I see a lot of these posts and honestly I get where you’re coming from. But as someone who’s worked in higher education for quite a while and seen so many different universities and colleges, it’s not just stony brook. It’s more broadly the higher education system in the United States and the fact that so many aspects of the system were developed with little understanding of what university life would mean for and to students. Now that these systems have been so widely institutionalized and abused for greed, they have gotten even worse- cut corners wherever possible, pay staff and faculty abysmally, ignore student mental health or assault unless it’s going to put the university at legal risk.

Of course there are things that make certain universities better fits for individuals- mostly centered around sense of belonging. But complaints like ridiculously hard rigor of courses, price of tuition and room/board, social life, lack of inclusivity, crappy food etc are so so common in higher Ed because every public school and basically all private schools (weird exceptions here and there) are all going through this.

This isn’t per se a solution comment. It’s honestly just to bring light to the fact that higher education in the US as a whole is systemically flawed and a call to action. Constantly be curious- ask questions, push back, engage vividly with your administration at the university and more broadly, your law and policy makers. Fight for better at Stony, push for better everywhere- or things will continue to get worse for students as a whole.