The Advisor

Helpful Information for High School Counselors

UB High School Leadership Institute, August 3-8, 2008

UB’s High School Leadership Institute is an exceptional opportunity for high school students to enhance their leadership ability and make positive change in their high school community. Designed for students in their sophomore and junior years, the institute is a week-long program that will allow students to develop the kind of leadership skills that colleges are looking for, network with other high school leaders, and be inspired to make a difference. The cost for the institute is $450 and includes lodging, meals, and all activities and materials. We encourage you to let your students know about this exciting opportunity. For more information, visit the UB High School Leadership Institute Web site.

Academic Spotlight: Media Study and Visual Studies

Students interested in the visual and media arts at UB have a variety of excellent academic choices available to them. The Department of Media Study and the Department of Visual Studies offer a range of challenging and engaging learning opportunities that connect students in a meaningful way with the art world.

Media study at UB is an experimental media arts program committed to providing a community in which students can develop their own voice as artists. The department is guided by this principle: because the term “media” comes from the Latin word for “public”, media are inherently social. As a result, media study faculty and students believe that media makers should be aware of their cultural and theoretical assumptions and be prepared to challenge these assumptions.

Media study is strongly linked to artistic practices in the university’s departments of anthropology, architecture, art, comparative literature, English, music, theatre and dance, and American studies. In addition, the department participates in an interdisciplinary program in film studies. Students are encouraged to combine their work in this department with study in other disciplines. The department offers a bachelor of arts and has research groups in independent film and video (including documentary), robotics, digital art (including Internet-based art and digital poetics), and virtual reality/ interactive fiction. Students also have the flexibility to combine these research areas in unexpected ways. The creative and technical skills gained by UB media study students have allowed graduates to pursue successful careers in everything from broadcasting and the film industry to web interface design and media consulting.

Uniting the disciplines of art and art history, UB’s Department of Visual Studies is dedicated to the practice and scholarship surrounding the history, critical study, and making of art. The department connects inner exploration with outward expression. Interpretations that reflect a student’s personal vision are informed by a deep and broad understanding of culture. The department firmly believes that by inquiring into nature and society, you are able to understand and connect with the world around you in a more meaningful way.

The study of art opens the mind to unforeseeable possibilities and allows the student to discover a unique set of skills. These skills are transferable to a wide, evolving range of applications and career paths. The opportunity of studying in the visual studies department at UB combines a rigorous curriculum with the study of contemporary critical art theory in the context of a broad university education. The department offers three undergraduate degrees: a bachelor of fine arts, a bachelor of arts in studio art, and a bachelor of arts in art history. Graduates use the critical and creative skills acquired in the Department of Visual Studies to pursue careers as museum curators, grant writers, educators, art critics, and, yes, visual artists.

Visit this link for more information about the Department of Media Study. To learn more, visit the Department of Visual Studies Web site.

UB 2020: A Plan for a Promising Future

UB 2020 is the University at Buffalo’s plan for growth in the years to come. Initiated by President John Simpson, the plan’s ultimate goal is to create a university that is bigger in size, sharper in focus and physical appearance, and stronger academically than ever before. The plan encompasses all aspects of the university, including a focus on UB’s core academic strengths, as well as a comprehensive physical plan for our three campuses.

While UB 2020 is attuned to the specific academic and physical needs of the university community, it also seeks to position UB ahead of important national and international trends, including research, education, and service that is interconnected across local, national, and international boundaries.

For more information and periodic updates, visit the UB 2020 site.

See UB Up-Close and In-Person

Our regularly scheduled Visit UB program is a group information session and tour that will give you a good glimpse of what UB has to offer. An admissions advisor will provide information about what makes UB unique, admissions, academics, student life, costs, and financial aid. And our student tour guides provide an enthusiastic and informed tour of campus. For more information and to make a reservation, check out the Visit UB Web site.

Expanding Our Reach Across Three Campuses

For years, we at UB have spoken of our two campuses, North and South. However, the university has maintained a physical presence in downtown Buffalo for many years. With our recent growth in that downtown corridor, we can now claim our third campus. To keep you abreast of the activities and facilities that characterize each campus, we thought we’d provide you with a refresher.

UB’s bustling North Campus, where most of the university’s core academic programs are offered, is located in suburban Amherst. Opened in the early 1970s, the North Campus currently has more than one hundred buildings and more on the way, including ongoing construction of new apartment-style student housing, as well as state-of- the-art academic buildings. It is home to the majority of our undergraduate degree programs.

The picturesque South Campus, located three miles away from the North Campus in a residential section of Buffalo, was the university’s home for much of the twentieth century. Here, ivy-covered buildings and a historic bell tower complement new research and teaching facilities. The schools of Architecture and Planning, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dental Medicine, Public Health and Health Professions, and Nursing are on the South Campus.

The recent addition of the UB Downtown Gateway building adds to our growing downtown campus in Buffalo. Current plans are to move UB’s Regional Institute, a number of its pre-K-16 initiatives, and the Center on Rehabilitation Synergy, a program of the Graduate School of Education that provides training, education, and research for professionals working with individuals with disabilities, into the building during the next twenty months. This now represents the sixth UB building downtown. The area is already home to the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, a hub of life sciences expertise and innovation in Buffalo Niagara; the Ross Eye Institute; and the Jacobs Executive Development Center. The campus will include a range of programs that directly serve residents of our community in the areas of education, information, job training, and health care.

Part II Application and Mid-Year Grades

All freshman applicants to UB are encouraged to submit a Part 2. They are able to complete this form and accompanying essay online. The Part 2 allows your students to share information with us regarding accomplishments, special talent, and activities that may not be evident from their high school transcript. It also gives students with weaker academic records an opportunity to explain any special circumstances that may have adversely affected their schoolwork.

For applicants with weak academic credentials, the Part 2 will be required along with mid-year grades. Letters of recommendation are also considered. All additional materials should be sent to the regional representative as soon as it becomes available. To find the name of your UB regional representative, visit the Meet Your Admissions Counselor page.

Web Site Updates

Undergraduate Academies Site

UB’s undergraduate academies are scholarly communities composed of students, faculty, and staff that share a common mission, goals, and interests. Participating in an undergraduate academy will enable students to focus on one of UB’s strengths by engaging in a unique curricular and co-curricular experience. Academy students will be involved in theme-based seminar courses, lectures, and research projects under the direction of academy faculty academic directors. For more information, follow this link.

High School Counselor Site

We have designed this site with the high school counseling community in mind. For that reason, we are always open to suggestions about how we can make the site a the best resource it can be. Send any feedback to Fran Bernstein, associate admissions director, at fjb@buffalo.edu.

Contact us

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at:

• University at Buffalo
• Office of Admissions
• 12 Capen Hall
• Buffalo, NY 14260-1660
• Toll free: 1-888-UB-ADMIT or 716-645-6900
• E-mail: ub-admissions@buffalo.edu
• Web site: http://admissions.buffalo.edu
• AIM Screen Name: UBADMIT