<p>I think that loans are an inevitable part for most college students. The difference between someone like the OP and someone like you, stohare, is that you seem to have a realistic idea of what debt means and have thought about the possibility that it might not work out in the future. That healthy, grounded attitude can make all the difference between someone who will graduate from a college that they love and begin paying down their debt as soon as they are able and someone who will borrow like crazy to support the Kafka-esque Ponzi scheme that is their life.</p>
<p>My two cents for Out-of-Tri State parents or kids who think NYU is a good fit for their students. Before you invest that kind of money (anywhere from a total debt of $40 K to the CNN guy of $200+ K), you should at least invest around 5 K first to spend a week in Manhantan. It would be better if you can find a short summer seminar in NYU or other institutions. Or at least as a tourist for one week in the city.
15 years ago, Manhantan or NY city has much charisma (?) to me for my whole life. Then I lived in midtown for one year and moved to Jersey for the last 14 years. After touring all the famous sightseeings (take about 1 week), you will realize “That is it!” Now, I still go to the city maybe once in 4 months mainly to eat. There are not much that can attract me anymore. For most people in NJ and PA, when we talk about the city, we always complain about the traffic, parking, crime, dirt, crowd, etc.
From my humble opinion, the 4 years college which is once in a lifetime should be spent on a real campus. You can get all the above from the city in the next 40 years when you work but you will never experiene the real college life after you work. Stern may be an exception because of the huge potential $ return.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sorry, but as a New Yorker (leaving NYU behind for a second) I find that this is a RIDICULOUS statement. There is definitely MORE to NYC than just all of the landmarks (which a lot of New Yorkers haven’t even been to, let’s be honest). I grew up in the city, and I live in NY right now at NYU. There is a lot more character to the city that you are deliberately leaving out. Traffic? Parking? What New Yorker has a car? Crowds? If you’re in the East Village/Greenwich Village/downtown, it is NOT that crowded. </p>
<p>Would I give up NYU for a “real campus experience” that includes rushing Greek, drinking every weekend because there isn’t anything to do for miles, and playing frisbee on a quad? No, absolutely not. My friends come visit ME at school on their school breaks.</p>
<p>I know NYU is not for everyone, and neither is New York. You are entitled to your opinion. </p>
<p>But to say that ALL New York is, are the landmarks, is just absurd.</p>
<p>Well stated missamericanpie…</p>
<p>I don’t really like sightseeing and all that. It’s more fun just living in the city where it is easy to find groups of people who share the same interests. Going to college and working in the city are two different experiences in my view. As a college student I get to see the city and the people at all different times of day, not just after 5pm. I’m able to attend different events that I’m sure I wouldn’t have time for when working 80-100 hours a week. Maybe you aren’t tapping into the city’s potential. Of course if you see cities defined by their physical shells you are missing out on the culture. Of which, is the biggest benefit of the city in my opinion.</p>
<p>I haven’t even visited most of the tourist locations. On the contrary, I do drink occasionally on weekends, play frisbee, and while I am not a part of Greek life I see them everywhere. I had a “traditional” college experience and I would give it up again.</p>
<p>To each his/her own though.</p>
<p>
What an arrogant thing to say. Not everyone wants the cookie cutter college experience that 98% of colleges offer - people come to NYU, New School, Cooper U, etc for a different experience.
Good, keep complaining and stay in Jersey. We have too many Jersey folks congesting our city as it is. </p>
<p>NYC is one of the safest large cities in the USA. Of course it has traffic and crowds, it’s a city. There’s a reason millions of people live here and visit - because it’s vibrant, rich with history and culture, there are so many opportunities and things to do and see which you can’t get in a stale suburb.
There’s nothing wrong with loans if you’re SMART about it. Lots of students take out loans. But $275k - insane! I’m assuming you took on a rational amount. Please don’t be the next CNN story lol :)</p>
<p>"“Well I’m in STERN you know, it’s the best school ever, we all become ibankers after we graduate so it’s an INVESTMENT blahblah…”</p>
<p>So true! Hear this all the time, but who wants to bet that half of the finance majors in Stern won’t even end up with jobs in finance. HAHA. What an investment. They’ll have harder times finding jobs than the rest of us.</p>
<p>njparent: Is that all you’ve found to be good about the city? That’s unfortunate… Maybe you should venture into Greenwich Village haha. Also, I can’t speak for my peers but I doubt many NYU students regret the “real” college experience. And to that end, what makes college life at NYU any less “real” than at your Princetons, Yales, etc?</p>
<p>On another note, I believe NYU is a superb place to be for college. From my time at NYU, I’ve realized that, in a way that will seem ironic to most CCers, the traditional college experience is severely overrated. I would be bored to tears anywhere else.</p>
<p>All colleges are expensive, but the difference is that our aid sucks. This leads a large amount of rich, but relatively apathetic students to attend, while those who are most enthusiastic about NYU end up somewhere else because they can’t afford it. If our aid would better, you’d see improvements in our retention rate, student happiness, student quality, and gradually, maybe our USNWR ranking, for those who care. We have the capacity to be on par with schools like Cornell, John Hopkins, Brown, etc, but imprudent financial decisions (i.e., ridiculous expansion plans) from our administration is seriously preventing us from truly being their peers.</p>
<p>njparent123: In an ideal world, fit would always be the most important factor in choosing a college, and for my daughter NYU has been a great fit, maybe even the perfect fit. She absolutely loves both NYU and NYC and, after completing her B.A. in three years, is staying at NYU for grad school—only this time with a full ride fellowship and stipend. Like MAP, AoDay, Oreo, and Alix, she did not want the whole “Traditional Campus” scene, with grassy quads, tailgating, beer-soaked frat parties every weekend, and such. We are from the South and she had visited friends at SEC and ACC schools and had seen enough of that kind of college experience to know that it was not for her. We spent a bundle on NYU for sure, but we have no regrets. She has maximized her time there and has had a great experience. And that’s more than worth all the sacrifices it took to get her there.</p>
<p>I think this whole conversation has gotten out of hand. I mean the part doesn’t represent the whole. This ONE student does not represent all Sternies, or the rest of the students at NYU. I think CNN just focused their example on one extreme case, and therefore it makes for good television and news that sells! It’s just CNN’s job guys…they probably helped the poor kid out anyway lol!</p>
<p>THANK GOD for rich uncles in my case lol</p>
<p>
YES I agree 100% with this, you put it so well! 
