New York University

NYU is certainly a very unique school for a certain type of person. In high school I was a great athlete, however I did not achieve extremely well academically. But NYU recruited me for track and field and I was admitted to Stern school. In college I decided that I was going to study hard and achieve my academic potential and land a good job afterward. At Stern I worked my tail off, studied for hours a day, partied a little but not much and eventually I graduated with a 3.9 GPA and several job offers. NYU is most definitely a school that builds character because you are thrown into a fast paced New York lifestyle from the moment you step on campus and New York City has an extremely competetive, dog eat dog climate and that is certainly present, especially in Stern. Sure there are numerous losers who just want to chase money and get rich at Stern, but there were many like myself who were genuinely fascinated and interested in finance and the stock market. Stern is like a completely different experience than normal NYU, there are hypercompetitive students and many are backstabbers who will give you BS advice just to keep you down and keep themselves up. I would suggest that Stern school students trust nobody in Stern school and rather go to a professor or a student in either GSP, CAS or Tisch in order for advice, peer editing or any assistance with any type of project or paper. Stern school is fun once you know how to play it like a game, and I consider myself a rigorous competitor, and Stern school certainly provided me with enough to fulfill my competitive drive. The experience was unique and knowing how to dwell in a city, pursue internships persistently and compete for everything you get certainly helped me succeed in the work force. I have been working for Morgan Stanley for the past two years and I started off with a 150,000 a year salary and it was a dream come true. Winning jobs over kids from the Ivy league schools also was a great thrill and I noticed that many kids from Ivy League schools who were used to living on a campus had extreme difficulty adapting to the aggressive city and many had to bail out because of the enormous culture shock that they weren't accustomed to. I felt that I was extremely well prepared because I had already went through the culture shock at the beginning of NYU and by the time I was out I was a street smart, savvy and competitive New Yorker with all the tools to succeed in NYC's Wall Street job market. And let me tell you, if you can succeed here in NYC--then you can succeed anywhere. Just my advice here.

4th Year Male -- Class 2001

Social Life: A, Campus Aesthetics: F

At first, I didn't like NYU. I felt that it was very impersonal and overwhelming. However, now that its my second semester I have come to really appreciate it for what it is. How many other times in your life will you be able to say that you lived in the heart of NYC?

New York has amazing culture and opportunities everywhere you look. The internships and jobs you can get here are endless. Even though I'm only a freshmen I'm currently interning at a publishing company and I got two amazing jobs that pay over $18/hour (these are not uncommon, by the way). NYU will help you get ahead, no doubt.

The social life in my opinion, is a little lacking. But thats not to say that people don't party. In fact, NYU is sort of an underground party school. People drink in the dorms, there are even the rare frat/house parties (so fun), and of course the endless bars and clubs (Still Bar being an NYU favorite). Its true, most places dont even card that hard you just need an okay fake and you'll have the time of your life.

Also, NYU is an amazing research university. The resources are endless. Bobst (our library) has over 5 million books or something, the NYU health center is top notch, and you can pretty much get ahead in any field. Yes, NYU is a brand name school, but that ultimately helps you get ahead in the end. When NYU students graduate they are immediately 100 steps ahead of any other college graduate. We have internships, valuable connections, and continuing support from the university under our belts. NYU helps recent graduates find jobs and internships endlessly.

I have to point out the obvious though. Don't come here if you desire anything close to a typical college experience. If your willing to sacrifice some "typical" college things for an amazing education and endless opportunity, then I would suggest NYU. I think the negative comments are too discouraging and depressing and for the most part, untrue. Come here and see for yourself. You'll know as soon as you set foot "on campus" if this place is for you!

1st Year Male -- Class 2012

Surrounding City: A+, Individual Value: F

Okay, so I'm not quite as bitter as the other people who have posted here, but I still transferred out of NYU nonetheless. I didn't hate my time at NYU persay, but it would be a long-shot to say that I enjoyed it or had fun.

I really do think NYU is a perfect, wonderful place for some people but as almost everyone on this website has said, its is truly truly not for everyone. Before you come to NYU have a serious introspective look on what kind of person you are, what you want to get out of your education, and what kind of college experience you want to have.

People who absolutely love NYU fit into a few categories. They LOVE nyc and urban living, hate everything about the typical college experience (frats, quads, sports, nature, etc), are in Stern/Tisch, want to get ahead with internships and other opportunities presented in nyc, are extremely outgoing and can make friends in the often isolating & hostile social environment, are incredibly, incredibly independent, usually like fashion, and don't mind jumping into a social scene that is entirely motivated by money (clubs, bars, hookah, etc takes major cash people...kids on average probably spend over $130/weekend).

I personally, did not fit into any of those categories. I was never totally excited about the city nor was I completely set on NYU. It was never my dream school, but I don't regret going there. It helped me find out what kind of person I was, which was not obviously, a city-loving one. NYC and NYU requires a very certain type of person to thrive there (seen above), and unfortunately, that wasn't me. I think that the other comments are perhaps too negative. NYU is an amazing, fabulous, unparalleled haven for urban-loving students and I encourage all people who think that they fit into that category to apply and not be discouraged by the negative comments. You will do fine there IF you know you belong, and are determined to thrive.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2011

Surrounding City: A, Individual Value: F