NYC Students Experience Campus Through Fall Open House and Weekend Trips | SUNY Plattsburgh

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November 14, 2016

SUNY Plattsburgh partnered with five community-based organizations and high schools this fall, enabling 180 students from New York City to attend Open House campus visit events.

The Admissions Office hosts regular information sessions and campus tours with a student tour guide year-round.

To schedule a visit, check out our online and on-campus admissions events.

Students Experience College Life

Many of the students would be the first in their families to attend college, said Kevin Brooks, a college guidance counselor at Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters.

Brooks supervised a bus trip last year. Some of the students on that visit now attend SUNY Plattsburgh and can share their experiences with students in the midst of the college search process, he said.

“They literally get to see students who were in their shoes one year ago from their high school in college succeeding,” Brooks said.

The trip is unique in that students have the opportunity to see what life is like for college students, staying overnight with their student hosts in the residence halls, eating in the dining halls and talking with current students.

“They learn from them about what it was like making the transition and what sorts of things they’re involved in on campus,” said Carrie Woodward, director of admissions. “Those personal relationships make a big difference in helping students feel more comfortable going so far away from home.”

‘Open-Minded, Friendly’ Students

Lawrence Bimpong, 18, a senior at the Urban Assembly School of Wildlife Conservation, said he wasn’t sure what to expect from the visit, but now SUNY Plattsburgh is his first choice college.

“I didn’t think they (students) were going to be as friendly as they were, but they were really open minded,” Bimpong said.

He said he bonded nicely with his student host, who, like him, is originally from Africa.

As part of their trip, students learned about the wide range of academic opportunities available to SUNY Plattsburgh students in a special presentation.

“A lot of them seem really motivated by the number of internship opportunities and hands-on experiences Plattsburgh offers,” said Jennifer Campbell, community outreach coordinator at Bottom Line, a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn.

Seeing the campus in person helps students envision themselves attending college somewhere outside New York City, Campbell said.

“It’s kind of inspiring and motivating for some students who maybe weren’t completely sold on the idea of leaving New York City or going some place like Plattsburgh,” she said.

“I think they’re learning quite a bit.”