<p>For a long while now I have made it a point to avoid this school at all costs. I decided to finally look into it the other day and I actually liked what I saw. However, I have heard so many bad stories I don’t even know where to start. Not just the typical stuff either like lack of a campus, or horrible financial aid, which are still concerns for me but I would like to hear about the overall atmosphere if possible. Thanks :)</p>
<p>This is where Castro went to school. IS THIS SERIOUSLY WHERE YOU WANT YOUR EDUCATION FROM?!?!?!</p>
<p>Bush the Least of All went to Yale and Harvard Business, and in spite of their not being able to teach him anything whatsoever (see <a href=“GLOCOM Platform - Opinions)%5B/url%5D”>GLOCOM Platform - Opinions)</a>, the schools are still considered by some to be acceptable. Go figure.</p>
<p>You make it sound like Bush got in with effort.</p>
<p>Beautiful and harmonious Castro did all his little body could to get into NYU, and he succeeded.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>lol at beautiful, harmonious Castro</p>
<p>Castro at NYU? What have you guys been smokin’?</p>
<p>You didn’t know he teaches there part-time?</p>
<p>Elba Castro teaches law at NYU; could she be an Infidel?</p>
<p>My D’s very lovely close friend adores NYU. D is at Barnard. The young women meet up regularly. That’s NYC – so many opportunities.</p>
<p>I would have loved to go to school with Castro. How fascinating. Ernesto Cardinal (you have to look up who he is) went to Columbia.</p>
<p>… what? I’m so confused about what’s going on here.</p>
<p>polska:</p>
<p>NYU has so many crappy stories about it because plenty of people think it’s their dream school. They apply, and then complain about not getting enough free money. Then they decide to come, and complain about NYU not molly-coddling them.</p>
<p>That’s the crude version of the story. A couple of things, next.</p>
<p>1) NYU’s endowment is very small for a school of its size. We’re like Carnegie Mellon in that respect. NYU does give out some big scholarships, but you certainly shouldn’t count on receiving them. (That being said, I did get one of those big scholarships, and that’s the only reason I could afford to attend.)</p>
<p>2) NYU is NOT FOR EVERYONE. I can’t emphasize this enough. Too many people think, “New York City! What could possibly go wrong?!” or “Mary Kate, Ashley, and Haley Joel Osmont?! I have to be there!” They don’t take the time to do research and find out what the school is about, its good side, or its bad side.</p>
<p>NYU requires a lot of independence and maturity from its students. Many newly graduated high school seniors are not prepared for this. NYU has lots of resources for students - websites, activities, clubs, student health, free counselling, tutoring center, etc. When I was a student there, I saw a lot of students who wouldn’t take advantage of all those great things and then complained a lot because they wanted more hand-holding or because things weren’t 100% to their liking. If you’re that kind of person, do yourself a service and don’t waste your time and money applying here.</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, you’re a proactive person who’s reasonably self-aware and can handle the stresses of being in a big city and attending school, then please consider NYU. I had a great time as an undergrad. I learned so much. I have no regrets, at all.</p>
<p>If you have more questions about the school, please ask. :)</p>
<p>Based on these initial reservations, I say don’t come here. We don’t need you.</p>
<p>I don’t think I could say anything bad about the school (beyond of course admissions/financial aid crap…). The classes are great. Teachers fantastic. Opportunities TREMENDOUS. Location…duh, amazing. After coming here, I seriously can’t imagine being happier anywhere else.</p>
<p>Of course, like shades said it isn’t for everywhere (which can be true of most schools). You do need to be pretty self relient to come here. If your afraid of being away from home too much (assuming your from pretty far away) or having to assert yourself to make friends/contacts (and lets face it, there are so many opportunities to do so…especially during welcome week…all you have to do is have the balls to make the connections), then no, you should probably go to a more community centered school (by that I suppose I mean one with a true “campus” where people are only around the people in their school). Otherwise, NYU is just as great of a school as you are willing to make it. And I, personally, am very over whining about things and not doing anything about what’s bothering me.</p>
