New York University (StudentsReview) - Comments, Reviews and Advice, Student Life at New York University

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“NYU was my top choice, mainly because ofJournalism

NYU was my top choice, mainly because of the location and because it offered an undergraduate journalism major, while Columbia didn't. NYU's journalism program has a great reputation (as does the entire school) but I didn't find it particularly rigorous, having attended journalism workshops with college instructors while I was in high school. Based on that, I think the education I got at NYU was just as good (or just as mediocre) as I would have gotten at a less expensive school. NYU has a stellar reputation, but many of the kids I met were total idiots. I don't know how they got in. Maybe all the drugs slowly eroded their minds, or maybe they just acted like morons to impress people. How to deal with an overabundance of idiots? Seek out people you enjoy being with, because I'm sure dimwitted kids roam campuses everywhere. Based on the reputation and probably the glossy brochures, I had such high hopes for NYU - but I was miserable in my first year, faced with the classic triad of freshman horror - a bad roommate, unappealing core-curriculum classes, and the reality of finding yourself in an environment where you don't know anyone and nobody seems to care about the fact you exist. But after I ditched my evil roommate and moved to the luxurious Water Street dorm sophomore year, things were definitely looking up. I found in my time at NYU that the location tends to be the reason people go there. The actual education is fine, but nothing special, and it's true that a lot of the students there are rich, spoiled assholes. Nevertheless, I did find a bunch of good friends there and ended up graduating with two majors and a high GPA. I also found an awesome job that pays relatively well (for journalism) at a large daily newspaper, but all the networking and internships to get me that job were my own work, and not something that NYU helped me find. I really feel that I could have gotten the internships just as easily if I had gone to Kansas State or somesuch. If I had to do it over again, I'm not sure if I would still choose NYU. My gut tells me no; that I would have been happier at a smaller college where more attention is paid to students. But living in New York City during your formative years is also an amazing, valuable experience, and unfortunately New York City doesn't offer a small, supportive college nestled in Greenwich Village. It offers NYU - take it or leave it. I decided to take it, mostly because I didn't want to go through the hassle of transfering, and I didn't really hate it THAT much. Please keep in mind, though, that NYU is truly not for everyone. If you are a super-driven person who manages well completely on your own, give NYU a shot. If you grew up in a very supportive environment with a close-knit family, a group of good, close friends and high school teachers you considered friends, like I did, then going from that environment to the tough reality of NYU may be too drastic. I have a friend who left after one year because she was unhappy there (I met her after I graduated); a person from my high school who went to NYU a few years before I did transfered to a more traditional college - there's no shame in transferring or even dropping out if you're in a situation where you're not happy. But it's better to avoid that situation in the first place, so do your homework about NYU and any other college you're thinking about. I was so blinded by the beauty of New York and the thrills that awaited that I didn't check out the school thoroughly enough before I accepted the invitation to attend.

view full review→Sep 22 2004

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

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Journalism Salary, Salary Trend, Satisfaction, Unemployment

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“I am not pleased with NYU, in specificQuite BrightMechanical Engineering

I am not pleased with NYU, in specific NYU Tandon. If for whatever reason you're considering it, maybe for the allure of the city, maybe for the NYU name, DON'T! I know at least a dozen other freshmen considering transferring in my program or the Civil Engineering program. Tandon is NOT as advertised, not even close. Being in Brooklyn, you're really not too close to the opportunities or fun of the main campus, and you will be stuck with a lot of the same people all day. Tandon itself consists of basically just one building on Metrotech: this lack of campus, resources, or much diversity in routine makes it that there is no community. The only way I think you can enjoy most of what the school has to offer is if you either have a big checkbook or just really love New York (and I mean really!).

The shuttle which the school offers is pretty piss-poor, any day I have tried to ride it, it was late, and it took a long time to get to main campus. This makes getting a subway pass a must, but that starts adding up pretty quick, especially if you end up getting involved with anything on the main campus.

At NYU, I just feel like a number. I have been helped out by some people from various offices (Student Affairs, Involvement) but I still just feel lost and lonely in the school. All of the events either require money or some form of transportation pass, this sucks when you want to get to a museum from Brooklyn to Midtown or if you want to attend an event at the main university. Anyway, more about lost. Tandon has a weird atmosphere, it isn't really cut-throat or competitive in a traditional sense, everybody there just is very focused on what they're doing and will rarely branch out to make friends. With the international students (which make up a pretty big portion of Tandon's student body), they'll mostly stick among themselves. Very few people there are involved in clubs, especially since EVERY SINGLE CLUB which Tandon offers at there location is STEM related and academic/professional in nature. IT sucks because if you want to join a non-STEM club at all you'll have to go to main campus, which as I've been over, is hard to do.

