college visit advice

Hi. I will be visiting Plattsburgh with my son next weekend. I know they have a fantastic teaching program, and knowing that is his interest,I encouraged him to apply there. He is a little affraid it won%26#39;t be ';cool.'; Is there a strip of college bars where the kids might be hanging out on a Friday or a Saturday night? My son is not rowdy, but he is 21 and although he has a good work ethic,, he does enjoy drinking a few beers while he is socializing.

If there is such a location, is there a hotel nearby that you would recommend? I really want Plattsburgh to make a good impression on him because I know it is a good school, and his other option would be San Jose (except my wife would cry if he went that far from hom).

Any advice from people who know the Plattsburgh area is greatly appreciated.

Rob

college visit advice

It looks like the Comfort Inn in Plattsburgh has a lot to offer and you can check their website. Not to far south of Plattsburgh is Ausable Chasm which has awesome scenery and worthwhile to check out.

Good luck.

college visit advice

Rob,

Been 20 yrs since I graduated from P-Burgh (Albany native) but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a great social scene. Here%26#39;s some selling points:

a) Good college hockey (if he%26#39;s into hockey)

b) Greek scene: I wasn%26#39;t in a frat, and actually don%26#39;t dig the whole concept, but they always had a good party going on each weekend that was typically open to all (not just Greek - although having a Greek for a roommate got me cart blanche invites).

c) Unless it%26#39;s changed drastically, the downtown club and restaurant scene is lots of fun, and (VERY IMPORTANT TO A PARENT) is a short wall (a mile or less) from the campus, so you never had to worry about the whole drunk driving problem.

d) It%26#39;s a short (maybe 1 hr) drive to Montreal, so it%26#39;s like having access to a whole foreign world for day trips. Museums, shopping, restaurants, Canadiens hockey, the allure of foreign language climate w/o anti-American hostilities....and you%26#39;re still back to campus an hour or so later.

d) Lake Champlain: Nice during fall/spring part of the school year. Not so much for swimming, but picturesque and okay for boating.

e) P-Burgh does have very good (or at least did when I attended) academic grounding and facilities. And most faculty do give a dayum about their students.

I never recall a class being handed off by professor to his graduate assistant to teach.

Thanks!!! I appreciate this advice very much.

I too graduated from Plattsburgh. When I attended, it had a reputation as being a party school. As far as bars go, they was one in particular that I recall....Brothers. AND....Monopoles had the best pizza ever. I don%26#39;t know if either exist still.

In addition to the other posters suggestions....taking the ferry over to Vermont (and Burlington) is another great plus about the area. Then there is always the Adirondacks.

Kay - thanks for the reminder about Monopole%26#39;s....almost forgot about that......and midnight buzz at Woodstock%26#39;s at front of Monopole alley.....

I am fairly certain that Plattsburgh has recently lost their national accredation for teaching, however they still maintain regional accredation. My family flies/drives in and they will stay at LaQuinta hotel right off of the I-87 exit and have had no problems. I had also had several Canadian clients stay there with equal satisfaction. If your son enjoys the outdoors, plan a quick trip to Point Au Roche beach (maybe 15 minutes away from the city) for a little taste of what there is to offer, or maybe the city beach which is just north of the city. Additionally, make a point to stop at McSweeney%26#39;s or one of the other Mighican/Texas Red Hot places in town for a local treat. There are several good places to %26#39;socialize%26#39; downtown. Peabody%26#39;s is a mainstay, Monopole, and the Green Room are all frequented by younger crowds. The Crazy Horse is a country bar with a bull but is without a doubt the nicest and most enjoyable to attend. This all coming from a 23 year-old former student from Schenectady.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions. My son seems happy with his choice and we check him in on August 22.

Rob