New York University

I grew up in NYC and attended NYU as if it was some local commuter school. It was about 20 minutes away from my house by foot. Yes, it seems almost surreal that I am one of the few poor local inner city kids who got a chance to go to a highly rated college, especially an expensive and well known institution such as NYU. I came to the school paying a meager tuition of $10,000 per year without room and board. The rest was taken care by a scholarship and some grants I received. This was in the mid to late 90's and NYU sure has changed since then. Not much in terms of the education and culture, but the buildings/infrastructure and faces have changed over the years. The tuition has skyrocketed and what hasn't these days if I may ask. People today are paying more because the school provides more. I didn't have WiFi internet access around campus and all the small luxuries when I was there. The few pet peeves I have with the school are that it is somewhat unfriendly to its students. It is managed like a large corporation and the students are like numbers, where they are easily replaceable at will. The other is the Bobst library, which is outdated and too small/cramped for a university such as NYU. They really need to do something about the Bobst in terms of keep up with the times. In terms of my experience, I would describe it as OK. It could have been better, but definately not worse. I often felt left out because I was stacked against with the more outspoken students with superior upbringing. They were either White or Upper crust Asian whose parents had money and education. I came from a humble working class background and was the first to attend college. But that didn't stop me from getting the things I wanted in life. I made friends, even study aboard and have kept in touch with 2 professors who are still teaching in the university. Today, I have re-entered the university as a part time continuing education student with a totally different outlook. I feel much more confident with the school, and see it as a powerful institution more than anything else. Being older, I can now appreciate NYU with its diverse resources that can be "exploited" when one graduates. It is probably the only school where its alumni can reconnect or utilize it to the fullest. This is the real beauty/return of the school. I can buy books from the computer store and professional bookstore needed for my job. I can go to the Bobst library and attend some of the classes for free to kill time. Now what school has a computer store? Many of you will not realize it until you get a little older. My advice is to trust your instincts, live life to the fullest and never give up. NYU is for go-getters and it has the resources (this includes all the people and fellow students) for you to reach your goals!

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Great school on some levels (NYC, Great Guest Lectures, Some cutting edge faculty) but distant, not well organized, sometimes difficult to find out all the things that are going on or the true benefits to students like discount movie and show tickets for example, nobody tells you about this or the many clubs--- it's hard to find out about this. Also, everything seemed to COST. Undergrad was constantly about charging MONEY. I didn't even know where to go if I had a cold.. years later I find out there's this great FREE health service. Maybe with WWW some of this lack of information has been fixed. I also hated the library. NEVER had books in and things were difficult to find. While at NYU you do get the feeling that you are in an exciting place and they love to plug themselves.. but there's still a great lack of interest in individual students. I'd sum up NYU as a series of ups and downs (honestly like any college) but with a trend that for the future meaning they are always talking about how great the school is GOING to be... always planning for bigger and better and you always feel like you were before that period which kind of sucks.

4th Year Male -- Class 2001

Surrounding City: A, Faculty Accessibility: C

NYU is a good school. Some people say it is "over-rated"; some insist it is "under-rated". I think we can all agree that it is a good school - prestigious enough, above most, but below the top 30 or so in the country.

So, if money is not a problem for you, give it some thought. Look into the programmes which you are interested in, etc. Don't come to NYU just because you want to be "in the city". This is your education. This is your preparation for a career, and chances are you'll be spending big bucks doing so.

My particular advice to transfers (of which I am one) is that you are likely to be disappointed. Thought I was accepted as a transfer, I was only informed after matriculation that ZERO (out of 32) credits would tranfer with me. I needed to start from scratch. Advising has been extremely poor, and I have found only a few people on staff to actually be kind and helpful.To evangelical Christians (again, of which I am one), you will most likely find your views belittled at NYU right and left. Many Christians just give up and don't tell anyone. For me, I have often regretted not having gone to a more tolerant insitution. If this is applicable to you, give it some thought.

1st Year Male -- Class 2008

Surrounding City: A+, Individual Value: F