Hey everybody, I was accepted to UB SDM on 12/1/11 by e-mail. Been trying to get in for some time now. I currently work at (and have worked at for the past 4 years) this dental school. I know most students, faculty, and staff as well as the Buffalo area. Let me know if you have questions. I'm new to SDN, so I'll try to figure out how to use it and respond promptly.
I'm considering buying a duplex or a quad to rent out. Let me know if this interests you and maybe I'll become more serious about doing this. If not, there are better and worse areas to live in around Buffalo:
Buffalo near South Campus: Cheap to live here, close to school, and close to public transport but not the nicest or "friendliest" area to live in.
Amherst/Williamsville: Nice area, nice people, shopping, fairly close to campus, upscale but expensive and high taxes.
Kenmore: Decent area, small town, relatively inexpensive but a little further away from campus and cops are bad with speeding.
Tonawanda: Basically the same as Kenmore (right next door) but a little bigger.
Buffalo: Varies depending on area from cheap to expensive, nice to not so nice, and good access to public transport.
Cheektowaga: On the cheaper side, kinda close to campus, near airport (good and bad).
There are other areas as well that are close or far. Buffalo is an easy city to get around in if you have a car. Even if you live in Hamburg, Clarence, or North Tonawanda (etc.) you can get to class within 30 minutes if you have a car and the snow behaves. Public transport is kind of a joke in Buffalo but if you live near a stop, you can get to class easily. There is also on campus housing which is pretty nice but if you don't like your roommate(s), you will "not enjoy yourself." On campus housing tends to be a little more pricy.
NOTE: It snows in Buffalo. Take the proper preparations for this. Expect snow. Some years are not so bad but once every 5 years or so, we get hit HARD! Bring and/or buy boots, warm hats, gloves, and jackets. If you have a car, sometimes (but not always necessarily) it is a good idea to get snow tires... it depends on the car. If you have never driven in snow before, go to a large empty parking lot after it snows and do donuts... seriously. This will allow you to get a feel for driving in snow, allow you to see what it feels like to lose control of the car, allow you to practice regaining control of the car after a skid, show you how long it takes to stop, and lower the amount of panic you experience when you skid in a real-life driving situation (which is likely to happen
). As for walking on ice, walk flat-footed and you won't slip.
Keep in mind that you will need to purchase loops (magnification glasses), a MacBook Pro from the school, an articulator, DVD with textbooks, and other supplies out of pocket.
Buffalo is very cheap to live in with regard to the standard of living. Shopping and grocery stores are easily accessible. Anything more than about $12 for a pizza is a rip off. I bought gas today at $3.59/gallon for regular 87 octane. Oil change starts at around $25. Apartments are as cheap as $300/month but practical apartments for dental students are in the range of $500-$650/month for a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment or a small house. Houses sell as cheap as $8K (but you wouldn't want to live there). Realistic houses are $50K-$70K+ for a decent place. Really nice houses in really nice areas sell as cheap as $100K.
There's a lot to do in Buffalo: Erie County Fair (August, oldest and 2nd largest county fair in country), Allentown art festival (summer), taste of Buffalo (summer), Italian festival (summer), museum of science, Albright Knox art gallery, Canal Fest (around May), theater (Shea's), Shakespeare in the park, etc. Buffalo stays open late for the most part. It's kind of a drinking town, but there are plenty of other things to do as well.
Buffalo has some of the best food in the country. We invented the hamburger, roast beef on kimmelweck, the chicken wing (to eat, not actually invented), and several others. People in Buffalo are generally very friendly.
I might not know the answer to all questions you may have, but I guarantee I know the people who do. Congrats to those accepted. Hope to see you in August. Let me know if you have questions that I didn't answer.