A few questions before my final decision

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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<p>I am currently deciding between going to NYU (only 8000 in loans), University of Rochester (7000 in loans) and my state school, osu (1000 in loans). I plan on studying pre-med with a major in Biology and hopefully, Spanish.</p>

<p>I am strongly leaning towards NYU because with my AP Credit I would be able to double major, two minors and possibly study abroad in London ( I made a tentative 4-year schedule). I looked at the dorms and meals and I am really liking it but I was wondering about how the campus feels.
1. I understand that is is a part of the city but does it have any school feeling like NYU student events and stuff?
2. I will not be 18 when I enter college so will that hinder me in anyway?
3. How are the science classes? I heard the low level ones are large and that's okay but what about the professors for higher level classes? I am especially curious about physics teachers because it is my worst science class.
4. Is it a good idea to take classes during January term? How much financial aid would you receive for it?
5. I live on the west coast and I don't have any family in NY. I know one person who already chose NYU but we aren't friends so how easy is it to get used to NYC and make new friends?
6.How does AP credit show up on your college transcript? does it just state AP credit or does it state the class?
7. What are the acceptance rates into medical school? Are the pre-med advisers helpful?
8. If you are an NYU student, what are any complaints you have about the school? anything at all.</p>

<p>If you could answer any of the questions, it would be appreciated very much! :))
May 1st is coming up and I am freaking out here D:</p>

2

<p>I’m a high school senior myself but I will answer to the best of my ability:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I highly doubt being under 18 will matter much (unless you plan on studying abroad freshman year because you must be over 18!!). </p></li>
<li><p>As freshmen, most of us will be in a similar situation where we don’t know any other people. You should be fine. Plus, I am certain there will be other West Coasters around. Everyone will be making new friends, don’t worry :)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I’m sorry I can’t answer any other questions with certainty.
A lot should be on the website such as med school acceptance and AP credit… :D</p>

<p>Best of luck making your decisions!!</p>

3

<p>I am an adult who grew up in Rochester, and now lives in NYC. My daughter will be entering NYU this fall. So, I can’t answer your NYU-specific questions, I can give some general advice. </p>

<p>Travel to/from the west coast and Rochester might be annoying…are there non-stop flights from your home town? Often, the answer is no. Also, be prepared for winter in Rochester, with lots of snow. We natives get used to it, but for a college student walking to/from class, it might be a bit harsh at first.</p>

<p>NYC is a great place to live with amazing opportunities, plus great entertainment. It seems like NYU students get lots of discounts.</p>

<p>Also, agree with cricket123 on her answer for number 5. You will all be in the same boat, and will have opportunities to meet people at orientation, in your dorm, in your classes, in clubs, etc., so I wouldn’t worry about that issue too much.</p>

<p>For some more specific questions, you might want to see if you can contact someone in the department of your intended majors.</p>

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<p>I think at NYU even if you get AP Credit…you get credit for the class - but the AP credit does not reduce the total number of courses required for the major or the minor</p>

<p>someone check me on this? Im not too sure where i heard this.</p>

5

<p>^
AP Credit can be used to get credit for a course that is required for a major or minor I believe but I’m not 100% sure…</p>

<p>I know that if you use AP credit instead of taking a class but end up actually taking the course, you will lose that AP credit so it would make sense if that substitution counts for requirements for your major or minor…</p>

