New York University

The school is extremely expensive and not a good value, IMO. The academic reputation of the undergrad program is not that great - the awesome grad programs are what gives NYU its intellectual cachet. Classes are too large, space is limited, it's a dog-eat-dog world.

There's also just soooo many programs, classes and students - its entirely overwhelming for an 18 year old who just moved away from home on the other side of the country. That said, you'll never get pigeonholed into something you don't want to do. NYU has an immense variety of programs.

I was in the film school. I totally regret getting a BFA. Thankfully, I double-majored in politics and used that to get an awesome job in political consulting & market research. The vast majority of people I know from my days in the film school are unemployed or barely scraping by in "the industry." Those who landed decent paying gigs seemed to all have family connections in Hollywood already. The art school's career counseling programs really blow. I know so many out-of-work theater, film and fine art graduates. Unless you breathe, sleep and eat the arts and are extremely self-motivated to network and get your name out there, please consider another field of study. The tens of thousands of dollars in loans are just not worth it.

I really haven't done anything in film since I graduated. I'm now applying for grad schools and focusing on international relations programs, with a heavy focus on international economics. Since I did double-major in politics, my current pursuits are directly related to one of my fields of study at NYU.But if I had to do it all over again, I would have gone to a much smaller school. I was the first in my family to go to college, I came from a public school that never sent kids to "decent" universities and was from the West Coast. I just didn't know about all my options. If I had known about places like Brown, Cornell or Dartmouth I would have definitely pursued studies at those schools. I love NYC and the NYU campus, but it would have been a much better place for grad school.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

This school is very well suited to city types. The city is a very tough place to live and the university doesn't make it any easier with its ridiculous bureaucracy and lack of financial aid. You need a tough skin to go here. Making friends is an especially difficult process, while making loads of acquaintances is easy.

My experience is mostly with the College of Arts and Sciences. If you have the willpower, you can turn your years at NYU into something amazing. You can get around many course restrictions by making the effort to file a petition, and you won't be turned down as long as you're persistent. For example, research grants are available to undergraduates who work for them, and students can take up to a year of leave to pursue programs like individual internships or study abroad (though this will make it take longer to finish).This is not the place for outdoorsy folk!

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Positives about Gallatin, the school I belong to:

The freedom of individualization is WONDERFUL. Many students from other NYU schools actually transfer to here because it's so popular--I haven't met one unsatisfied Gallatin student so far. So, if you like to be independent and you have passion, I recommend Gallatin.

Negatives:
Don't expect to have ultimate freedom. I'm having trouble getting into classes in other departments (Art, Advertising) because they are restricted to that department. And Gallatin Arts Workshops and Interdisciplinary Seminars, while fantastic, fill up ridiculously fast. Why can't they make enough room for all of us??

NYU Positives:
AMAZING city. Clubs, bars, parties, parades, holiday festivities, shopping, restaurants...etc etc etc. In my experience, open, friendly, VERY UNBIASED students. Don't expect to be judged for race, gender, or sexual orientation here. Also, good classes, so far. Some departments are very difficult (Journalism, Business, Sciences...) and some rather easy.

Negatives:
Too many students to get individualized attention. I haven't had that problem though because of the size of my school. Large disparity in dorm quality (Third North being by far the best), and management in dorms is a bit slow to fix things etc. Dorms also don't live up to their promises, like piano rooms and dark rooms, which are slightly poorly maintained or unusable. Hasn't been a huge prob though.

OVERALL I'M HAPPY--I HAVE GREAT FRIENDS, I'M LEARNING A LOT, AND I BALANCE HARD WORK WITH FANTASTIC FUN TIMES :)

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Surrounding City: A+, Individual Value: C+