New York University

NYU is a case study in architecture and design effecting social life or lack thereof... i.e., NOT HAVING A CAMPUS REALLY DOES MATTER... I knew a few kids at NYU while I was there and I maybe bumped into these friends once over the course of many years. NYU is like a monster with 10,000 heads. It's way too big. Bigger is not better. You would have to be a "social animal" and very high on the popularity scale to feel happy their in terms of social life. Loneliness in the Big City in the hands of a young 18 year old kid is dangerous, quite frankly. For me it meant making "friends" wherever I could- in raves/nightclubs with druggie street kid types- hey, it was "better than being alone".

At least 60% of the men their are gay
Half of the school is Un-assimilated Asian-American immigrants in business suits (ah-hem, Stern).
I dislike NYU so much I would do anything in my power to prevent my child (I don't have one yet) from going there. You can experience internships/work etc in "the big city" all you want during the summers off and when you get older, like the "ripe old age" of 22. You do not need to be there when you're 18.

Also, do you know how hard it is to STUDY and FOCUS in the most overcrowded and distracting place on earth? Their dorm rooms and "study halls" are disgusting by the way. No place to think.

If I could have done it all over again, I would have attended a college in California or Oregon or in the suburbs, where one can at least focus at the task at hand.

I came from a wealthy background too, but do you know how silly it is to attend college in the MOST EXPENSIVE PART (THE EAST VILLAGE) OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE CITY ON EARTH? Especially if you intend to live close to "campus" (oh, wait, there is no campus) for social reasons.

If you think this is just the ravings of one lone loser, don't forget NYU has one of the highest transfer out/attrition rates, one of the lowest Alumni donation rates, one of the highest suicide /drug abuse rates, etc...

I knew kids from a wide spectrum of ethnic /socio-economic backgrounds/personality profiles who hated NYU. I knew of at least 2 really popular kids from my former high school who were also really attractive and really artistically and/or musically gifted, from the tri-state area (NYC locals) who warned me not to go to NYU due to the rough social scene, or rather the absence of a social scene.

If you want to earnestly try to have a social life freshman year, you MUST go down to the dorm courtyard area during Orientation week and like hand out your phone # to people, and socially flirt with them to make friends. I missed out on this because I was too intimidated by it.

I did have a few friends, btw, one girl was nice enough to approach me from next door and include me in her social scene. That being said, the "friends" I had those first 2 years I had no emotional bond or connection with- there was no time for that... they just used me to go out and drink with and to party and such. That was it. I had a boyfriend who was an NYU drop-out from Tisch Film School who had a full blown Narcissistic Personality Disorder (what do you know, he was very "popular") who used me for money and housing. This was during the raver days, and one of the only ways I, and many people like me, knew how to socialize and break through social barriers was through drug use...

You must understand that the physical separation between dorms, the chaotic streets, the overwhelming amount of "things to do", the lack of campus/community are literally BARRIERS TO SOCIAL LIFE... God damn, they even removed the benches kids used to sit and smoke cigarettes on outside of Tisch building... it's like they do everything to destroy social life.

The classes had 100's of kids in them, and I, nor anyone else seemed to know each other or carry on conversation- no one to say "hello" to even in class. I could have sent a robot in with a recorder to get the same effect.

Oh, and the whole purple and grey color scheme and the formica grey walls, the sterile building designs are so depressing.

This school is only appealing to Tisch Narcissists (actors, filmmakers, etc, and their experience is more social, because they work in groups), un-assimilated immigrants, and Gays... who love the anonymity of NYC and being in the city and area with the highest concentration of gay men on earth.

I MISSED OUT ON A COLLEGE EXPERIENCE THANKS TO NYU. I HAVE NO "OLD COLLEGE BUDDIES", just ephemeral memories. Let me end this with the note that I ATTENDED NYU FOR FREE because a family member worked there- and I STILL regret going... I'd be mad as hell if I paid a dime for it. Totally over-rated place.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000