New York University

Be aware that this is a city school - NYC is the social/night life, not frat parties or house parties or school sporting events. However, you can make that as fun as you want it to be. Also, you can find community here so long as you look into something you really really love - try a club, or anything that shares a common interest of yours with other people.

1st Year Female -- Class 2018

Surrounding City: A, Campus Aesthetics: C

Transferring to NYU is the best decision I've ever made, here is my take on the good and the bad of NYU.

GOOD: The professors are all brilliant and most of them are very friendly, the wassmerman center is a great place to find awesome internships in NYC (I've already had two really great ones), other students are friendly if you put yourself out there and make friends, NYC!!!!, so many clubs, good food, awesome study abroad opportunities

BAD: Financial aid can be horrible, most of the kids come from fairly wealthy families so coming in as someone with 100% financial need was difficult because I felt a little alienated, solving issues normally involved many telephone transfers to offices that cant help you, its easy to feel isolated so you have to make it known that you are looking for friends. I always say hi to people I see in the hallways of my building and make and effort to take to them and I am doing fine. On the other hand I know some other students that get upset because they feel like they don't have any friends. You really can't depend on other people, you gotta take care of yourself.

My advice would be, be yourself and meet all of the beautiful interesting people around you.
Get a job! nyc can eat your money very quicklyget an internship if you can

2nd Year Female -- Class 2016

Collaboration/Competitive: A+, Campus Aesthetics: D+

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.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2013

Education Quality: A+, Social Life: F