Upstate Visits - Day 3

Hartwick College

On my final day of the trip, we went to visit Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta. These two are located just minutes away from each other so they make a good pair when it comes to visiting campuses.

The one thing I think bears repeating about Hartwick is: this campus is on a massive hill. The pro here is that the views from various parts of campus are really lovely. The con is you need to be prepared to walk up and down a lot of inclines (though our tourguide informed us that many students hack the system by learning what buildings have elevators that can help things be a bit easier to navigate.). During our stay it was clear that Hartwick is investing some major dollars in the campus look and feel because there were construction projects going on all around. One main change is going to be a new pedestrian walkway on a road that was formerly bustling with cars. As a school that offers merit aid, this campus might be the right fit for students looking to attend a private school on a public college budget. Check out the net price calculator to estimate the cost for your individual financial situation.


Our final campus for this trip was SUNY Oneonta. The most noticeable contrast to Hartwick was the physical layout of the campus being much flatter. Of course, topography should not necessarily be number one on your list of campus factors, but since these two are so close to one another I think the contrast bears highlighting. Much like Oswego, I was pleasantly surprised by the renovation efforts on the campus. The spaces are bright, clean, and modern. Oneonta is also an example of how not all four year SUNY schools charge the same price for Room and Board. Oneonta's non-tuition fees are approximately $14,000 (compared with a school like Binghamton with Room & Board plus fees closer to $17,500). It isn't a massive difference but when you consider that many ElRo students would also get merit money to attend Oneonta, the savings really does compound over the course of four years. Still not convinced? SUNY Oneonta's campus is the proud home of the only Starbucks in a 50 mile radius.

Summer sometimes gets a bad rap when it comes to being a time to visit campuses, but I encourage you to not overlook this free time as a chance to really dig into seeing schools in person!