<p>My mom went to Columbia for Dental, and my dad is dead convinced that I should not do undergrad here because you need money to enjoy yourself in the city. Is this true?</p>
<p>The best way to be smart with money is to earn it yourself. Find yourself a student job while you're there. You'll get the hang of your own finances pretty soon. I worked this summer to save up a basic amount (2000$) and I'll be working while I'm there so I'll learn to live within my means....hopefully.</p>
<p>Besides there are a LOT of ways to enjoy NYC that don't cost a head and a foot. None of them involve shopping at Macy's every weekend but if you're looking for festivals, concerts, events, sight-seeing.....you'll find your share. And I think Columbia students get substantial discounts at some places (Just not quite sure where you go to get them).</p>
<p>if by "enjoy yourself" your dad means bottle service at clubs, doing lots of blow, shopping at barney's and bloomingdale's, and eating at the fanciest restaurants all the time then yes, you do need lots of money for that. However the majority of people have a good time without doing these things. New York is more expensive than other places but it doesn't hinder your undergrad experience and even if you can't afford to do some things all the time, its nice to have them available so you can enjoy them occasionally.</p>
<p>"even if you can't afford to do some things all the time, its nice to have them available so you can enjoy them occasionally."</p>
<p>yes, this is very true, columbia is a large(ish) unorthodox, non-conforming university, there isn't a small cult of people controling what you do with your time. there's little disadvantage in choosing not to go somewhere because of the price. If you're unsure if it's worth it, make them your guinea pigs and take another group there :). Just make you sure you aren't over sensitive: be comfortable saying "I don't want to spend that much money"/ "don't think it's worth the money." </p>
<p>If you're in a small town and all of a sudden want to go to a broadway show, it'll be tough to do. extra resources have some indirect disadvantages, which are greatly outweighed. I have a great time here without spending too much money.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Besides there are a LOT of ways to enjoy NYC that don't cost a head and a foot. None of them involve shopping at Macy's every weekend
[/quote]
</p>
<p>lol @ shopping at Macy's = being lavish.</p>
<p>
[quote]
if by "enjoy yourself" your dad means bottle service at clubs, doing lots of blow, shopping at barney's and bloomingdale's, and eating at the fanciest restaurants all the time then yes, you do need lots of money for that.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This is better.</p>
<p>
[quote]
lol @ shopping at Macy's = being lavish.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, if you did it yknow, every weekend you could get into some serious debt. Maybe. </p>
<p>Alright I'm a hobo. Stop persecuting me! :D</p>
<p>
[quote]
Well, if you did it yknow, every weekend you could get into some serious debt. Maybe.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You could run into serious debt shopping at Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us. Point?</p>
<p>You want to treat us to some YSL 02?</p>
<p>There's usually a lot of stuff going on around campus: plays, concerts, lectures, readings, etc. Most of that stuff is either free or pretty cheap (like, $5 for play tickets). Of course, many of these are student productions, but hey, it's still entertainment (and still quite decent, to my inexperienced eyes). There's a CUArts newsletter that you can sign up for. I think it's sent out every couple of weeks. I've dragged my friends to a couple of the events on there, and we all had a good time.</p>
<p>
[quote]
You want to treat us to some YSL 02?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't own a single YSL item. BTW, I'm not sure what a straight guy with unlimited pocketbooks could possibly want from YSL (for himself).</p>
<p>I dunno, you ever see Dave One from Chromeo?</p>
<p>we've detailed spending stuff before on this forum. here's the best thread on the subject:</p>
<p>If you need a retort for your dad, consider that in most places, you have to have a car. That means spending on gas, on maintenance/repairs, and insurance, all of which can easily add up to $5000 over the course of the year if you're driving around your local college town most days. Insurance is easily $2K+ for drivers under 25. And throw in parking costs, either in student lots or in downtown lots at your local city when you "go out". Now compare that to taking the subway around. $2 each way no matter how far you go. No parking required. Never sit in traffic. Never need a designated driver to get home.</p>
<p>To steal some of Ken</a> Jackson's material from his class, it is also true that:
- The largest cause of people dying "before their time", i.e. aside from cancer, old age, heart disease, etc, is traffic accidents, either getting hit by a car or by wrecking your car.
- Fatality rates in NYC are much lower than the rest of the country because almost nobody drives
- ...and for those who do drive, they are (A) MUCH more attuned to pedestrians and are more aware and will hit people by accident much less often, and (B) driving slower because you can't get up to much speed, giving you more time to avoid people and causing less damage when you do hit them.</p>
<p>One of the primary reasons I went to Columbia was money. I thought about it this way: Dorms cost about the same at CU as they do anywhere else in the country. Tuition, books, etc are all comparable to peer schools. However, market price for housing to live in NYC is huge by comparison to most of the country. Going to Columbia is thus the only time I will ever get to live in New York where there will be no incremental cost to doing so. Essentially, Columbia is subsidizing your desire to live in a great city. NYU can't do that - they don't even have enough housing for their students. If you want to live in New York, now's the time.</p>
<p>That's my pitch, anyway. Read that thread I linked, too.</p>