Colleges? - Empty Closets - A safe online community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered people coming out

Foxywolf · 3rd Apr 2011, 04:37 AM

Well being a senior and all I have to choose which college I am going to go to.
I have found one that I like that is most definitely LGBT friendly but it is a little further than I would like (It's like 4 and a half hours away). It's SUNY New Paltz
There is another that I was considering but I am unsure how LGBT friendly it is. SUNY Geneseo. And there is another that wasn't that great but I think it is LGBT friendly SUNY Binghamton.

The thing is I know that New Paltz is probably the most LGBT friendly, but I am hesitant to go there for multiple reasons:
1. Since it is far away I wouldn't be able to visit home as much as I want
2. Since it is far away if I make friends/ find a girlfriend then they would probably live far away from me and it would be hard to see them over the summer.
3. Being a upstate New Yorker I am not sure how the downstate New Yorkers are, I've never really met anyone from NYC or long island (that's where most of the people going to New Paltz are from)
4. Mostly I am worried about the distance from home, anything else is just a minor worry.

Anyway so I am not sure which college I should go to. I did not actually make it to Geneseo or Binghampton in the fall but I got wait listed for the spring, so I could always go to New Paltz for the fall and see how I like it and then maybe transfer to Geneseo or Binghamton.
The thing is I don't know how LGBT friendly Geneseo or Binghamton is. So does anyone else know? (Geneseo is only 40 minutes away and Binghamton is only like an hour).

So does anyone have any feedback they could give me? I am just stressing about what I should do. I guess what I am most worried about is if I go to New Paltz and find that someone special I am worried about not being able to see her outside of school.

TheRoof · 3rd Apr 2011, 02:40 PM

my general perception is that geneseo is pretty much very liberal place. But then again, what college generally isn't?

Of course lgbt community's presence in the school is important, but have you considered other factors like academics? If a school has a good balance of those two, I think that would be your ultimate choice. Are these three your only choices? or do you have other colleges that you've been accepted to?
Downstate new yorkers are okay, although some definitely have that oh im from nyc/long island snootiness in them (and you know how they sort of look down upon upstaters but whatever), but it's really not that major big deal. Unless they're like super spoiled close-minded brats/bitches I think mostly you'll find them tolerable, although it really depends on person to person.
Also new paltz to rochester really isn't that bad in my opinion. At most i think it would take 5-7 hours if you take the bus, altho you would have to check greyhound or shortline or even amtrak to actually figure it out. But I live in Ithaca (in college) so ithaca->NYC trip takes 5 hours and 30 minutes, which is kind of long, but it's not THAT bad lol.

Foxywolf · 3rd Apr 2011, 06:02 PM

Yeah all of these colleges have good academics and they are my top three choices, I was also accepted to Suny Oswego, Oneonta, Brokport and Potsdam. I'm not so sure about those though.
I know the ride is not that bad, but it would be a lot nicer and more convenient if a college near me was known to be very LGBT friendly and had good academics. How is it going to college far away from home do you like it? I'm just very unsure right now...

3rd Apr 2011, 04:37 AM	#1
Foxywolf EC Addict Full Member Gender: Female Orientation: 95% Lesbian Out Status: One foot out of the closet (Out to 10 people) Location: New York State, near Rochester Age: 19 Posts: 322 Join Date: Jan 2011	Colleges? Well being a senior and all I have to choose which college I am going to go to. I have found one that I like that is most definitely LGBT friendly but it is a little further than I would like (It's like 4 and a half hours away). It's SUNY New Paltz There is another that I was considering but I am unsure how LGBT friendly it is. SUNY Geneseo. And there is another that wasn't that great but I think it is LGBT friendly SUNY Binghamton. The thing is I know that New Paltz is probably the most LGBT friendly, but I am hesitant to go there for multiple reasons: 1. Since it is far away I wouldn't be able to visit home as much as I want 2. Since it is far away if I make friends/ find a girlfriend then they would probably live far away from me and it would be hard to see them over the summer. 3. Being a upstate New Yorker I am not sure how the downstate New Yorkers are, I've never really met anyone from NYC or long island (that's where most of the people going to New Paltz are from) 4. Mostly I am worried about the distance from home, anything else is just a minor worry. Anyway so I am not sure which college I should go to. I did not actually make it to Geneseo or Binghampton in the fall but I got wait listed for the spring, so I could always go to New Paltz for the fall and see how I like it and then maybe transfer to Geneseo or Binghamton. The thing is I don't know how LGBT friendly Geneseo or Binghamton is. So does anyone else know? (Geneseo is only 40 minutes away and Binghamton is only like an hour). So does anyone have any feedback they could give me? I am just stressing about what I should do. I guess what I am most worried about is if I go to New Paltz and find that someone special I am worried about not being able to see her outside of school. __________________ "Say what you mean and mean what you say because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

3rd Apr 2011, 02:40 PM	#2
TheRoof True Blue Full Member Gender: genderqueer Orientation: I like who I like. Location: NY Age: 20 Posts: 1,459 Join Date: Nov 2008	Re: Colleges? my general perception is that geneseo is pretty much very liberal place. But then again, what college generally isn't? Of course lgbt community's presence in the school is important, but have you considered other factors like academics? If a school has a good balance of those two, I think that would be your ultimate choice. Are these three your only choices? or do you have other colleges that you've been accepted to? Downstate new yorkers are okay, although some definitely have that oh im from nyc/long island snootiness in them (and you know how they sort of look down upon upstaters but whatever), but it's really not that major big deal. Unless they're like super spoiled close-minded brats/bitches I think mostly you'll find them tolerable, although it really depends on person to person. Also new paltz to rochester really isn't that bad in my opinion. At most i think it would take 5-7 hours if you take the bus, altho you would have to check greyhound or shortline or even amtrak to actually figure it out. But I live in Ithaca (in college) so ithaca->NYC trip takes 5 hours and 30 minutes, which is kind of long, but it's not THAT bad lol.

3rd Apr 2011, 06:02 PM	#3
Foxywolf EC Addict Full Member Gender: Female Orientation: 95% Lesbian Out Status: One foot out of the closet (Out to 10 people) Location: New York State, near Rochester Age: 19 Posts: 322 Join Date: Jan 2011	Re: Colleges? Yeah all of these colleges have good academics and they are my top three choices, I was also accepted to Suny Oswego, Oneonta, Brokport and Potsdam. I'm not so sure about those though. I know the ride is not that bad, but it would be a lot nicer and more convenient if a college near me was known to be very LGBT friendly and had good academics. How is it going to college far away from home do you like it? I'm just very unsure right now... __________________ "Say what you mean and mean what you say because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."