BUFFALO, N.Y. — Colleges across the state and the country are doing what they can to recruit, diversify and educate. To accomplish that, there has been a recent trend of colleges becoming universities.

"I honestly think that it makes us a little more competitive in the university system," said Taylor Clark, president of the United Students Government at Buffalo State University.

Across the SUNY system, a growing number of schools are making the switch, and plenty of students already in the system are all for it.

"Being able to come here and now say that I go to a university instead of a college is actually kind of cool that I'll have that on my diploma," Clark added.

Changes to the requirements for a university by New York’s standards mean leveling some playing fields for not just the institutions, but for anyone looking to get into higher education. Clark started at a community college and has now been a part of Buffalo State College turned University for the last four years.

"Now, a lot of people think about going to Buff State for great grandiose things when you're looking at the difference between Buffalo State College and places like UB," said Clark.

Friendly in-town competition from Buffalo to Ithaca and Syracuse to Albany now gets a bit more interesting — for New Yorkers and even the globe.

"I know on the international level, hearing university really sparks more interest than hearing college," Clark added.

But making the move to a university doesn’t guarantee success, just more options.

"I think with everything there's going to be hurdles and especially with this being the first year, there's not going to be a perfect set of rules for us to follow," said Clark. "But I think, too, is that it gives the students who are here a better idea of why they're here. They chose to come here for a reason."

Every college campus doesn’t follow the same map, but you do get a lot of the same things from community colleges to four-year schools and big universities.

"Student life here at Buff State — there's so many different things to do, said Clark. "Fraternities — there's Greek life, there's so many different opportunities here for anyone to get involved in, and [it] just kind of depends [on] how nice you want to get, but you're gonna find people that you can call family."

And just because the school you're looking at may have changed its name, doesn’t mean extra budgets for another class of textbook or school swag.

"It's just going to depend on program to program, but at the end of the day, I don't think things are gonna go up too high now that we're a university," said Clark.

While new universities are trending, the career path you choose and how you get there remains as changeable as something like a map or a name.

"I really just think it depends on who you are as a person and what your goals are, and what your aspirations are," Clark said. "So I just always try to encourage students to do things for themselves instead — not for other people."