Is NYU worth the sticker price?

soozievt
Tue, 28 Jan 2014 03:50:42 +0000

I think you have already gotten excellent replies above. Also what is “worth it” to one person differs from another. As well, ability to pay is a big part of it. NYU or not, I do think it is worth paying for a great fit for one’s kid in terms of their college education. If you see NYU as a great fit for your D and it is her first choice and if she is admitted, and you think you can make it work financially, those are good reasons to do it. I agree with alwaysamom that I would not want my KID saddled with huge debt, particularly for an arts major, but it doesn’t sound like your daughter will have to pay it herself. I also think halflokum outlined many things that NYU can offer your D that are, in part, specific to NYU, and of course, SOME of those things exist at other programs.

On a personal level…my D was on financial aid at NYU. It so happened she got some generous scholarships from them for four years. That still left a LOT to pay (just not the full price tag). We have a lot of loans for some of that. In fact, I just wrote a check for one of them to NYU tonight! I feel it has been worth every penny and any hardship to pay it.

Tisch was my D’s first choice. It was the right fit for her which doesn’t mean it may be for someone else (though it sounds like it meets some of your D’s criteria too). Like alwaysamom’s D (though mine is younger than hers), my D has been employed since graduation day in theater and music and has supported herself in NYC entirely in her field. I believe a big part of where she is at today (4.5 years out of school) is due to what she did at NYU, who she met while there, and how one thing led to another. She truly got everything she could out of NYU (she attended two studios, btw). I don’t think she could have had quite the same experiences at other schools, even though other schools are wonderful. She was able to piece together what she wanted to do for the four years. She met extraordinary faculty/professionals and her fellow students. So many of them continue their connections with her and are also faring well professionally. Before she even graduated, I feel she was building her network in NYC. In any case, she loved NYU/Tisch. It was everything she hoped it would be and more. As a parent, that is priceless. I don’t really care which school my kids choose, but am quite grateful that both my daughters chose and attended (and got in) to perfect fit schools for them. That doesn’t make these the “best” schools necessarily, but surely these were fabulous experiences for them.

Only you can decide what it is worth to you. For us, it was really worth it, even if we’ll be paying it off for a while.