SUNY Potsdam is known for music education and teacher preparation, with a lively performing arts culture. The student body includes serious musicians mixed with education majors, which creates a unique vibe. Music students are rehearsing and performing constantly; education students are getting real classroom experience through strong partnerships with local schools. The upstate location is rural and quiet, which is either a feature or a bug depending on what you want from college. Class sizes are small, and professors know you. The residential campus has genuine community, not just housing.
Potsdam's strength is teacher education and the arts. If you're pursuing either of those, the programs are solid and the culture supports your major. If you're pursuing something else, you're in a school optimized for education and music, which shapes the culture. The cost is low (SUNY), which matters for education majors who know they'll never make a lot of money. The alumni network in education circles is strong.
Potsdam works if you're pursuing education or music and want small class sizes, an active performing arts community, and a residential campus. The limitations are obvious: rural location, less diversity of programs, smaller overall prestige. But for education and music preparation in a genuine community, Potsdam is solid.