<p>do tell what a “real” degree is.</p>
<p>I think a real degree in this context is something that employers would recognize and see as valuable, not something like “Keeping it Real” or “The Language of Sexuality in Video Games.” (The first one is real, although it looks like the guy with it seems to have options, and the second one is an exaggeration). I would guess there are a lot of weird seeming degrees because that’s the only thing I can think of that can explain the huge gap in salaries between Gallatin and CAS students.</p>
<p>My son is at Gallatin and in a residential college – and both do seem to cut into the vastness of NYU. But that vastness (and NYC, of course) also bring enormous opportunity. The Gallatin approach includes close advising and many small-school activities, and the residential college does, too. And though they might not be everyone’s thing, interdisciplinary degrees that reflect creativity and interesting takes on combining intellectual pursuits stand out to employers. (I read a lot of CVs.) Finaly, as it happens, NYU has an important Game Center working in the greatly expanding creative, commerical, non-profit and academic areas of gaming. Insulting other people’s academic and intellectual explorations generally does not reflect postively on one’s own.</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand what kind of school or program you’re getting from the information I see about Gallatin. How autonomous is it from NYU’s CAS? In what respects is it not just an interdisciplinary undergraduate major?</p>
<p>Is detailed quality data available specifically for Gallatin (entering test scores, class size ranges, demographics, etc) other than the few facts presented on its web site? NYU does publish a Common Data Set file, but Gallatin is just a tiny little part of this huge, complex university. So, if I were you, I’d visit the school for more than just a few hours. Stay overnight, visit several classes, and ask a lot of questions. For example, where have recent graduates gone to graduate school? How many get into law school? How many get full-time jobs in the first year after graduation? Who are some notable alumni? What percentage of graduates get PhDs, especially in economics? What about internships and research projects at Gallatin? etc.</p>
<p>chao:</p>
<p>I don’t hate anything, sorry. I’m just challenging your perceptions. As momwonders notes above, Gallatin = “interdisciplinary degrees that reflect creativity and interesting takes on combining intellectual pursuits…” Sounds awesome, but that ain’t traditionally Econ. Does Gallatin even offers a traditional major? Can you “major” in Econ, for example, or will you receive a BA in Liberal Arts? (The latter won’t be as marketable as a BA in Econ.)</p>
<p>You need to ask yourself is whether Gallatin is a good fit for you – not academically (since your major academic time will be spend in Arts & Sciences), but socially where you’ll spend most of your free time. Only you can answer that question. I only raise it because a Gallatin education is far different than CMC and CMU. Neither good nor bad. Just different. </p>
<p>I just found your three disparate choices fascinating and you invited comments…</p>
<p>btw: NYU has some top notch majors, such as English, Philosophy and Math; a top 6 law school. NYU has/is Manhattan, which is a plus or a minus. NYU has poor financial aid for most (but they gave you a bunch). Like most private schools, NYU is mostly comprised of full pay (read wealthy) students.</p>
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<p>I suppose "“The Language of Sexuality in Video Games” can be a god major, but it seems like it could be a fluff major where someone takes less rigorous classes in order to skate by. And regardless of the actual content, a title like that could scare employers off. </p>
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<p>Gallatin is a separate school from CAS. While I think most of my classes are going to be at CAS, Gallatin also offers its own individual classes. And there are some other things you have to do at Gallatin to get a degree that you don’t have to at CAS.</p>
<p>I think it would be nice to visit NYU again, but I don’t think it would change my mind that much. I also don’t think it would be worth the time or the money.</p>
<p>I’ve tried to find statistical information about Gallatin, but I really haven’t been lucky.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t feel like the questions you’ve bought up are that important for me. First of all, I don’t consider select examples of graduates as good examples of how the program is as a whole. For example, there are probably a bunch of people who have recently graduated from Alabama (my safety school) who have gone on to do cool things, but I don’t think that it automatically guarantees my success or the level of education I will receive. And I think job placement rates can be misleading. And I don’t think PhD attainment means anything, especially since I don’t want one. High PhD attainment rate just means the students are more academia-focused. I’m not attacking your answer, I’m just saying why I don’t think they’re relevant for me.</p>
<p>However, I’m trying to email some people who have contacted me so I can get the fullest picture of the school.</p>
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<p>All Gallatin students receive a BA in Individualized Study with a concentration attached. For example, I’m planning on getting a concentration in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. (Which is a common degree at Oxbridge) I acknowledge that will put me at a disadvantage if the employer is only looking for exact majors or doesn’t read my concentration. I’m not really sure how it works though.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if I do just want a regular major, I can transfer internally to CAS.</p>
