hi, so i got all my college decisions back recently and i’m having a really hard time deciding between the schools that i got into. northeastern was my top choice and i was waitlisted so for now i know that i won’t go there until i get accepted, but i have to commit to school first. my top choices that I got into are nyu shanghai, syracuse and fit (fashion institute of technology). each of the schools has their own unique traits and they’re all very different. obviously the hardest school to get into was nyu shanghai and i do speak mandarin pretty fluently i’m half chinese) so going there would be good but at the same time i wanted to go to school with a lot of people and I’m not sure if something out of the country is best, as they also didn’t give me any aid, and, i prefer to have a school that did give some since it will be so expensive. Syracuse, I always liked a lot because I knew that it would give me the real college experience and it’s also really big school but it’s also still pretty expensive even though they did give me scholarship money (20k). finally, i have fit which is where my mom went which makes it obviously more enticing but it’s also in nyc which i spent a lot of my life in and i love the city, but the school itself is predominantly female and since i’m not a fashion meter I feel like i’m not sure if it will benefit me enough and be as helpful as the other two. it’s also the cheapest option, which is more helpful in a way that it’s much more affordable, and won’t put as much of a strain on finances. btw. i’m doing digital design sort of majors as i want to mainly pursue ux/ui design after college. I’m also looking for diversity in terms of school and want something that will really help me after college whether it be connections or jobs/internships.
Can you list your acceptances with the cost of attendance of each?
Are all choices affordable for your family?
Finacial Aid was around 5k
Northeastern - around 80k but with Co-op I won’t be at school the whole full 4 years and if I do NUin then it’s 40k that semester
Syracuse - around 60k with the 20k scholarship and 5k aid they offered
FIT - 35-40k but not truly that as I would only live on campus the first year after that I would move in with my grandmother or find housing elsewhere so those years after would be around 20k
NYU Shanghai - around 70-75k depending since travel is not included but dorming in Shanghai is very affordable compared to NYC
If your family can afford Syracuse without parental loans (ie., parents can pay from income&savings), that’s what I’d choose - but if it required parental loans I’d choose FIT.
Did you get into any SUNY?
What majors are you thinking of pursuing at each school?
Syracuse sound like the most well-rounded choice, academically and socially. They are strong in fashion-related stuff also, but it doesn’t sound as if that’s your primary interest. Can you afford Syracuse? Presumably so, if you’re considering schools that cost even more, but would you come out of Syracuse debt-free?
FIT does seem to have some programs that could work for your interests, but they all seem to be BFA programs, meaning that they’ll be more specialized and less of a broad education. Depends what you want.
IMHO, the NYU “name” is not a good enough reason to spend 75K/year, when you don’t appear to have a specific desire to be in Shanghai, nor are you pointing out a specific program there that’s of great interest to you.
An NEU waitlist offer is not terribly likely, although it could happen. But do not count on paying less than 8 semesters of tuition there. Co-op semesters are replaced with summer sessions - they don’t reduce the amount of enrolled/paid time in school. So this would be the most expensive choice of all, if it even became possible.
So, unless there’s a particular program at FIT that fits you academically, I would lean toward Syracuse if affordable… but that’s based on limited info so feel free to provide more clarification.
No I didn’t apply to any others but I’m out of state anyways so I wasn’t sure if it was worth for what I am doing
Syracuse: Communcations Design
NYUSH: Interactive Media Arts
FIT: Graphic Design
Northeastern: Design
What major or department would you choose at NYU Shanghai, Syracuse (or Northeastern)? EDIT: Our posts crossed. I’ll have to look into these majors
Whether Shanghai or Syracuse is worth its cost really depends on your family’s financial situation. What is affordable for one family may put an unbearable burden on another
I worked in fashion retail my whole career and I’m a great fan of FIT, but I really wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re interested in fashion design or merchandising.
They are also not terribly unafforable I think with Syracuse and FIT it would both possibly free of loans (Syracuse not exactly sure) but my mom saved up I think around 180k-200k for college over the years as she wanted to be able to pay for schools since she didn’t get that when she was younger
I think it’s easy to eliminate Shangai - as you noted.
