My husband went there for grad school. I'm from NYC. I think it's a great school - especially for finance or theater. I wanted a traditional college experience and enjoyed the small liberal arts school feel. I think NYU would be perfect for grad school.

I'm sure if I went there for undergrad, it would have been great too but it's so big that I think it could be overwhelming.

I attended NYU my freshman year back in the mid 2000s. It was a terrible fit for me, and unfortunately I didn't realize that until I got there. I ended up transferring out after my freshman year. The lack of a true college experience and the whole "little fish in a big pond" thing really got to me. I ended up transferring to a school in more of a "college town" - best decision of my life. I think you have to be a specific type of person to go there. I totally agree with the person that said NYU is like NYC - you either love it or hate it. I felt the academics were pretty good in the college of arts and sciences, but I just didn't like the environment. To each his or her own, though.

I know a number of students who went there recently and all had very positive experiences. A couple of quick thoughts -- many people might be basing their opinions on the NYU years ago. It has changed a lot in the last 20 years, as has the surrounding area, and is much better regarded than it once was. It is a terrific school, with some stronger departments than others to be sure, but not for everyone (is any school?). But for the right students, it offers a terrific education and experience.

Anonymous wrote:

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

Completely agree. Went there for grad school and worked there, so many undergrads get lost because it's so hard to find a place to "being". Except for theater and business, not worth the lack of community or campus until the student has a clearer sense of who they are.

Sister went there as a pre-med and did well. But she is extremely independent and loves Manhattan. Doesn't care about college sports, throwing a Frisbee across a quad to a dog, or anything like that. Would not have been a fit at a Big 10 or ACC school. What I cannot understand is why after visiting, someone for which this is important has figured out NYU is different and makes another choice.

Anonymous wrote:

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

Completely agree. Went there for grad school and worked there, so many undergrads get lost because it's so hard to find a place to "being". Except for theater and business, not worth the lack of community or campus until the student has a clearer sense of who they are.

So why doesn't the school work harder on developing a sense of community if that is the #1 thing people complain about?

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

Completely agree. Went there for grad school and worked there, so many undergrads get lost because it's so hard to find a place to "being". Except for theater and business, not worth the lack of community or campus until the student has a clearer sense of who they are.

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes, it is outstanding in the arts but it is actually ranked highly in lots of departments-- from business to public affairs to Italian to English. The problem with NYU isn't the academics (the academics are surprisingly strong and perhaps underestimated by most people), it's that it's a school that requires a lot of organization and independence. There are plenty of urban schools around but NYU's classes are more rigorous than the average urban school, arts majors require a lot of time and, for non-arts majors, NYU expects students to do internships-- all competing demands that a student must juggle.

NYU is like NYC, you either love it or hate it.

They don't call it NYJew for nothing. To New Yorkers it might not seem so Jewish, but from somebody from East Goyimville North Carolina, it will seem very Jewish.

I mean no disrespect by this comment, but i base it on my daughters one semester there (she transferred) it is very Jewish, very gay, very liberal and very type a. That was her take.

I went there for undergrad and grad, but it was years ago now. I loved it, but there were downsides -- it really was like living as an independent person in the city...very little sense of community. I don't know how I would have made friends if I didn't live in the dorm for my first two years of undergrad. What PP said about "swimming with the sharks" is kind of true -- you have to be very independent and a self-starter who is able to take advantage of all the university and city has to offer. NYU doesn't really provide much support or guidance, you have to really seek it and carve out a niche for yourself.

Is it worth the tremendous expense? I'm really not so sure, and I say that as someone who really values my experience. If my kids wanted to go, I would recommend a smaller school with a sense of community where they could be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, and then consider NYU for graduate school.

^^ Yes, it is outstanding in the arts but it is actually ranked highly in lots of departments-- from business to public affairs to Italian to English. The problem with NYU isn't the academics (the academics are surprisingly strong and perhaps underestimated by most people), it's that it's a school that requires a lot of organization and independence. There are plenty of urban schools around but NYU's classes are more rigorous than the average urban school, arts majors require a lot of time and, for non-arts majors, NYU expects students to do internships-- all competing demands that a student must juggle.