@Dustyfeathers @parent1973 NYU is what you make of it. Both my D’s attended NYU for both undergrad and grad. For undergrad, both stayed in NYU dorms for all 4 years. The fact that they met their best friends freshman year and then lived with them for 3 more years in dorms shaped their experience and made it more “college” like. Living in dorms also kept them closer to campus and more involved in clubs and EC’s. It allowed them to become part of a broader community.
As for the school itself, your experience will be shaped by your major. Both D’s were in small programs: studio art and vocal performance through Steinhardt. They ended up having small classes and about 40 or so students in their program per year. This allowed them to have close relationships with classmates and faculty. There was a lot of one to one help and guidance.
But at the same time, both D’s were able to take advantage of internships in NYC and the art and theatre world around them. So it was certainly the best of both worlds.