application page?

And how the hell are we supposed to submit the LORs (no link to request them)? Do they have to be mailed? What is this, the 15th century?

I'm totally with you here. I asked all my recommenders whether or not they'd received Buffalo's LOR emails...nope!

What the fuck? Why do I have to complete the whole application before letters are sent? WHY?

[HHEoS]

Urgh Maryland does that, too. Now they keep reminding me to submit their supplement--as though I've forgotten!

Hey Waparys, if you enter your recommendation-letter writers' information on the Supplemental Application section of UMD's application, I'm pretty sure they will send messages to them immediately. You don't have to complete the entire thing and submit it to have those messages sent.

[waparys]

Hey Waparys, if you enter your recommendation-letter writers' information on the Supplemental Application section of UMD's application, I'm pretty sure they will send messages to them immediately. You don't have to complete the entire thing and submit it to have those messages sent.

Yeah but my point was you don't get to the supplemental application until you've completed, submitted, and paid for the main application.

[Two Espressos]

Oh so one of my letter writers emailed me with her perspective on why Buffalo--and UMD, as outlined above-- require the entire application to be sent before LOR emails can be sent out: she thinks it's a way to ensure that letter writers only send letters for students who actually end up applying, so they're not stuck with LORs and an incomplete application file from those who end up not applying for whatever reason.

That actually makes sense to me, but I still dislike having to complete the whole damn thing at once...

Edited November 30, 2012 by Two Espressos

[practical cat]

Oh so one of my letter writers emailed me with her perspective on why Buffalo--and UMD, as outlined above-- require the entire application to be sent before LOR emails can be sent out: she thinks it's a way to ensure that letter writers only send letters for students who actually end up applying, so they're not stuck with LORs and an incomplete application file from those who end up not applying for whatever reason.

That actually makes sense to me, but I still dislike having to complete the whole damn thing at once...

That makes total sense to me but it's still really stressful for me with Buffalo and Rutgers and an-absent-from-email-because-of-sabbatical recommender.