At some point during the college experience, almost everyone has found a shortcoming of their school worth complaining about, and students here at Geneseo are no exception.
But if you're feeling down or just experiencing the after-effects of a Sourdough Special, talking to one of Geneseo's many transfer students can help you realize the 'Seo ain't so bad.
I recently transferred from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. - a fact nearly every student responds to with an incredulous look and inquisition as to why I would ever leave to come here. There were a variety of reasons, but a huge factor was Notre Dame's ridiculously conservative and sexist rules.
At Notre Dame, everyone lives in single-sex residence halls and no member of the opposite sex is allowed in your room past midnight from Monday to Thursday or past 2 a.m. on the weekends. Imagine your RA knocking on your door at midnight to see if you have (gasp!) a guy or girl in there. If you are found committing this terrible crime, you risk being thrown out of your dorm.
If you get crazy and hang out with a member of the opposite sex during appropriate hours, there must be three feet on the floor at all times. Unless you are very creative and/or flexible, this leaves little chance for amorous activity. If you're caught doing the deed, you face expulsion. Unless you get pregnant - then it is okay because of, you know, procreation.
But getting pregnant shouldn't be too tough, since the university refuses to provide condoms or birth control to students at the health center. Notre Dame: saving souls one sex-deprived kid at a time.
All of these rules make for awkward, uncomfortable relations between the sexes. Friendships between members of the opposite sex are rare because people assume guys and girls are dating if they hang out. At Geneseo, you can spend time with whomever you want, whenever you want. It's so refreshing to attend a school that treats students like adults, not misbehaving children.
Coming from a school made up of type-A, overachieving students, I can really appreciate the Geneseo student body. Students here are serious about their work, but it does not consume their lives. Being a public school, it also provides a better balance of students from different economic and social backgrounds. Yes, almost everyone is from New York. But it is not much use having peers from all over the country at Notre Dame when nearly every one of them is wealthy, white, conservative and Catholic.
Probably the only things Notre Dame really has on Geneseo are food and sports. But I know even food and sports cannot provide an enjoyable college experience the way great people can. Plus, Notre Dame basketball sure never made the top play on SportsCenter. I'd rather have no football team than one that breaks my heart (and my bike lock, as the football players were notorious bike thieves). I'll take a few bad meals at Letch and Division III sports over pretentious rich kids any day.
There's a reason why 600 students transfer to Geneseo annually, making up a third of each graduating class. It seems most people here did not have the school as their first choice, but grew to love it. Geneseo is not perfect, but I am very happy with my decision to transfer. Few schools, private or public, can beat Geneseo's mix of great academics, affordable tuition and friendly student body.
As someone who has experienced a university that is practically Geneseo's opposite, I can appreciate what it has to offer. And I don't even miss football.