Hi guys! I am posting this for a friend who got into CMU Dietrich and NYU CAS. She plans on majoring in Economics and International Relations but is unsure what to choose between the two. CMU has more prestige, and her parents are really pushing her to go, but she likes the opportunities to find internships in NYC, especially during the school year when there is less competition; she wouldn’t have that in CMU in Pittsburgh. Any answers would be much appreciated. Thanks!
CMU’s main strengths are in engineering/CS and the Performing Arts.
I’m not sure CMU for social sciences would be necessarily more prestigious than NYU CAS.
In fact, I’ve known some older CMU alums(mostly engineering/CS majors and rest performing arts) who would rather send their kids to their in-state directional publics than expend private school tuition on CMU if their desired majors was in social sciences/humanities.
Which provided a better financial aid/merit aid package? Are there any other schools which provided more FA/merit aid which may be viable contenders?
The IR program at CMU is relatively new. I think brand new the year my youngest was looking at IR programs - he didn’t apply though his older brother a computer nerd loved CMU. I think CMU has pretty solid humanities and social science, but it’s certainly not their traditional strength. It’s a very career oriented school. One thing you might want to check is whether those school term internships really happen at NYU. Does the academic schedule accommodate them? Are there opportunites to get academic credit for them? (Pluses and minuses to that.)
My oldest loved CMU and I’d send any CS kid there in a heartbeat over any of NYS state schools.
On the face of it - I’d guess the prestige factor was similar. I’d look more at what the programs really offer and which one is affordable. It’s much cheaper to live in Pittsburgh than NYC if you move off campus.
For engineering/CS or the Dramatic Arts, the CMU alums I mentioned above would agree 100%. They just don’t feel the same about the social science/humanities division as they felt it was a much weaker division comparatively speaking.
Even more recent alums who graduated in the early-mid '00s have related the same impressions.
A reason why I felt there isn’t much of a “prestige” difference between CMU Social Sciences/Humanities and NYU CAS…with the latter possibly having slightly more prestige in Econ/IR.
Agree on figuring out which is more affordable along with considering whether other schools on that student’s list may be better contenders on the financial and/or academic aspects.
Hi guys! This is the friend here…
So we didn’t get financial aid from either school because our EFC was above the total cost. I also want to go to a top law school in the future, so I’m not sure whether NYU or CMU would be better for that. Some CMU students I talked to say classes there are really hard, so I’m worried I will have a low GPA when I apply to law school. Idk what people mean when they say CMU is “career-oriented.” I know it’s very competitive but the students seem very introspective in a way that makes CMU seem less cutthroat whereas NYU has a ton of energy so I actually think the opposite.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I really like NYC and all the opportunities (yes, they really are there, according to current students at NYU), but it seems like CMU is so much more prestigious… I’m scared I will have regrets if I choose NYU over CMU and my parents are definitely pushing for the latter. 
What other schools are on the admitted list and did they offer FA/merit money?
CMU is more prestigious than NYU in engineering/CS and on par in the performing arts, but for Econ/IR…NYU CAS may have a slight edge. Among folks who were CMU alums, most would not recommend their own school for their kids if their intended majors were in humanities/social sciences like Econ/IR and would prefer they applied to schools with better strengths in those areas.
Also, if law school is in your plans, I’d opt for the undergrad which gives you the most FA/merit money as 3 years of law school will run you $150k+ at a public and $200k+ at a private law school on top of undergrad expenses.
Friend here again…
Already said financial aid was not an issue… Family contribution is too high to get any money at all. I am asking purely based on schools not finances. In that case, should I pick CMU Dietrich or NYU CAS for econ and international relations? I like NYC’s opportunity but CMU is definitely more prestigious.
CMU is not more prestigious if we’re talking humanities/social sciences majors like Econ or IR. At best, they’re about the same.
CMU’s prestige comes from its topflight academic strengths in engineering/CS and the Dramatic Arts. Most CMU alums I’ve known from those two divisions and college guidance counselors regarded the Humanities/Social Science School at CMU to be much weaker in comparison…and in the case of the CMU alums I’ve known…not worth full-pay over an in-state school.
More important question, can you/your family definitively provide financial support as full pay not only for 4 years of undergrad at these two private colleges, but also another $150k+(public)-200k+(private) for 3 years of law school?
If you are talking about USNWR rankings the difference between 32 and 24 is neglible. That’s like the difference between Brown #16, and Duke or U Penn (both #8). I’d have sworn Brown was higher ranked than either of those two! They offer differ experiences because of their locations and histories, in some majors you may be far better off at one than another. Pittsburgh and New York are very different locations and the ability to get term time internships, or just to stay put in your apartment over the summer are big advantages to NYU. I’ve heard nothing about the CMU IR program having any kind of significant reputation.
Yes, for the last time, I can afford private schools and I do not wish to attend in-state schools at all. My parents are in the top income bracket and have the money, in cash, for my college education. They could pay up-front if they wanted to.
@mathmom It seems like CMU’s econ department is better than NYU’s? I know NYU’s IR is definitely better, but if CMU’s econ department is significantly better than NYU, then idk. I guess my parents kind of enjoy the bragging rights CMU brings in my area whereas NYU accepts 10-15 people in my school. I know it’s stupid to choose a school based on that, but I can’t help but notice people’s reactions towards CMU are much more positive than towards NYU.
Although part of me would be super excited to live in NYC, I can’t help but be a little nervous. Going to a legitimate college campus seems very safe and relaxing but I also love love NYU’s environment. Ugh, haha I don’t even know.
I don’t know where you’re getting that from as the closest proxy to determine that, the ranking of their Econ grad programs, NYU’s Econ department is ranked 11th in USNWR whereas CMU’s Econ department ranked #19.
Granted, that ranking’s mainly relevant for prospective Econ PhD applicants. At the very least, they are close enough to be about even.