Nickel Xenon

I got into NYU GSP and I got into CAS at BU. I'm not sure which one to pick either. I haven't gotten my financial aid yet form NYU, but BU is giving me 32k in grants and 8k in loans. I know a lot of people on this board got into both NYU and BU, so which do you think is better?

americanbeauty23

Which city do you love more? lol...

If NYU doesn't give you aid, consider BU...NYU has a ridiculous price tag.

NYU is essentially New York City, so if you love NYC you'll probably love NYU. It's very spread out but has a pretty park in the center but not much of a student hub. The academics are top-notch and the dorms are great. But, there is no school spirit or Greek system and it is EXPENSIVE to be in NYC, much less NYU. No dorm parties since they're strict, so partying = clubbing = $$$.

If money is an issue, consider BU.

Boston U has more green space but not much. It's along the lovely Charles River and has pretty brownstones and great facilities. The academics are solid and the school is close to tons of other great ones like BC, Harvard and Northeastern. I felt the city of Boston was much less distracting and more cultural and intellectual than NYC.

Hope that helps a little. Think of what makes you happiest. Talk to students from both schools, check out the courses, etc.

Nickel Xenon

Well, I don't party. ^_^'' So I don't care about clubs, parties, or greek life. xD And I'm used to large, crowded cities. I was born in Los Angeles and now I live in Dallas. They're very different cities, but basically it's all the same. Overpriced parking and people moving way too fast.

JoKaA

Definitely Boston. Though I love New York just as much, if not more than Boston, Boston is by far a better city to go to College in. for one, BU isn't in the heart of the city, so it's not as intense as NYU, and two, Having spent my last summer at the Harvard Summer School, I can tell you that Boston is an extremely fun town to walk around -- or take the subway in. The buildings are beautiful, the skyscrapers are beautiful, Faneuil Hall is always a lot of fun, and of course Boston is the home to tons of well known Universities, so you can meet friends from MIT, Harvard etc.
I had to make a similar choice between the CGS program at BU to the CLS at UCSB. At Boston you can explore a wide variety of classes in your Freshman and Sophomore years and therefor be able to make a more educated decision on what you want to major in. Do you really want to spend your next couple years having your college telling you exactly what you have to take and when you have to take it? I don't. Anyway, finally, 32,000 dollars in grants is a lot of money, especially when you pile that 8,000 dollar a year loan on top of it. With that said, I think the obvious choice is BU.

Nickel Xenon

Well, I wasn't sure what to pick because I'm not used to being in huge classes. I hear Boston U has huge lectures and I'm not used to being in a class of more than 35 people at a time. And there are threads and threads over grade deflation. xD

lostandfound5

BU's average class size is 28 and the student to professor ratio is 16:1. 4% of classes are over 100. Any class that IS over 100 is required to break up in to discussion sections of no more than 25. Discussion sections are usually taught by teaching fellows (graduate students in that field). Zero courses are taught by TA's. TF's do not present new material (aside from maybe 1 lecture during the semester when the prof can't be there and it's usually not on the exam).

Hope that gives you a more realistic view of BU's class size. And you don't have all big classes freshman year and all tiny classes senior year. it's more mixed up

Nickel Xenon

That does make me feel better about class size. ^_^

Lergnom

All schools of any size have lectures. So what? Lecturing is appropriate for many college subjects. I had lecture classes of well over 100, sometimes over 200 at an Ivy school. Big deal.

If the money from BU is better, then I'd go there. GSP is like CGS and you were admitted to CAS, which is better.

Nickel Xenon

What is CGS?

GroovyGeek

Here are a few other things to consider:

1) What you want to study. BU is somewhat more engineering/science oriented, though it does have a good pre-professional type program in COM/journalism. NYU has more flair for the humanities/arts it seems.

2) Undecided? I don't have a good sense about the liberal arts curriculum at either school, bit you should check them out. What they offer, what special advising is there for undecideds, how they help students decide. What really bugs me about NYU is the bureaucratic division between the schools. I can understand being required to major in your own school. But limits on where you can minor or what classes you can take? Few other schools have draconian restrictions, NYU certainly does. It's like the schools are a loose federation, not a single university. NYU is not a school for people who want breadth in addition to depth.

3) Class size. Yes, every school has lectures that are huge, but GSP at NYU supposedly controls that. On the flip side, investigate carefully whether GSP students are treated as "second class". Sure, the school says they are not, but can you really trust that?

4) I actually disagree on campus assessment. BU's "campus" is annoyingly busy/noisy. It is along THE major avenue in Boston. There is not a single green space on campus where you don't hear traffic noise - either from Commonwealth avenue, or the parkway next to the Charles River. In contrast, NYU is tucked away (by NYC standards) and is much quieter and serene.

5) Money.... NYU is unlikely to offer you any merit money in GSP. BU has offered you a ton of moolah. Can your parents comfortably afford an extra $32k/year? Do you think you will want to go to grad school? Can your parents afford that? Will they want to pay for that if they pay sticker price for NYU?

D is facing a similar decision between USC and NYU with a few k$ of merit aid, and BU with a 1/2 tuition scholarship. If money was no object she would pick USC, we can afford the tuition. However, if she then turns around and goes to grad school, and asks for another $250k in tuition we will have to tell her "you are on your own".

P.S. CGS is probably College of General Studies, same as GSP at NYU.

Nickel Xenon

I want to study the Classics if that helps. ^_^'' And thank you for bringing up some good points. I do want to go to grad school. I want a PhD. >_<

goodnight

As someone who was accepted into NYU's GSP - Florence program and BU's CAS, hopefully I can provide some insight. Both schools gave me relatively equal financial aid. I think the NYU's GSP turned me off because it sounded like an additional 2 years of high school. BU has a similar program called CGS. Some will say that GSP/CGS are great programs and others will argue it's a waste of time. Nonetheless, I should also say that going to Florence my first year also made it unattractive (I would much rather go my junior year). Anyways, after weighing the pros and cons (even though NYU was originally my first choice), I chose BU. I don't regret my decision because going into CAS actually helped me find my current major. I agree with what everyone else has said. BU is giving you a lot of money. Best of luck making a decision!

Nickel Xenon

I got into the NYC campus because I thought studying abroad Freshman year was too much. xD But I didn't like the GSP program at first either. Now I just can't make up my mind. =/ I already know what I want to major in, but who knows, people change their mind all the time. I just really want to see what kind of money NYU will offer me.

Jlee28

Wait and see, then, what kind of money NYU does offer you but I think most people would agree that they are notorious for offering very little in contrast to other schools. Both schools are really great, and I was already leaning BU's direction after visiting both locations, then I got half tuition in BU's COM, and GSP'd at NYU. Best of luck though!

Nickel Xenon

Thanks guys. ^_^ I'll have to wait until Wednesday to make a call to the NYU office, though. =/ Their office hours are horrible. xD They close as soon as I get home from school.