Thoughts on NYU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can one have a true college experience there? What did you like/dislike? Does it have a good reputation?

I know several DC kids who attend now and all were drawn to the school because of the scene -- living the hipster life around Washington Square Park is their idea of a true college experience. Their parents complain a lot about the price tag, not just the tuition but the cost of living in NYC. The school is going through some growing pains -- check out the recent New Yorker profile of the president and his controversial development plans and global ambitions. Like a comparably sized state school, it has a better reputation in some fields than others. A college with a similar setting and vibe -- at half the cost -- is McGill in Montreal.

No. McGill is more like Georgetown. NYU is like GW on steroids.

[Anonymous]

There was a recent article on NYU's president in the New Yorker. After reading it, I am not inclined to send checks to a place that treats its faculty the way it does.

[Anonymous]

Unless someone is going for theater, I would not go to NYU for undergraduate. Just not a true college experience. NYC is too distracting. I am from NYC and know lots of NYU grads. Very good school but in terms of having the best experience, I think NYU for grad school is a great choice. for undergrad, I think a university with more of a community feel is better.

Just my opinion though

[Anonymous]

I know some will hate on this comment but my sisters daughter went there (for a semester) she found it way too liberal, many of the girls were lesbians and a lot of her friends were Jewish so on Friday nights they went home to celebrate the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights so she felt really really out of place, then on top of that she didn't like the non campus environment so she was out of there by Christmas and went to a smaller liberal arts school a few hours from home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know some will hate on this comment but my sisters daughter went there (for a semester) she found it way too liberal, many of the girls were lesbians and a lot of her friends were Jewish so on Friday nights they went home to celebrate the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights so she felt really really out of place, then on top of that she didn't like the non campus environment so she was out of there by Christmas and went to a smaller liberal arts school a few hours from home.

" the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights"? You really should get out more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some will hate on this comment but my sisters daughter went there (for a semester) she found it way too liberal, many of the girls were lesbians and a lot of her friends were Jewish so on Friday nights they went home to celebrate the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights so she felt really really out of place, then on top of that she didn't like the non campus environment so she was out of there by Christmas and went to a smaller liberal arts school a few hours from home.

" the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights"? You really should get out more.

Maybe shes not Jewish. Why should she know?

[Anonymous]

My son considered NYU but after an overnight with a friends older brother who was there, he didn't like it, the city was more than he wanted, he really wanted more of a campus. He ended up at GW and was very happy.

[Anonymous]

We know someone whose daughter went there, she did not recommend it for our D. We are a proper traditional family and she said NYU for the most part if kind of the antithesis of that. We promptly scratched it off our list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know some will hate on this comment but my sisters daughter went there (for a semester) she found it way too liberal, many of the girls were lesbians and a lot of her friends were Jewish so on Friday nights they went home to celebrate the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights so she felt really really out of place, then on top of that she didn't like the non campus environment so she was out of there by Christmas and went to a smaller liberal arts school a few hours from home.

" the special Jewish dinner they have on Friday nights"? You really should get out more.

Maybe shes not Jewish. Why should she know?

I'm not Jewish and have some sense of other faiths. All the posts about Jewish students at NYU are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Overpriced for what you get.

Not everyone wants the traditional college experience, so in that way, NYU is great. Personally, I wouldn't want my kid living anywhere I could afford -- it can't be that much fun to live in Queens and commute in to NYU .. so it probably isn't for us.

As for "a lot of jewish kids" - that's true of NYC in general.

[Anonymous]

I went there for grad school and my impression was that most of the undergrads were Asian, both Eastern and Southern Asian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can one have a true college experience there? What did you like/dislike? Does it have a good reputation?

I know several DC kids who attend now and all were drawn to the school because of the scene -- living the hipster life around Washington Square Park is their idea of a true college experience. Their parents complain a lot about the price tag, not just the tuition but the cost of living in NYC. The school is going through some growing pains -- check out the recent New Yorker profile of the president and his controversial development plans and global ambitions. Like a comparably sized state school, it has a better reputation in some fields than others. A college with a similar setting and vibe -- at half the cost -- is McGill in Montreal.

No. McGill is more like Georgetown. NYU is like GW on steroids.

NYU is a much better school than GW. Wouldn't want my kids to attend either one, but I don't think there's a comparison there.

[Anonymous]

I went to NYU for grad school and worked as a grad student advisor for freshman orientation one summer. Like others have said, you will not get the "traditional" college experience here as an undergrad since there is no enclosed campus. I think it's best for kids who are mature, are comfortabe being in a big city and can be trusted to make good decisions re: alcohol, drugs, partying, etc. OTOH, being in NYC, you have access to all it has to offer. You certainly pay for all of it.

It was a great place to be for grad school but it's definitely not a place for all college kids.

As to the "everyone is Jewish" remarks--I can understand that if you grew up in a place where everyone is more or less homogeneous, coming to NYC can be a shock and that it can FEEL like "everyone" is Jewish. Which of course is not the case.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid who is an undergrad at NYU and one of my immediate family members attended as a grad student. The percentage of Jewish students is 21% (4,000 students) but it may feel like more because there are kosher kitchens, Jewish fraternities, a Jewish studies major and all students receive emails about Jewish holiday and Shabbat services.

http://reformjudaismmag.org/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=1380&destination=ShowItem

Academically, the school is quite strong. The vibe is very artsy-- not just theater but film, all performing arts (music, acting), etc. and the kids tend to be artsy. There are lots of gay kids, hipsters, students with amazing fashion sense, etc. There are also a lot of kids who aren't like that but I would say that it's a place for students who are non-judgemental.

I anticipated a very hands-off school and I was wrong. My kids' department keeps VERY close tabs on him. I was surprised by how rigorous the academics were, particularly for the general requirements. But it is probably not a good school for a kid who is disorganized. The campus is spread out and sometimes it's hard to figure out who can help resolve a problem.

The university guarantees housing for all four years if the students notify by a certain date.

Tuition costs are comparable to other top private schools but university housing/ meal plan is more expensive. The school does not have a great reputation for financial aid but gives the top academic/ talented students amazing merit packages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless someone is going for theater, I would not go to NYU for undergraduate. Just not a true college experience. NYC is too distracting. I am from NYC and know lots of NYU grads. Very good school but in terms of having the best experience, I think NYU for grad school is a great choice. for undergrad, I think a university with more of a community feel is better.

Just my opinion though

I'd add film and business to this. And apparently they have a fabulous philosophy department, who knew? But for any other major I'd give it a pass. I also agree that it depends on the kid being responsible enough to make all the big decisions involved in living on your own, or almost on your own, in NYC.