Almost every NYU student will say our financial aid is the worst thing about our college, and it’s not just because it puts students in debt - it leads to people being unhappy, lower retention rates, lower student quality, poor public perception of NYU, etc…</p>
<p>@NuclearPakistan - Yes this is an extreme example but NYU is ranked #1 for Worst Financial Aid, NYU students are in a lot of debt, and full costs included, we’re the #2 most expensive univerity in America. CNN picked an extreme case but the underlying problem does exist and won’t go away until the administration does something about it.</p>
<p>Thank god for scholarships! : )</p>
<p>I’ve been working all spring, and will be all summer, and intend to do work study all year to cut down on costs this first year. As well, I’ve gotten a bit in outside scholarships. And my parents are contributing throughout the year. So while it looks like I’m taking out a fair amount of loans, I have a logical plan to get rid of as much as I can before I graduate.</p>
<p>Hopefully it all works out :)</p>
<p>Well I am a 2014-er, and I will be graduating with $200,000 in loans in debt. I Live in California, and everyone thinks I’m crazy to not apply to a UC or CSU (I was the only one in my class who didn’t.) Honestly, UC’s and CSU’s get too much credit. They are over-rated. 75% of my college aged friends attend them. I even toured UCLA. Class sizes are around 300 each, with recitations in smaller groups given by a TA ( Not a PHD or Grad Student) There are new budget cuts, ever heard of Furlough Fridays? How would you like if you paid MORE tuition but got one less day of class that you paid for? They’ve cut university sponsored scholarships ( I got a $9,000 CalGrant- Which is useless now) Many professors have quit (Pay Cuts- They’d rather teach at Stanford or place where they are paid more) Class offerings have been cut. My friend has to drive 45 minutes each day because her nursing class is full at her CSU so she has to commute to a community college. Another friend has a class that starts at 6:30 and her second class at 5:30 due to classes being overcrowded. And honestly, I know everyone wants to take the most economic approach, and I understand where you are coming from, but there are some things that are incomparable. A Law degree from Harvard is Extremely better than one from Colby for example. Yes, they are the same books, of course Harvard doesn’t print their own, but what you’re really buying is the alumni connections, and the job and career opportunities as well as the name and grandeur- which will get you VERY far. Imagine if you were hiring two people who’s resumes were the same, one graduated from CSU Long Beach, the other, NYU. It doesn’t matter what they studied because the NYU candidate is obviously going to win. So you actually lose, by choosing the cheaper choice. Almost like buying clothes. Sure Target clothes are cheaper, but they aren’t going to last as long as Louis Vuitton Ready-To Wear. Sure it costs more, but the longevity and times of use would be worth the investment. think about how many times you’d have to replace the Target item.</p>
<p>I know you’re going to say- NYU’s name didn’t help this guy…
In actuality, ALL COLLEGE GRADUATES ARE EXPERIENCING TROUBLE FINDING A JOB! WE ARE IN A RECESSION. Once this recession is over, I wouldn’t be surprised if he found himself a nice 5 figure job on Wall St. Does a difficult job market mean we don’t go to college and save our money? Of course not! The recession will be over, and you will be without a degree and working where? You have to start somewhere.</p>
<p>Sorry, NYU is not worth 200,000$ of debt. If it is worth that much to you then why not</p>
<p>Sorry, NYU is not worth 200,000$ of debt. If it is means that much to you then why not
go to the local CC then transfer. You will still have an NYU degree. It is beyond foolish. What do your parents say?.</p>
<p>No school is worth $200,000 worth of debt. To think any name, whether NYU or Harvard, will make that much of a difference is naive. Target clothes are just as good as Louis Vuitton clothes.</p>
<p>The reality is, no, NO school is worth 200k. No current student/alum/parent on here will defend that choice, not even me, and I live and breathe violet.</p>
<p>I think the MAX I would pay for an NYU undergrad degree is 85k in loans. And thats pushing it.</p>
<p>My philosophy is that school loans for the 4 yrs of undergrad should not exceed the cost of 1 year of the COA.
So if the COA is 52,000 then that should be the aggregate amount of total school loans for the entire 4 years and that my friend is as generous as I feel about it.</p>
<p>I think different people can take out different amounts. If you’re a lazy student who is going to pass with average grades, then its definately not worth it. But if you’re hard working and aspire to have a high gpa, then you probably have a plan to how it will all get paid off… </p>
<p>It really all depends on how motivated you are, really.</p>