How Much is Too Much?

gabriellaah
Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:06:23 +0000

Another thought. As a New Yorker, of course I am biased about my city. But, there is absolutely no campus life at NYU. Hopkins is in a major city, yet it is on a beautiful campus. Also, it is so close to D.C. It takes approximately 30 minutes to get there, via train. My son does it all the time. It also doesn’t have to be a costly trip. If you take the MARC instead of AMTRAK, it will cost $6 or $7. Philadelphia is only about an hour away, and New York is the perfect distance for day outing. Get the train in the morning, and in 2 1/2 hours, or so, you will be in the heart of Manhattan…Stay all day, then return at night. Lots of kids do it.
My suggestion? If you are paying all that money for your education, go to the school with the highest “peer assessment” rank. The difference between NYU and Hopkins in that area is large enough to warrant careful consideration. There are reasons why a particular school is hot, or has moved up in the rankings. You don’t want to choose one whose rankings rely so heavily on the number of applications, as opposed to peer rank (basically,academic rank). When I was in college, NYU was not a national school…It was a local, commuter school. The kids who went there were generally unable to get into CUNY, which was extremely elite, at that time, and free for outstanding New Yorkers. Look what has happened to NYU! New York is a place where so many kids want to come for their college experience, and NYU has benefited tremendously. But what has caused this increase in selectivity is the sheer number of applicants, not necessarily its academic rank…Which, don’t get me wrong, is quite good…3.8/5. But, how does that compare to Hopkin’s, at 4.6/5? You need to decide what is important to you, put it all in the mix, then come up with the answers that best suit you. I’d say, go with the top ranked academic stats…they usually endure.
Look…NYU is an amazing institution. Fabulous graduate schools, and in a very interesting city. But your degree will last over your entire lifetime. Choose wisely, and best of luck.