The OP is making a huge, life changing mistake that she will regret for most of her life. Much good advice has been dispensed here in this thread, but she doesn’t seem to really want to hear it.
I’m not including that to stir up a big controversy about NYU in particular, but I do think if the OP clicks through, and does read the referenced report, she might have her eyes opened about the possible problems she might run into in years 2-4, and how little help she can expect to get from NYU.
(Full disclosure: I was a theater major once upon a time at a school comparable to NYU, and I definitely can speak from direct experience that graduating with a BFA with a high debt load is a recipe for many years of pain.)
I'm willing to wager that the OP will attend NYU come hell or high water. This is what the typical NYU groupie would do and a year from now complain how much debt they have accumulated or how many part-time jobs they have to take on in order to stay at NYU. As a devoted "NYU groupie", the OP will not accept recommendations and view them as useless babble. Given the risky undergraduate major, a job after graduation from NYU is of little or no concern. The OP primary focus right now is to attend NYU come fall 2015, after all, it is her dream school.
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Yes, sadly this is very likely true.
We’ve seen it before again and again.
She’s really only been looking at NYU for many years now, applied ED, and likely she and her mom have told everyone that she’s going to NYU to become a theater/film or whatever writer. In their minds, they can’t turn back now.
I often wonder about another student who posted several years ago who was facing even larger loans. There was NO talking him out of it. He’s never posted again. He would have graduated by now. I think he would have posted if he had had success, just to have said, “I told you so.”
@NickFlynn, in this article it suggests that the top NYU execs are profiting and not the faculty. And that lots of professors are speaking out about this.
I just pulled up NYU housing rates for this coming year. There is one housing option for freshmen @ $7,942 per year. However in future years, the lowest cost for upperclassmen is currently about $10,500. And that’s just in one dorm-- with no guarantee she’ll get in it next year since housing is by lottery. Other dorms average $11,053 to $ $15,212.
For freshman year, a mimimal meal plan is required. For OP it would be approximately $5,000 per year. Was this expense considered by the OP? That includes 14 meals per week plus some dining dollars. For subsequent years, OP will have a room with a kitchen so she can try to eat for less.
I agree that being overburdened by loans is a real problem. But in OP’s case she will have the burden of loans, but still not have the money to survive. She will have to be prepared to work part-time in addition to work study in order to be able to pay tuition/ room and board.
D’s freshman roommate transferred from Tisch to Pace University after sophomore year. Her stress to support herself was crushing.
If I were the OP I would not attend. I would look into great schools after a gap year that meet full need and have creative, well regarded programs–Northwestern, Vassar or Wesleyan.
Having 2 d’s attend NYU, I do know its appeal. But D’s only needed to work summers for spending money. We are able to pay for everything else without loans. There are many options just as appealing as NYU if the OP were willing to see her situation.
Honestly, at this point I think it would take a lot of courage for her to come back and post, but I truly hope that she does. I wish her the best of luck, and if it doesn’t work out, the most impressive thing she’ll be able to do is come back and explain precisely why. She has the potential to help an awful lot of people.