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<p>I am currently a freshman in CAS studying computer science and pre-health. I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The “no campus” and “part of the city” argument against NYU is truly overblown. There are about 20,000 undergrads and just over 20,000 graduate students that go here. So during the week when classes are in session, you know that you are on NYU territory simply because of the large volume of students invading washington square park to go to class. Literally, the sidewalks and even the streets are buzzing with students scrambling to get to class every day. As for events, I get about 15-20 emails every day (no exaggeration) about new clubs and events that are happening on campus. There are also countless weekly events that resident halls host. I am in Founders this year and I am often truly overwhelmed with all of the events that the RA’s host for the residence hall (Broadway shows, museums, tours, restaurants, etc.).</p></li>
<li><p>No. Unless you wish to get into bars or clubs, in which case you won’t be able to unless you get a fake ID. I don’t have one personally, though, and my experience this year has been truly exceptional. So I really wouldn’t recommend getting one - it just ends up being a waste of money.</p></li>
<li><p>The lower level science classes are large, but that doesn’t make it impossible to have a relationship with the teacher. The vast majority of the students in those large lecture halls don’t even meet up with the teacher at all. So if you are serious about the sciences, don’t be afraid to walk up to the professors after class or meet up with them during their office hours. I took a physiology class this semester with over 100 people in it. I simply walked up to the professor after class one day, asked him a few questions, and now we have are on a first term basis with each another. Really, it’s up to you to get something good out of those tedious, large, lecture hall classes.</p></li>
<li><p>I didn’t take any classes over the January term, but one of my good friends did and he got over 3/4 of his tuition paid for. If you’re able to do it, I’d say go for it. Definitely can’t hurt.</p></li>
<li><p>I moved from Ohio to New York and literally didn’t know anyone on campus. The closest to me knowing someone on campus when I got here was my roommate, who I “met” on Facebook before housing selection came around. However, NYU’s welcome week is truly phenomenal in regards to amazing activities that you can’t do elsewhere (Broadway shows, anyone?) and meeting new people. That is one week I will never forget. After that week is over, however, just get involved with clubs that interest you and you will for sure meet loads of interesting people. That’s how I met all of my very close friends that I have right now. And also, since all resident halls for freshman are only for freshman, it is really easy to meet people on your floor since for the first couple weeks everyone literally has their door wide open. It’s wasn’t unusual for random people to just walk in and start a conversation.</p></li>
<li><p>My high school didn’t offer any AP courses (I am from an extremely small town), so I can’t really answer this question.</p></li>
<li><p>My pre-health (aka pre-med; don’t know why NYU calls it pre-health) advisor told me that if you are able to keep at least a 3.6 GPA overall and especially in the sciences (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) as well as at least a 31 on the MCAT, there is over a 90% acceptance rate to medical schools among NYU students. That’s pretty good.</p></li>
<li><p>Complaints. Probably the biggest one is the stupid system they use to allow us to register for classes, look at our transcripts, register for housing, etc. It’s called Albert (you probably used it when you applied), and it literally crashes every time registration comes around. It is also overly complicated and just utterly annoying to use. Aside from that, the meal plans (required for all freshman) are just a rip off. One of my friends calculated that in the basic 14 meal/week plan, each meal comes out to around 12 bucks, which is significantly more than the menu prices for the items you can get. The food isn’t bad at all, but you really get ripped off there. I’d recommend getting the smallest meal plan possible and just enjoying the food of the city instead (so you at least get your money’s worth). Also, while it is very easy to meet people if you are willing to make the effort (join clubs, etc.), I have seen a lot of people grow really depressed because they don’t get active and therefore have no friends. At a school of this size that is located in the biggest city in the nation, you really have to just put yourself out there and try new things. Only then will you get the most out of your NYU experience and remember is as a truly phenomenal four years of your life. Bottom line: don’t be shy.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this helps. Post any more questions if you have any.</p>

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<p>@cricket
thats what i basically said, you can get credit for the course…i.e get a 5 on the AP physics C exam…but if a physics major requires (for example) 10 physics classes, you still need to take 10 physics classes and not 9 because you are exempt from first year mech physics and e&m physics.</p>

<p>so i mean its kinda to your GPAs benefit if you just retake it…its not like you can SKIP out on an entire year of college if you have enough AP credits is what im saying lol</p>

8

<p>@woopthack,
No, I meant I think using AP credit, with your hypothetical, for a physics class would mean you only have 9 left to take, no?</p>

<p>And I believe NYU has a limit of 32 credits (from AP, taking college courses elsewhere etc) prior to entering for your freshman year.</p>

9

<p>depends on major for cas atleast (looked a random one up on google)
[NYU</a> > CAS > Bulletin 2010 - 2012 > Admission](<a href=“http://cas.nyu.edu/object/bulletin1012.ug.admission]NYU”>http://cas.nyu.edu/object/bulletin1012.ug.admission)</p>

