Hey everyone, I’m an international student from Australia looking to do an exchange semester in either LA or NYC. Obviously being from Aus i have no idea about all the different colleges and am trying to get some insight in terms of the actual schools, social lives, living on campus, life experiences there in general etc. The colleges I’m comparing are the California State University in LA, Fashion institute of Design and Merchandising in LA again, versus New Yorks LIM (college of Business and Fashion) or FIT (Fashion institute of Technology). I love that LA has better weather, and it seems like a really chilled place. I also just love the appeal of New York City, i know its a lot colder but it just seems like the coolest place to study. Im quite confident and sociable, so id love to be able to make friends wherever i choose to go. My current university offers exchange programs so i’d be living on campus. I’d appreciate any opinions or personal experiences!
You may want to check back in about 2 months.
Both cities are expensive too. Also depends on what climate you like. NY gets cold in the winter.
I’d pick NYC. I like to visit LA but if I had to be one place for a while I’d choose NYC. Just more interesting to me but YMMV.
Agree it has above comment that timing may make a huge difference in your options! I don’t know LA, but I gather a car is more necessary than in NYC. I think you’d be able travel easier in NYC.
I’m from LA and currently live just north of NYC. The problem with LA is that without a car, you miss out on a lot. I would choose FIT, which also has the best reputation. NYC will be more fun, IMO, than LA.
It’s a great point that without a car, LA is tough. Public transportation is not good and getting anywhere takes a long time! And LA is super spread out, you can’t really walk places. The saying “no one walks in LA” is kind of true even though traffic and parking are nightmares. It is just too spread out.
I don’t know much about Australia but I think that a semester abroad is a good chance to go somewhere really different! The super urban, dense environment of NYC, plus the pace and lifestyle, sounds like more of a ‘different adventure’ from Australia than the sunny, outdoorsy atmosphere of LA. Plus if fashion is your interest, I think that NYC is really the place to be.
If you would like a perspective on these two cities through the viewpoint of cinema, watch Annie Hall.