Let's talk about housing. I was paired with roommates nothing like myself despite being made to take a roommate survey thing. I put on it that I really needed to be in a room with only one other person at most due to a medical condition, that this space would need to be clean, and that I medically require a roommate who stays quiet after 12 as I need to go to sleep at 12. Enter a triple dorm, with two other roomates not even remotely like the type the survey suggested, infested with mold, neither of which would go to sleep at 12. I only got this fixed right before leaving for Winter break, this honestly did not help with the problems I was already having there nor did it help with me feeling just uncared-for and lost amongst thousands.

Honestly, with what the school's tuition is and the ranking of their engineering program, it just really is not worth it to go. If you graduate with the NYU name on your diploma, that's great I guess, but not a whole lot of employers will turn you down just because of the name on your diploma. As well as that there are so many other public and private universities which much better engineering schools/programs which cost so much less. For what I paid in tuition I'll tell you what I got: a spot in a school, no community, no events to enjoy, etc... I also couldn't take the amount of classes tuition paid for due to availability and free space issues, and no accommodations, leniency, or alternatives could be made. My moldy room was extra (if you do decide going don't do Clark Hall as a freshman and definitely don't choose low-cost).

Anybody who says "NYU is a party school" is kind of right, just not Tandon. And that is not because of the rigorous academia, it is just because nobody there really cares to do parties (besides a few dozen) and really don't care about socializing at all. Honestly, when you're stuck in such a big city with nothing to do, nowhere to go (besides one building), and nobody to talk to, it really sucks.If I could choose all over again, I would save my parents the year of tuition payments and just go to an in-state or any other school instead. Looking at New York for Engineering? Choose anything but Tandon. In no way could I see it as worth it unless you got a really massive scholarship.

view full review→Dec 27 2019

1st Year Male -- Class 1923

Scholastic Success: A-, Individual Value: D-

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Mechanical Engineering Salary, Salary Trend, Satisfaction, Unemployment

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“I'm a honors track Phil / Politics doubleQuite BrightPhilosophy

I'm a honors track Phil / Politics double major in my junior year. To sum up my points, if you like strong academics, this is a good school, but it comes at a cost. Read on to find out more.

Support and services: NYU wastes its money on stupid, frivolous things. They just built an entire building near WSP for catholic students and "spiritual life", meanwhile, the administration hardly helps anyone with financial need. Something that is really important to know is that IF THEY GIVE YOU A SCHOLARSHIP THAT IS MERIT BASED YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR, IT WILL BE CUT COMPLETELY FOR SOPHOMORE YEAR. I lost a 15,000 dollar scholarship even though my GPA was a 3.85, and I know many other students who had scholarships, excelled academically, and lost their merit scholarship. I know nobody who came on scholarship (other than presidential scholars) that kept theirs after freshman year. That NYU cuts merit aid no matter how the student performs and doesn't care is disgraceful. Need based is even worse, as I can attest from what they've tried to do to my girlfriend's tuition. If you need to take out a lot of debt to come to NYU, I really suggest that you don't.

Academics: As a double major in Phil / Poli sci, I can say that if you want to take advantage of the resources available to you, you can get an absolutely tremendous education. The ranking that USnews gives NYU isn't based purely on academics, it's also based on things like freshman retention rate, which is awful for reasons listed below. However, the Philosophy Dept is the best in the world, and the politics department is #17. The range of majors and minors here is astounding, and there is something for almost anyone. In other words, you will be getting a high quality education here, should you choose to be motivated and take advantage of the education. If you choose to apply yourself, you should know that the other kids who also apply themselves can be extremely competitive, so don't expect hugs and kisses.

Social life: Let's be frank, NYU is only for a few, certain types of people, and if you *aren't* that type of person, you will be friendless.

A large majority of NYU's student population is wealthy and bratty. They complain incessantly, judge others mercilessly, and are overall fairly close minded, though they all profess to be "real" and "open minded". By and large, the most socially successful people at NYU are those who talk about themselves, a lot. People at NYU love to talk about all of their experiences, or play themselves up to be the Messiah (or the second coming of Christ, if you're Christian), while mutually ignoring the others who are doing the same.

NYU forces you to be an extrovert, and if you aren't an extrovert or you're somewhat shy, NYU isn't the place for you. Your friends and, by extension, social life, will be determined solely by the people you meet on the floor you live on your freshman year. If you don't make any friends on your floor, or you only make 1 or 2, your social life is doomed. I know many people who complain very frequently about the terrible quality of their social life, because they weren't absorbed into a group at the beginning of freshman year. People are not at all interested in making friends in their classes. It's no wonder NYU ranks high on one of the loneliest universities, and has an awful freshman retention rate.

Finally, NYU might be good academically, but few students are actually academically motivated, and few have any sense of intellectual "geekiness" that accompanies the relatively high quality of the education at the school. If you consider yourself to be geeky or nerdy in any way, I would suggest Columbia or a more heady school.

view full review→Feb 22 2012

3rd Year Male -- Class 2013

Education Quality: A+, Social Life: F

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