<p>Students who obtain a score of 5 and who major or minor in art history are exempt from the introductory course, <strong><em>but AP credit does not reduce the total number of courses required for the major or the minor</em></strong>**.</p>

<p>Students who major or minor in economics in the policy concentration are exempt from the introductory principles courses as listed above, but AP credit does not reduce the total number of courses required for the major or minor. AP credit does not apply to ECON-UA 5.</p>

<p>Students who obtain a score of 5 and who major in psychology receive credit for Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences and may count it toward the major. Those with a score of 4 are exempt from this course, but the AP credit does not count toward the nine courses required for the major.</p>

<p>are just the few that caught my eye when i quickly browsed</p>

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<p>Oh okay, so it really depends on the course, the exam, etc. thank you very much for pointing that out! I’d like to use AP credit so it’s very important for me to read carefully I guess. :)</p>

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<p>yup no problemo :)</p>

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<p>A note if you’re entering the Spanish department - well, I can’t claim to speak for everyone, really. But personally, as an Iberian Studies major - and also a double major, I’ve chafed at the limited course selection available at NYU Washington Square. Interesting classes seem to come only when I can’t take them. I find it astonishing, for instance, that Cervantes is only offered once every two years in NYC, and in English at that (it’s offered every semester in Madrid in Spanish).</p>

<p>If you’re pre-med or bio, London is a good choice, possibly the only choice. But the course selection for Spanish department majors in Madrid and Buenos Aires, as far as I’m concerned, are much better than in New York City. You might want to consider spending at least a semester in Madrid or BA if you do come to NYU. At least NYU makes it easy to study abroad, and many students do more than one semester abroad.</p>

13

<p>Opus had a very complete answer. The only thing I’d add is that you can avoid the mealplan completely by choosing apartment-style housing. It’s not worth it, you can buy into the cafeterias for the same $/meal anyway, and by mid-semester your friends/roomies will have extra swipes galore when they realize that no, they really don’t want to eat at a dining hall 3x a day.</p>

14

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<p>I’m not sure if NYU has reverted to the policy they had before I enrolled, but the year I was a freshman, even freshmen in apartments had to get meal plans. The only exception I know of was a spring admit who got placed in upperclassmen housing.</p>

<p>There it is: “All freshmen are required to maintain a minimum meal plan during the license period regardless of hall placement.” [Meal</a> Plans](<a href=“http://www.nyu.edu/life/living-at-nyu/on-campus-living/housing-lottery-and-applications/Mealplans.html]Meal”>http://www.nyu.edu/life/living-at-nyu/on-campus-living/housing-lottery-and-applications/Mealplans.html)</p>

<p>One more thing: You said double major and double minor. I haven’t found this information for sure anywhere, but friends have mentioned to me that at NYU, the maximum that they will put on your transcript is a double major and a minor, or a major and two minors. (I don’t know where they get their information from, but it’s very likely.) It’s good to know you have the room for the coursework, of course, but keep that in mind.</p>

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<p>Ha, did they close that hole? I was '11 so that was true my year, and the main reason I chose 3rd Ave. Would be unfortunate if true, cause I hated eating in the cafeterias when there was cheaper, better food elsewhere.</p>

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<p>Just going to note about double majors/minors:</p>

<p>(1) I believe NYU will allow triple majors – I say this because I asked my academic advisor about it he and did not say that NYU does not allow triple majors. Rather, he just told me if I wanted to graduate a year early, I don’t have time to turn my minor into a third major. </p>

<p>(2) I also considered completing a second minor in sociology and again my advisor did not say NYU would not allow it. </p>

<p>So, I think this would have to be something you check when you arrive at NYU.</p>

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<p>Be careful though, because advisors are very often wrong. I’ve had my friends get explicitly wrong advice a number of times, so my suggestion is to always go into your meetings prepared. That’s not to say they’re not useful though, sometimes they can also bend the written rules a little bit for you or give you insight from a different angle.</p>

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<p>With the age thing it might prevent you from signing up for volunteers at organizations and etc. It happened to me … i couldn’t sign up for Bidaewee cuz i wasn’t 18… and i JUST WANTED TO WALK SOME GOD DAMN DOGS</p>