<p>How do all of you parents perceive NYU? Is it prestigious to you? Do you respect it as a good school? I just want some opinions. Thanks.</p>
<p>NYU is a very good school - and it’s prestigious in certain academic areas such as film and business. The competition to get into it is stiff, and so the quality of the student body is high. It is not as prestigious as many universities, but it holds its own. </p>
<p>Its biggest drawback is its residential experience - or rather, lack of one - that fails to create a unified community of students. As a result, post-graduation networking is not as reliable as it is with other top 50 universities.</p>
<p>It’s funny - I grew up on Long Island and NYU was a mere blip on the radar screen for me. I think a lot of people took courses there but it wasn’t a college you went away to. My mother (who returned to school as an adult) has both her bachelors and doctorate from NYU and that was the way she did it - taking courses slowly and methodically. On the other hand, my sister has her law degree from NYU and it was definitely a “destination” law school for her, having exactly the right program and liberal bent that she wanted.</p>
<p>When my daughter was applying to schools, she desparately wanted to be accepted to NYU and felt it had exactly the program she wanted. She didn’t get in and while by that time she didn’t want to go, I think she was disappointed she didn’t even have the option. I was pretty happy she didn’t get in - it costs way too much in a city that’s too expensive to live in. </p>
<p>I think those city schools (NYU, BU, GW) have their own special place. Good academics and vibrant lifestyle that appeal to a unique student. Bucolic and serene, they’re not!</p>
<p>I’m also from New York City. In my day, NYU was the safety school for those who couldn’t get into one of the City Colleges (especially Baruch, for business, which is still the largest business school in New York), but had money to pay for it. It was mostly out-of-towners seeking the experience of living in the City. No one (in my hearing) ever praised it for its academics (New School had a better academic reputation, though it was more for adults and commuters), though the law school had a good reputation. Now, of course, the business school (Stern) has lots of money, which probably makes it good, as does the theatre school. </p>
<p>It is probably better now than it was then, but I imagine (like GW and BU) its main attraction is still the experience of the city and all that implies.</p>
<p>I can’t answer regarding prestige. I can note that my son, an NYU soph, has taken courses in Tisch and CAS. He uniformly reports excellent, involved professors, typically with significant personal experience related to the topic areas. Although people speculate regarding concerns of lack of “campus feel,” this has never emerged as a factor for my son.</p>
<p>Although I’m only an undergraduate (and not a parent), I can give you my view of NYU. Although it seems a bit harsh, I feel like a good 60-80% of my classmates don’t demonstrate the maturity one should have when graduating high school. A lot of people come here to party and really don’t take it very seriously. That said, the top 5% of the student body is a phenomenal group of students who take advantage of every resource NYU and NYC have to offer and end up doing great things.</p>
<p>I’m in the top 5% of students, I am graduating after only three years here with an honors major in mathematics (which is a great program because of the Courant Institute), and I am going to Brown University for graduate school with a fellowship/assistantship. I’ve had a couple research experiences, and I have immensely enjoyed my time here. I have many friends who are graduating and going off to highly regarded graduate schools with good offers as well.</p>
<p>Some of the other posters who live nearby said they didn’t really consider NYU as an option, but a lot of people feel the same way about schools nearby. People in New Jersey seem to see Rutgers as a safety school, but throughout the rest of the country it is known as a great school. NYU seems to give off the same vibe to people who live nearby, so don’t really buy into that too much.</p>
<p>I can’t truly comment on NYU"s “prestige” and am not really into that sort of thing. I do believe that NYU has become far more selective than it was back in my day. It’s acceptance rate is about 28% which makes it as selective as a great many other “name” schools out there. It is a school that strong students apply to and it is not easy to get in. It is not in the most selective category of the most elite schools, however. In some areas, it is even more highly selective than in others. For instance, Stern is very difficult to get into. Same with Tisch. I have a child who goes to Tisch for Musical Theater. The acceptance rate into her particular program is approximately 7%. The acceptance rate for all of Tisch Drama is approx. 16%. That is quite selective. </p>
<p>You ask if NYU is “good”? I don’t know what is meant by good. For me, when evaluating a school, I look to see if the school meets a student’s college criteria and preferences…if there is a match between what the student wanted in a college. For instance, some are mentioning the lack of a campus. Well, my kid feels exactly as Jasmom’s kid does…non factor for her! She LOVES it. My D feels challenged in her BFA program and says she is learning a lot and there are many talented kids in her class. Academically, my kid is a strong student. She was selected as a Scholar, for example. I think in some academic classes, she may “surpass” the level of some classmates, not all. She feels sufficiently challenged because her professors have conferenced with her about pushing her to take it to the next level in an individualized way, rather than just plop an A on a paper because it might excel over some students in the class. She is happy with the level of challenge and she does crave challenge. She is just a freshman so our experiences are limited to one year. </p>
