NYU Location (appointed, apartment, dorms) - City-Data Forum

jessemh431 · 01-17-2009, 11:59 PM

So I really want to go to NYU, but my mom keeps trying to convince me I won't like it and saying there is no actual campus, that it's just tall buildings, I won't have the real college experience. So I told her to take me there to see it anyways and prove that I won't like it...but she won't.

Now I'm here asking you guys: Is my mom right? Is there really no campus for NYU? Will the actual feel of being on a college campus be lost at NYU?

Is there anyone that has gone there? What were your opinions about it? How about any Angelenos that have moved to NYC? Do you regret it?

I guess I just want to if my mom is right and if I will enjoy the university if I ignore her. LOL.

Thank you for any advice.

Viralmd · 01-18-2009, 05:15 AM

Your mother is correct. There is no real campus. After all, it's in the middle of a huge city, where land/space is at a premium. There are dorms, but they've got the look of apartment buildings.

If you want more of a campus, think about Columbia or Barnard, further uptown.

I don't think a campus, per se, is critical to enjoying one's college experience, however.

gvillager · 01-18-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessemh431

So I really want to go to NYU, but my mom keeps trying to convince me I won't like it and saying there is no actual campus, that it's just tall buildings, I won't have the real college experience. So I told her to take me there to see it anyways and prove that I won't like it...but she won't.

Now I'm here asking you guys: Is my mom right? Is there really no campus for NYU? Will the actual feel of being on a college campus be lost at NYU?

Is there anyone that has gone there? What were your opinions about it? How about any Angelenos that have moved to NYC? Do you regret it?

I guess I just want to if my mom is right and if I will enjoy the university if I ignore her. LOL.

Thank you for any advice.

Google Maps has this awesome feature called streetview. You can literally walk around NYC (and many other major cities) right on your computer. Check out the neighborhood that NYU is in and you can make your own decision. I think you'll find that it's much better then your typical college campus.

Edit: Maybe this link will work better.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...=16&iwloc=addr

dixiecupdrinking · 01-18-2009, 12:08 PM

I really wanted to go to NYU but didn't get in and was 'forced' to go to a liberal arts college a bit upstate. At the time I was pretty disappointed because I wanted to live in a big city. In retrospect, I think it was a good thing for me, personally. The college-campus lifestyle can be a little suffocating and insular, and by the time I graduated I was definitely ready to move on, but at the end of the day, you only get to do it once and I'm glad I did. I think I'm happier to be in NYC now -- working, with marginally more disposable income and being over 21 -- than I would have been then. But of course, this is extremely subjective and your mileage will vary.

ETA: I forgot to mention also that I would never have received the same kind of academic experience at NYU. Anecdotally, I have heard from some NYU graduates (who went there for undergrad) that they were not pleased with the impersonal nature of their classes, the inaccessibility of their professors, the difficulties with getting into popular courses, and the lack of guidance. These were all things that were handled superlatively at my college. NYU seems to have something of a burgeoning reputation for being a 'state-school' type institution with a huge price tag. Again, this is all based on personal conversations I've had and I'm sure others will differ.

Fred314X · 01-18-2009, 03:04 PM

I could be wrong about this, because I went to Rutgers and not NYU, but I had the peculiar notion that the point of going to college isn't the "campus life experience."

gvillager · 01-18-2009, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred314X

I could be wrong about this, because I went to Rutgers and not NYU, but I had the peculiar notion that the point of going to college isn't the "campus life experience."

The purpose of having a job and making money is so that you may provide yourself with basic needs. After their basic needs have been fulfilled they satisfy their wants (luxuries). Don't judge jessemh431 because s/he has the means and desire to experience "campus life."

jessemh431 · 01-18-2009, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred314X

I could be wrong about this, because I went to Rutgers and not NYU, but I had the peculiar notion that the point of going to college isn't the "campus life experience."

Yeah I know, but my mom says she thinks I will enjoy having a real campus life at a college, but I think I wouldn't need it because the whole city of NY would be my campus. LOL.

I think I'll like it there, but she'll probably hate me for going there. IDK, I guess if I can get in I might be able to talk her into it.

skywalker400 · 01-19-2009, 03:53 AM

I suspect she might just want you to stay a bit closer to home. I just visited NY and chilled with some friends at NYU. The village is amazing to me, just so many restaurants and bars around with a real energetic and eclectic vibe among the people there. I go to school in Berkeley, and for me the town and the greek scene got stale fast, though luckily SF isn't all that far. If you're that dead set on it, go for it, you can always transfer later if it doesn't work out.

jessemh431 · 01-19-2009, 01:45 PM

I actually never thought about that-I guess she probably does want me to stay near her. When I go to college she's gonna end up being pretty lonely if I leave after college...now I feel bad. LOL.

cmw2133 · 01-19-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jessemh431

So I really want to go to NYU, but my mom keeps trying to convince me I won't like it and saying there is no actual campus, that it's just tall buildings, I won't have the real college experience. So I told her to take me there to see it anyways and prove that I won't like it...but she won't.

Now I'm here asking you guys: Is my mom right? Is there really no campus for NYU? Will the actual feel of being on a college campus be lost at NYU?

Is there anyone that has gone there? What were your opinions about it? How about any Angelenos that have moved to NYC? Do you regret it?

I guess I just want to if my mom is right and if I will enjoy the university if I ignore her. LOL.

Thank you for any advice.

I am an NYU alum. Don't let your mom dictate your likes and dislikes to you.

As for NYU, there is a definite difference in 'feel' between a city university like NYU and a place with a campus like Princeton. When I visited friends who went to schools with campuses I definitely did miss that experience but not so much that I wanted to transfer. Conversely, my friends at campus schools were a little jealous of me.

I think the main difference will be the people: at NYU, I felt like there were a LOT of trust fund babies, but perhaps no more so than an Ivy League school. Also, there were plenty of pretentious hipster types; if those sorts of people aggravate you, you should stay away from NYU. At a campus school, you may get more frat boy types and stuff like that, I dunno. In my estimation, you will know definitively after one semester if you like NYU or not. If you don't, just transfer.

More importantly though, and I'm sure you've already thought about it, but career prospects, academics and financial aid should trump any other concern, really. You're not going to college for the sake of going to college. If your other choices are places like Harvard, Stanford, UPenn, Dartmouth, etc. you need to be going to one of those and not NYU. Your career prospects are definitely better and the academic experience is likely superior.

Lastly, NYU is extremely expensive. Looking back, if I had the choice between paying $12,000 for a strong state school like Rutgers and $50,000 for NYU, I might have opted for the state school. Just my opinion. Best of luck and make a decision for you and not your Mom.