<p>Did anyone else attend any of the CAS receptions? What'd you think?</p>
<p>I attended the "University Day" reception. Honestly, there were so many people there and the campus was spread out to the point where it felt disjointed. There was like a 20 minute wait to get into the dorms for a dorm tour, etc. and I just wanted to get out of there by the end of it.</p>
<p>But I have three good friends who attend NYU, and I have been down and stayed at their dorms many times -- which has given me a much better perspective of the school than the University Day did. The dorms are very spacious (with bathrooms in every dorm room) and the facilities are rather good. Of course, academically NYU is top notch in almost any field you can name. There aren't really any classes on Fridays either at CAS (except for a few science courses).</p>
<p>I think that the big question for me, however, is the lack of campus. Pretty much all of Washington Square is owned by NYU, which gives it somewhat of a feeling of a campus. But I've heard from some that it's difficult to find friends just from your classes/walking around the area, etc. Most of the social groups seem to develop from the dorms and clubs. There's also very little school spirit and camaraderie -- which can be an issue if that's important to you.</p>
<p>With that said, you are in the middle of one of the most diverse and thriving cities in the world -- and there are plenty of opportunities and ways to meet people. But it may not revolve around the common "campus bond". One of the best points I heard at the info session was that most traditional universities have to exert so much energy and effort trying to attract interesting things -- concerts, art, exhibitions, presentations, etc. -- to the campus, whereas NYU is placed directly in the middle of everything! The role of the development committee at NYU is to make it easier to access that which already exists all around the school.</p>
<p>I have lived all my life in a suburb of NY merely 30 minutes away from Manhattan, and thus the appeal and excitement of the city isn't as strong for me as it might be for somebody who hasn't experienced it for eighteen years. The campus/no-campus decision is a very personal one, and while it's impossibile for many people, I believe that a visit to NYU is really necessary to get a proper feel for it.</p>
<p>Just my 2 cents.</p>