<p>I would not pick a college over the prestige factor. Yes, NYU is considered a selective and very good school. However, it is more about finding the school that fits what you want in a college. If ONE of your criteria happens to be a student body that is motivated or challenge in the classroom, I think this school can match that but I don’t know a thing about you. Is this the hardest school out there? Likely not. But it is not for total slackers either. A school is what you make of it. I know my kid is challenged. Her program is challenging and she is happy. Perhaps if she had only gone for liberal arts, maybe she would have shot for an even more selective school, I dunno. But in her field, this was one of the most challenging academic colleges that also has a BFA in Musical Theater available. Some very fine BFA programs exist in less selective university settings. So, for my child, this is a great match. It has a top drama program, within a pretty selective academic setting. </p>
<p>My D’s close friend from home just got into NYU Stern as a Stern Scholar. I don’t know his final decision yet but I know he got into many schools and this is one of his final choices including Georgetown and Duke. In his field, Stern is certainly a contender school and he is an excellent student and one of the top students in our graduating class from our HS.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>One really has to give credit to former NYU President John Brademas for dramatically raising the school’s profile (i.e. endowment) during the 1980s. I’d guess that the great quality of the law and business schools have a lot to do with that. I agree that much of the university’s attraction is still based on its location in Greenwhich Village (you don’t hear out-of-towners showing as much interest in Queens [St. John’s U], Riverdale [Manhattan College] or Fordham [Fordham University].</p>
<p>I am inspired to think of the rather snippy comment made once by a Columbia admissions officer when a NYTimes reporter asked if NYU had “caught up” to Columbia. The Columbia representative replied “if an applicant gets in to both schools, where do you think they will enroll? We don’t compete with NYU.”</p>
<p>It’s true that NYU and Columbia don’t compete. They are completely different kinds of schools and don’t appeal to the same kind of student. </p>
<p>“Caught up” in terms of reputation? Absolutely not. Columbia remains one of the most prestigious universities in the country. That fact should not impact the reputation of NYU, however.</p>
<p>Momwaitingfornew is right in that they are completely different schools; however, there are a large number of students who apply to both, and I know people at NYU who turned down Columbia to come here. There are a lot of very different factors in choosing between the two schools: large school vs. smaller school, Columbia has a stricter core course requirement, an isolated campus uptown vs. a more integrated campus downtown, Ivy League vs. top 40-ish school, etc. The environments at NYU and Columbia are drastically different, and that’s probably the most important factor in picking one or the other.</p>
<p>Just an example to mention - I was at an admitted students weekend for graduate school a few weeks ago, and there were three Columbia students and two NYU students there. The NYU students were offered fellowships with higher stipends and guaranteed half teaching loads, whereas the Columbia students were offered smaller stipends (I know this for a fact) and I believe (based on conversations) were not guaranteed half teaching loads.</p>
<p>Of course this is just an isolated example, but it shows how a great student can do just as well using the resources at NYU as they can at Columbia. Much more important is how well they fit in with the type of school and how much they enjoy their time at that school. If anyone is deciding between NYU and Columbia, prestige should only play a minor role in making the decision, as a student can easily do great things or fail out of both schools.</p>
<p>Philosophy - grad program ranked #1 in the US by the Philosophical Gourmet, using ranking methdology based on professor ratings of faculty at each university in the sample.</p>
<p>When a grad program is highly regarded, the undergrad program typically follows suit.</p>
<p>Momwaitingfornew, at Columbia the reputation is not thought of in terms of prestige. It is measured in excellence. I can honestly say that was the pervasive attitude of the administration and faculty when I was an undergraduate on Morningside Heights. And more than one of my classmates turned down Harvard to attend Columbia, while some wished they been admitted to NYU. So much for “prestige.”</p>
<p>I agree completely with LakeWashington. The levels of prestige, academic excellence, or whatever you want to call it do not vary significantly. Any variation in this “prestige” is much less important than how well someone would fit in at a particular school, how much they would thrive in the environment, and how well the opportunities at the school align with their particular interests.</p>
<p>Although it’s slightly different, I recently went through the graduate school admissions process, and I picked a good program over one that was slightly better for my specific subfield. I just saw myself fitting in more at the school I picked, and I fell in love with the environment. Unfortunately, too many people forget about happiness in picking a college and only focus on prestige.</p>