Academics
Its motto “Think Wide Open” perfectly sums up SUNY Purchase, long the artsy lodestone in the SUNY system: the conservatory here “deserves and receives the highest respect.” Beyond the School of the Arts, the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences offers twenty-three major options, as well as the chance to design an individualized, interdisciplinary major through the Liberal Arts program. Nearly all bachelor’s students must complete a senior project in which they devote two semesters to in-depth, original, and creative study, and students welcome the chance to explore. “We’re all about finding new ways to think about things, from science to art to management,” says one.
Classes tend to be about “learning through discussion” rather than lecture, and professors “go out of their way to make sure that everyone is on the same page, and don’t leave anyone behind.” They often actively work in the field in which they teach, and therefore “bring the material life and take learning outside the classroom.” Classes in both the creative arts and general education are “rich and exciting,” such as the professor who “teaches classes about Jack Kerouac on a train and walks the path of On the Road.” Students benefit from the school’s proximity to New York City (less than an hour away), where auditions, showcases, and a fertile alumni network thrive, and “some of the best artists in the NY area become adjunct faculty at this school at some point.”
Student Body
Overwhelmingly accepting of “the weird and strange,” the school is known as a beacon for those that didn’t fit in in high school. This “artsy, unique, passionate, intelligent” group of students has “a definite sense of unity and acceptance,” meaning that everyone is free to be themselves. “People walk around confident in who they are and they aren’t afraid to show their unique styles and personalities,” says one student. There are a lot of “free spirits” and the atmosphere is “filled with liberal ideologies,” and the high concentration of visual/multi-media artists, musicians, and dancers means that “creativity and the arts flourish.” The decent number of commuters don’t have any real problem integrating with the resident population, and “you can always incorporate your craft into whatever you create at Purchase.”
Campus Life
For fun, there’s “a TON of things going on”: weekly dance parties and concerts, student clubs, lectures, an on-campus museum, free yoga classes, zumba, and tons of festivals. People “pay a lot of money to see bands and they support music and musicians here,” and theatre is also “very, very big and popular.” Though there are 17 Division III athletics teams, students feel that they get less emphasis, and Greek life is non-existant. Students receive email digests of all the events on campus, and for those who want to get off campus, it’s easy to take a bus into White Plains or take the train into Manhattan. “The question isn’t ’What to do for fun?’ but rather ’Where do you even start?’” Professors usually “know a lot about what’s going on” and will often get free tickets to performances for students. While the Student Center (Stood) and library facilities are admittedly great (“there are different levels, so students never have to be isolated in one spot”), many say that Purchase could improve the dorms, as “a lot of the on-campus living needs to be updated badly.” Luckily, construction is underway for a new residence hall; the anticipated opening is August 2019.
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