Hey!
I’m a rising senior from upstate New York and I’ve been looking into CUNY schools (Hunter and Brooklyn, particularly). The in-state tuition is very attractive to me, and I’d really prefer to be in the city rather than some of the more remote SUNY locations.
However, I’m hesitant because I’ve heard a lot of talk that CUNYs are mainly commuter schools, have no sense of community, not the “real” college experience, etc. I’m willing to forgo the “real” college experience to a certain extent if it means I can live in NYC, but as a very shy person, I’m concerned that I’ll struggle socially.
Are CUNY schools relatively welcoming to non-NYC students? How hard is it to find community? How’s the dorming situation? If anyone from outside NYC has experience with CUNY, I’d love to hear your thoughts, but any help at all is appreciated.
If you are looking for a dorm at a CUNY school, Queens College may be your best bet. My D was going to go there and live in the dorm, even though the school is about 5 minutes from her grandma’s house, but she got a scholarship and ended up going to an upstate SUNY. However, we checked out the dorms and they are pretty nice. Although Queens is an outer borough, the school offers a bus to the LIRR in Jamaica and Flushing (you can also take the subway at either location, but Flushing is closer to Manhattan(.
I checked into dorming at Brooklyn for my son, who also wound up at an upstate SUNY. Brooklyn did not seem to have as much dorm space available as Queens. Hunter’s dorms are, I think, intended for McCauley students, as well as internationals and nursing students.
Queens College has many clubs and the kids I know who have gone there have been happy.
Good luck, what are you thinking of studying?