<p>NYU is my top choice .. since I can remember. I got accepted in the College of Arts and Science, but I would be 120k in debt with their financial aid package. Colgate would leave me with only 40k in debt. Is NYU worth it? I'm having such a hard time picturing myself at Colgate, but I love NYU. I've lived in New York (upstate) my entire life and couldn't ever see myself being in the middle of no where. (Hamilton= populatio 2500). What should I do?</p>
<p>MY D attends an upstate school but loves NYC. She has had an internship in NYC the last two summers and will be working in NYC when she graduates in May. So she has had the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Colgate is about as far removed (not mile wise obviously) from NYU as possible. If you end up attending Colgate, which seems wise financially and it is a top notch school, try to do things that get you in NYC or other cities as much as possible.</p>
<p>My S attended Colgate and was in an extra curricular that brought him to many cities. But he also enjoyed the Colgate campus.</p>
<p>Honestly, I can’t imagine picking NYU over Colgate in many scenarios, but particularly this one. On the other hand, these are two very different schools: would you be happy living in a rural area? My kid is a Colgate alum (2009) and loves living in Manhattan now and has been NYC oriented most of his life, but he loved the campus feel of Colgate. It’s not for everyone though. Have you visited recently?</p>
<p>You didn’t specifc what is it that you like about both schools. </p>
<p>Honestly, you would do better at Colgate in terms of finances. You haven’t accounted for the cost of living/playing in Manhattan haven’t you? A lot of things at Colgate are very cheap or free whereas in Manhattan, you pretty much have to pay for everything (including subways, $10 sandwiches, plays, etc).</p>
<p>I visited Colgate twice. While I like the campus, I can’t see myself being there for a year let alone 4 years. I have always preferred cities and honestly don’t think I would be happy in a rural area. All of my colleges that I applied to are in cities. I never imagined it would come down to picking between Colgate and NYU. But now that it is, I can’t imagine myself at Colgate while I have the chance to go to NYU (and it’s not just the city, I love the school too). I keep a close correspondence to the dean of admis at Colgate and he told me I shouldn’t go to NYU b/c of the money, and I shouldn’t go to Colgate b/c he knows I won’t be happy. Now what do I do? </p>
<p>I was also accepted to Fordham and Boston U., but both gave me loan packages similar to those from NYU. I really appreciate all of the help, and a reply to all this additional information would be helpful as well.</p>
<p>Have you spoken to NYU about the financial aid package (and shown them the better package from Colgate)?</p>
<p>yes, I wrote an appeal letter and they granted the appeal for more aid… and they gave a whopping 1k more a year. Which is a drop in the bucket compared to the fact that Colgate gave me 20k more than they did in grants. I’ve tried to speak with them on the phone on several occasions and they’re pretty unhelpful. and I’m not being pushy with them or anything I’m just genuinly trying to find out if a lot of their graduates have that much debt.</p>
<p>I’ve been on this forum for about a year and one of the facts about NYU that I have had drummed in my brain is that NYU is notorious for not giving any kind of decent finacial aid. It is all over this forum. </p>
<p>It is too bad you feel the way you do about Colgate. My son loved NYU when he visited - he actually loved a lot of schools during his visits however, in the end, it was always Colgate. He is thrilled to be attending this Fall. </p>
<p>When he came home from visiting NYU, I reminded him that he has the rest of his life to live in the city and that grad school in NYC may be an option in the future and that he will never, ever again have the opportunity to have a “campus experience.” Unless he decides to teach at a rural university, which I don’t think is in the cards and even then, it would be a completely different experience. </p>
<p>I grew up in NYC so that clouds my viewpoint. To me, the city will always be there.</p>
<p>I feel that taking on that kind of debt for UG is unwise and that it will be something that you will regret in the end. Think of that extra money you’ll be paying every month for your NYU student loan and apply that towards a mortgage mayment on a nice apartment in the city when you are ready.</p>
<p>I do hope that, whatever you decide, you’ll be happy.</p>
<p>Plan on a junior year abroad, or even at NYU. It is very foolish to take on that kind of debt when Colgate is such a good school.</p>
<p>Its certainly being caught between a rock and a hard place and sounds like a twist on the old hypothetical- would you rather be poor and happy or rich and unhappy?</p>
<p>Only you know whether or not Colgate is a place you could spend your four years, but it sounds to me like you have concluded it is not somewhere that is a fit for you. You are only going to get four years in college and you should do everything you can to set yourself up to love them.</p>
<p>As much as I loved Colgate, I know it is not a place for everyone and always felt a ting of pity when every I encountered someone who was unhappy. My suggestion is to take the plunge and go for NYU. If you choose Colgate and indeed hate it, you are going to spend four years thinking to yourself, “what if…” </p>
<p>Judging by the schools you mentioned, I am sure you’re an intelligent girl and will find a way to make it work in the end!</p>
<p>It seems that, in your heart, you already know where you will be happy. Follow your heart, the rest will take care of itself!</p>
<p>Point taken with a few posters after me. I had a choice between Smith and American University in DC for my first year (before transferring to Colgate). I loved both schools and both offered what I wanted (what Smith lacked, AU made up for it and vice versa). Having grown up near NYC all of my life, I was excited at the idea of being able to move to a city for college. But my choices were limited to student body size as I didn’t want to go to a BIG campus. Anyway, while doing a stay at AU, I realized that DC will ALWAYS be there for me. And I grew up in a rural/suburban area! I wouldn’t have an opportunity to be “on campus” like Smith’s. I took the plunge and went to Smith (and then Colgate). </p>
<p>Before I knew it, I spent the next two summers in DC doing internships, and then spent 7 months of my junior-senior year abroad in a city. Colgate kids do love cities too and they often run to the cities in the summertime for internships and jobs so you will be in excellent company when people start talking about summer plans.</p>
<p>I even made this choice for my graduate school. City (Boston) or college town in a bubble (Ann Arbor)? I realized that I had made it happen to be in a city in the summer and I would find a way again. So I picked Ann Arbor and then spent the summer in San Francisco for research and Tel Aviv (Israel) for language course. Absolutely perfect plan.</p>
<p>And now it looks like I’ll be in a city for an actual job!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all of your help. Unfortunately, as you can see from all the reports, the opinions are split pretty much 50/50. Everyone says either, it’s too much debt, or to follow my heart. There is no overwhelming majority. I guess if I try Colgate and I find out that I was right and it isn’t for me, I can always transfer.</p>
<p>If you feel confident that you will have a good-paying job after college, then why not NYU? You will have a better education there I think… meaning you’ll be immersed in diversity. It’s hard living in NYC, it’s very fast paced, very active. You’ll gain a very valuable skill just by experiencing life in a big city.</p>
<p>I am very jealous of you because you got into NYU! It was my top choice, I loved this school so much. It fit me so perfectly and I was ready to take a financial risk. When I was rejected, I was left heartbroken. I even contemplated not going to college at all… but that would have been a stupid decision. Then Colgate saved me. They gave me a free ride (which is kinda odd, and ironic). </p>
<p>Go with your gut. I think your gut says NYU. But Colgate is also a very very VERY excellent school, academically speaking. And remember… college is only four years. After that, you have decades and decades of real life.</p>