Mom going to FIT isn’t reason for you to go to FIT.
Northeastern has more undergrads than SU and a similar total population - so when you say a con of Syracuse is big…
NU is a wait list. They have said - we are not accepting you but if we fall short of our goals, we’ll keep you sort of at arms length - basically, you’re an insurance policy for them. No reason for them to be in your consideration set. They don’t love you so maybe you should focus on loving one that loves you!! Put your energy there.
SU offers a study abroad in London in the major. It also has a Design LLC so you can live / study with your peers.
I like FIT in that its better for cost - and if your mom has just $180-200K, she’s going to need to cash flow the rest - can she for SU? If not, the loans you’d have to take are not worth it. You’re saying she has $45K a year saved up - if she can pull the remainder from earnings, that’s fine - but you don’t want to impact her financial status.
What I like better about SU is the academic flexibility you’d have, if you want to pivot - and people do pivot. But I would ensure you can pay all four years.
Frankly, even if you got into Northeastern, if you don’t qualify for aid, it would be unaffordable, even with co-ops.
Best of luck to you whatever you choose.
I personally would not spend 400K (which it would likely be all-in) for Northeastern, for a straight-design degree, even if I had the money (and the offer of admission). It’s a cool program, but it’s not terribly dense with content, as a single major - nothing like doing a design major someplace like, for example, CMU. IMHO it has the greatest value when it’s part of one of their combined majors; for example, CS+design is a terrific program. (I still don’t know if I could stomach full-paying there, but I’d at least be tempted.) MechE+design is great also. These combined majors front-load technical skills that get the students great co-ops, but they also get some really neat design training. The student-run design studio, SCOUT, is very cool too, but again pretty CS-heavy.
For design by itself, I don’t really see the value-added for Northeastern over the others, even if you ended up with an offer for NEU. JMHO.
Anyway, sounds like you’re looking at a BFA program either way, at every school but Northeastern.
The NYU program looks more computational than the others. Is that what you want? (Maybe, if UX/UI is the goal…?) Would you have the option to study “abroad” in New York for a semester or a year?
In short, these programs seem to differ enough that you might be expected to have a clear preference based on academics alone.
yeah, my goal is something along the lines of UX/UI and for NYUSH there is a semester away junior year of your choice.
Is it limited to a semester, or could you spend a whole year at home (or specifically with Grandma) in New York? I assume if you could commute to FIT, you could also commute to NYU, as they aren’t that far apart. That could save a whole year’s room and board, as well as helping you make connections back home.
Also… would it be possible to switch into Industrial & Interaction Design, at Syracuse, if you decided Communication Design wasn’t tech-heavy enough?
Syracuse has a strong reputation for design of various types with longtime connections to New York firms. For this design category I’d give it the edge over FIT. Affordability is another issue that you’ll have to pin down with your family.
NYU Shanghai’s program is certainly interesting though less established than Syracuse. The cost, though, is worrisome. From what you’ve written it doesn’t sound like you’re sold on being China based, even with a year in New York or elsewhere. This is a personal decision.
I would ask both for examples of where their graduates have ended up. I think that @aquapt’s suggestion to investigate flexibility among Syracuse’s programs is a good one.
Being China-based probably isn’t the best for your major - you want to network with people in the US for that field and you wouldn’t have access to all sorts of social media that are barred in China (from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter) and I’m guessing are useful.
I find it worrisome that FIT is an out of state option for you because it’s not exactly a residential experience. It does sound affordable.
Would you be open to applying to more colleges (some are still taking applications and would be thrilled with a student’s ability to pay 45k). If you’re interested in UX/UI you would need something Informatics-adjacent 
…
Yeah I’m thinking of emailing the schools to get more clarification and stuff for major switching as that major also sounds very interesting
I could still apply not sure if I’d enjoy it though because I want don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere and my mom is pretty happy with these. I will look into the few that are accepting though!
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