UPDATE both my parents have since told me that affording NYU will not be a problem, and just want me to make the best choice based on the college offers themselves without thinking about money at all.
So I need help with choosing the best school that will offer the best experiences for me and my future success.
The main thing keeping me from fully committing to [NYU] is the spring start, which is kind of weird to me, right now I plan on using that fall gap semester to work and take community college classes to get as much credit and grind so the spring transition to college is easier. I’ve also talked to other spring admits who had for the most part a good experience with it, so idk how bad it would really be, it would just mostly suck to not start college while all my friends are.
My preferences for college are thus: mid size, (ideally good weather at least sometimes), cool people (I have been told I give [NYU] (student/ and would blend in well there). Not interested in greek life, good intramural sport opportunities, smaller class sizes, fun things to do, good teachers, nice dorms, academically motivated ppl, and security after graduation.
also, my mom really wants me to go to [NYU] because she knows a lot of students doing well from there and have went on to go to [Columbia] for grad school and have an elevated “worldview” compared to [UCSD] graduates she knows. But both my parents will support me with whatever choice I make