<p>And I don’t exactly just want to study “just” econ. I think it is the primary thing I will build my major around, but wherever I go, I want to look into more options. For example, at CMU, I am planning on double-majoring in Decision Science. At CMC, I am looking at the PPE and Environment and Economics majors there. At USC, I want to try to be able to create my own major there.</p>
<p>I guess the problem here is that PPE sounds too qualitative for some jobs, but I hope that just my major name alone discourages my job opportunities when I’m also trying to increase my employment skills through some programming and math classes too. </p>
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<p>I really got the impression that you seemed to dislike Gallatin and NYU.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I will like NYU socially, just like I’m not sure if I like any other schools socially. Compared with CMC, I think NYU does lack the smaller environment, but I feel like being in a residential college and Gallatin like momwonder’s son is will help give me a smaller atmosphere while allowing me to go to a more diverse school and stay in the city. (50% of CMC students are from California and it’s about the same percentage at USC) Also, I think that NYU is less party-based and less pre-professional than CMC, which I think I would also enjoy, although I hear the environment can be incredibly isolating. </p>
<p>I think NYU gave me a bunch, but I think if anything, I would cross it off simply because it is not as much as the other school’s aid packages are, and while my parents can pay, they would rather not. I guess I will send NYU a letter and see what happens.</p>
<p>It does sound like you are more focused on the available opportunities and how you can use them to get what you want, not so much on how these schools are perceived by graduate schools or employers. This would be a good, healthy attitude. In asking about entering stats or exiting outcomes, what I have in mind is not so much the prestige of the school as the academic and social atmosphere of the place. Does Gallatin attract smart, achievement-oriented people (people like yourself, I suspect)? Or does it tend to attract (to put it bluntly) self-absorbed, flakey people (which could be a risk in an individualized study program if admissions is not doing a good job). Would that even matter to you? Maybe not. However, one characteristic of a good LAC is that it encourages discussion and team interaction, so in my opinion, the quality of your classmates ought to be one consideration. I’m not arguing with you against Gallatin (I have no attachment to any of these places), just suggesting some things to think about. It may be the case that the whole university (and NYC) has enough fall-back options that you are comfortable taking a bit of risk with Gallatin.</p>
<p>Actually, I am pretty concerned with the perception of how employers or other schools will see my degree. I am just not looking for lay prestige. I don’t think college is all about making money. But since these schools are so pricey, I would like some sort of financial return on them.</p>
<p>Well then, the kinds of questions I’ve been asking may be somewhat relevant. A prospective employer won’t specifically ask, “How many Gallatin graduates get PhDs?” However, indirectly, and over time, these outcomes (or lack thereof) may influence the impressions of the place among people who shape opinion. So yeah, look at the notable graduates. From Gallatin, I see actors, song writers, and fashion models ([Gallatin</a> School of Individualized Study - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallatin_School_of_Individualized_Study]Gallatin”>Gallatin School of Individualized Study - Wikipedia)). From CMK, I see CEOs, congressmen, and college professors, as well as rock musicians ([List</a> of Claremont McKenna College people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Claremont_McKenna_College_people]List”>List of Claremont McKenna College people - Wikipedia)). Hmm…</p>
<p>Chaos, do you get excited from … Just talking about a school and seeing you there for four years? If yes, that is the ONE. </p>
<p>Follow your heart and you will be happy.</p>
<p>Chaos, you have a very flexible nature which makes it especially hard to tell you that any one of these choices would be wrong for you. Gallatin sounds like a great place to find yourself. If you’ve visited and it is still in contention at this late date, it must be exercising some kind of pull on you. My hunch is that you may ultimately want to switch to NYU-CAS, not because of anything lacking in Gallatin, but, just because, given your aspirations, it may be easier to package yourself to potential employers with a more traditional degree. But, you will have plenty of time to figure that out, IMO.</p>
<p>I don’t think going to CAS is a feasible option for me. I think that it would defeat the whole point of going to NYU, which is Gallatin, and would leave me in an enivronment where I would no longer have access to my honors program. I also think it’s a waste of money to go there when I’ve gotten into better schools with more aid. Ultimiately, I think I’ve crossed NYU off my list because I don’t think I can convince my parents to let me go there.</p>
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<p>Further proof that talk therapy actually works.</p>