<p>what shades_children said is incredibly important to take note of. Coming to school here necessitates a lot of independence and maturity, otherwise you’ll probably be unhappy here. I’m a freshman and I commute, and I had an absolutely miserable time the first two weeks. I went to welcome week events, tried to assert myself and be social, but it was really hard for me to meet people and to be happy about the situation. (NYU was really my number one school, I had wanted to go there for years). After a little while though, I kind of toughened up, which sounds weird and ridiculous b/c it’s been less than a month, but I began to realize that going to school here doesn’t mean that you’re always going to be walking to class with your friends, or that you’re going to run into people you know in the library - it means that you’re going to have to be independent and be completely comfortable with figuring things out on your own. Once you realize that, you’ll be so much happier and it’ll be a lot easier to meet people.<br>
So yeah, just beware of that, liking a school is so much more than liking thier courses and campus.</p>
<p>shootehJoon wrote:
…realize that going to school here doesn’t mean that you’re always going to be walking to class with your friends, or that you’re going to run into people you know in the library - it means that you’re going to have to be independent and be completely comfortable with figuring things out on your own. Once you realize that, you’ll be so much happier and it’ll be a lot easier to meet people…</p>
<p>I think that statement is true for almost any college (and moreso when we go out into the workplace, I do not socialize with my co-workers after hours, they are my co-workers, not my friends). It’s about growing up, and learning to fend for yourself. </p>
<p>What shootehJoon said is quite astute, and I will share the statement often.</p>
<p>In terms of overall undergrad quality and resources available per student, based on discussions with people who have both studied (as undergrads or grad students) and then later taught (as faculty) at NYU, Harvard, and other top universities, NYU has VERY far to come before it can realistically be considered a top 50 undergrad institution. Comments I have heard include: classes being enormous and oversubscribed, registration being horrendous, administration not caring about anything having to do with student life, faculty being completely aloof, and the gym being way too crowded to ever even consider using. I have also observed some of these problems since I’ve spent time at NYU myself.</p>
<p>“classes being enormous and oversubscribed”</p>
<p>Universal at large institutions.</p>
<p>“registration being horrendous”</p>
<p>I suppose.</p>
<p>“administration not caring about anything having to do with student life”</p>
<p>Universal at large institutions.</p>
<p>“faculty being completely aloof”</p>
<p>Depends.</p>
<p>“gym being way too crowded to ever even consider using”</p>
<p>The gym? Rotflmfao.</p>
<p>I, for one, don’t have many complaints when it comes to teaching quality. Most of my professors were/are helpful and easy to deal with. Not to mention it’s very,very easy to get good grades.</p>
<p>“Universal at large institutions.”</p>
<p>Yes, but that’s kind of part of my point - for those reasons you dismiss , “large” institutions usually don’t show up on the list of top 50 undergraduate programs, with the possible exception of UC-Berkeley and sometimes Michigan. In terms of outcome measures, etc. The top LACs - AWWWS to Elon to Davidson, Kenyon, Macalester , Carleton and many others, Ivies and a handful of others dominate the list.</p>
<p>*shrugs</p>
<p>I’ll give you that for argument’s sake. But if you’re pulling a B+ average or higher, I don’t see a problem.</p>
<p>There are plenty of bright kids at NYU, and a distinguished faculty to instruct them. Plus, at NYU you get to avoid the dismal preppy life that prevails at the Ivies and the better LACs.</p>
<p>“In terms of overall undergrad quality and resources available per student, based on discussions with people who have both studied (as undergrads or grad students) and then later taught (as faculty) at NYU, Harvard, and other top universities, NYU has VERY far to come before it can realistically be considered a top 50 undergrad institution. Comments I have heard include: classes being enormous and oversubscribed, registration being horrendous, administration not caring about anything having to do with student life, faculty being completely aloof, and the gym being way too crowded to ever even consider using. I have also observed some of these problems since I’ve spent time at NYU myself.”</p>
<p>NYU is already a top 50 undergrad institution. If you need someone to hold your hand and baby you every step of the way then don’t come here. The people who make it here graduate with a top-notch degree and succeed in the real world.</p>