New York University

I hate this place so much. Coming here was the worst decision I ever made. Every time I see a group of students walking past on a tour, I want to warn them to leave before it is too late!This is a terrible place. I have never been as miserable as I have been here and I am definitely transferring. No one has any friends and all there is to do is spend a hundred dollars a weekend drinking. Almost everyone I know agrees that the social life sucks.

1st Year Female -- Class 2012

Scholastic Success: A, Individual Value: F

Everything that people say about the social life at NYU is true. People are anti-social, cliqueish, independant, and unfriendly. That being said, it's what you make of it. I have more friends here than most people I know, but they seem to be happier knowing one or two people, while I want to have a large group of friends.

It is very, very hard to do anything. With a city as diverse as NYC, and a college as challenging as NYU, people are almost always busy. If you invite 100 people to an event, you're likely to have a maximum of five show up. Of course, it isn't people's faults that they are busy. If I was a drama student with thousands of dollars at my disposal, I would love to attend a broadway show every weekend. If I was a Stern business student, I would sure like some of those internships they get. But while the opportunities are great, they get in the way of any kind of social life at all.

The lack of a campus is a bigger problem than I thought it would be. If I want to see a friend. I have to walk several blocks through the streets of NY to see them, even if all I want to do is watch TV with her. Late at night, this can be dangerous. I've been followed by men before, and had to use my pepper spray once.(I am a girl. I do not know if boys will have this problem). Some of the dorms are so far away that my friends take the subway to class. In these situations it is virtually impossible to have a good relationship with someone far away, especially as it gets colder. Most of your friends will be from your hallway, in which case you can either be lucky, like I was in my hall, or very unlucky like some other people seem to have been.

People at NYU are very much individuals. While in High School you might have watched a movie you didn't like to spend time with your friends, people will not do that here. There is so much choice that they will in general choose to do their own thing, alone, rather than somehting with another person. You are likely to have several acquaintances that you see at school clubs or in class, but very few (if any) actual friends.

I did a lot of things to meet people. I joined clubs, student government, talked to people in classes--everything that I could. And it worked--I met people. However because of the inconvenience of traveling between dorms and the fact that people here are generally antisocial, it was hard to maintain a relationship. I am very well-adjusted and friendly, and I am usually popular. However here, I consider most people acquaintances and have only 2 or 3 people I would consider real friends.

Your social life will consist of clubbing, which is fun at first but can get expensive. During the winter, the cool 18+ parties virtually disapear, and even when there is a good party it is hard to get dressed nicely for it in the cold. It helps to have a fake ID, but even then you'll just be buying alcohol and drinking it in your room with 2 or 3 people (the max who can fit into the dorms comfortably without getting the RAs suspicious).

The city of New York is one of the things that bring people to NYU. THere is nowhere like it. However, you get used to it pretty fast. Seriously, there isn't much you can do that you can't do somewhere else. You can shop, eat, watch movies and shows, and take drugs. There is more variety in NYC, but those are still the basic things that most people do. I don't want to sound jaded, but the city does get boring pretty fast. Once you've seen the museums and the broadway shows, once you've bought the new clothes or run out of money, you're really just going to be doing things in the dorms, since you won't be hanging out in classrooms (probably...) and there is no student place to hang during the winter. So even the city isn't worth it. It's a great place to visit, and someday it will be agreat place to live, when I have a full time job and more money, but as a student it isn't exactly the best place for me.

Keep in mind that there are some people who don't mind spending time alone and seeing a few friends maybe once a week or so. Most people I have spoken to are in the same situation as me--one or two friends, spending most of their time alone, and only knowing people on their floor. The rela difference is in how we react to the same situation. If you are very independent and would rather explore the city alone than hang out with friends, this might be a perfect place for you. I am not here to tell you not to come to NYU, but I am here to give you a bit of a warning about the social life, which was not what I expected. But, if you're OK with it, then you can get a great education here (both in academics and life skills).I thought hard before I made my decision, but ultimately ended up transferring. A lot of people transfer out, and some don't but remain miserable, and some love this place. There is a very high suicide rate, so be careful if you end up getting depressed. The counseling center has a very good reputation, but I didn't really think that a school where I would need counseling to be happy was the best match for me.

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Education Quality: A-, Campus Aesthetics: F