Hello. I recently got accepted into NYU Tandon and Villanova for Mechanical Engineering (not sure if I will stay with ME). I am currently trying to make a choice and was just wondering what the pros and cons are for each school. I heard that Tandon is still not too impressive even after the changes with the 100 million donation, but I’m not sure what to believe. I received full ride from NYU and almost the same from nova, so cost is not really an issue. Thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Nova all the way, unless you want to go to school in Brooklyn, far removed from whatever campus NYU has in Manhattan.
Nova offers everything, Alumni, Strong respected education, excellent location, school spirit, big time sports…
No contest here…
Full ride to NYU is hard to come by. Much better school. Unless you have some aversion to being in NYC I’d say go there, no contest.
@Sam998 Based on what? Villanova is ranked #9 in undergraduate engineering. Pretty much the same as the service academies. Higher than Swarthmore. Had the OP asked Villanova vs Swarthmore you would have said Swarthmore.
@OnTheBubble “(not sure if I will stick with ME)” in the original post means a holistic comparison is more useful.
Yes and Villanova would still win.
I am sure there are students who would rather go to Villanova over NYU but in terms of the traditional metrics by which we compare things NYU is the stronger school. More competitive, more prestigious, more extracurricular opportunities, and according to the OP this is one of the rare instances where NYU is actually the cheaper option (albeit not by much). Plus, having it be affordable to stay in NYC as a college student is an extremely valuable opportunity.
@Sam998 So why do Villanova grads earn more money? This is just a case of NYU having New York in the name and Villanova being Catholic.
If I were the OP I would see which scholarship has the ability to transfer to another field of study before deciding.
Based on SAT and ACT scores, the schools are peers.
@OnTheBubble show me the stats
Villanova:
The middle 50 percent range of SAT scores was 1300-1430/1600
The middle 50 percent range of the composite ACT score was 30-33.
NYU is SAT, 1260-1450
ACT is 29-32
Slight nod to Villanova.
Op: please list your aid packages at both.
How committed are you to engineering?
Have you visited, attended classes?
Are you okay with the campus -less nature of nyu? Or is it a plus for you?
Are you okay with the Catholic vibe at villanova? Or it it a plus for you?
@OnTheBubble I meant salary
Payscale rank at Villanova is 59th, NYU is 71st including Stern.
OP, is the NYU scholarship university-wide or just for Tandon?
@OnTheBubble the list you’re referring to has schools like SUNY - Maritime College, Babson College, and Stevens Institute of Technology in the top ten. It’s not something I would even consider in making a college decision.
Something one needs to keep in mind, not so long ago (3 years?) Tandon used to be Polytechnic University (and before that Brooklyn Poly, and before that, a part of NYU) before merging with NYU. It’s recent enough that current students were accepted to Poly instead of NYU Tandon. So I’m not sure one can easily compare NYU stats versus Villanova when looking at Tandon.
Visit both campuses. They are very different in location and feel. If you can’t visit, then ask yourself if you prefer to be in NYC (Brooklyn, right by the bridge) or in a Philadelphia suburb. Consider that Villanova is Catholic - lots of non Catholic students but.it is Catholic nonetheless.
@sam98 You are aware that Stevens grads are among the highest paid of any engineering school in the country? I don’t think you have a good handle on facts. Yes the thought of going to NYU is romantic but being in Metrotech in Brooklyn is not something great. Payscale includes all schools, BTW.
What’s needs to be determined is which scholarship is university-wide.
The key question to ask yourself is if you prefer the ‘traditional’ college experience with a residential campus, focus on a tight knit community of students, and rah rah sports/school spirit, or do you prefer an urban experience taking advantage of what nyc has to offer. Will get a good education at either, but a very, very different experience at each
All true above, but Septa to Center City is 45 minutes, Metrotech to Grand Central is 30 mins on the subway.
I don’t see much disadvantage to being in a lovely suburb, with two other schools in the neighborhood.
Thank you all for your comments. I was actually visiting Villanova earlier today and it was great, and I plan to visit Tandon later this week. To answer some questions that have been asked @MYOS1634 and @OnTheBubble my scholarship from NYU is most likely Tandon-specific (not 100% sure). I am going to stick with engineering, but not sure what field. I like having a campus, but do not dislike the “campus-less” nature of NYU. Plus, I am actually Catholic (although not too religious) so that does not matter to me.
So, it’ll come down to “gut feeling” after you visit both campuses. They’re different enough that you should have a preference for one or the other.