<p>Thanks, mattmom. I feel the same and was looking for a more balanced list. She’s worked hard but is really a humanities kid in a science & tech program. She’ll finish w/6 or 7 science classes. In her APs, she’s always received As, but I cannot tell you the weighted GPA right now. The test scores reflect some teachers’ inability to cover the curriculum prior to the exam.</p>
<p>The FA and opportunity for a strong teaching faculty is a large part of why I'd like her list to expand. ED at Columbia provides her best shot...but lots of risks. I've given her a list of EA schools as well.</p>
<p>Pitt is on my list (she's received a scholarship invite)...but, alas, it is not NY.</p>
<p>Aron, I can see why a kid wants to be in NYC. There's no place like it, really. And it's so much fun for college students. My daughter was born and raised in Manhattan. So far she's not finding Pittsburgh to be provincial!</p>
<p>I have always liked Pittsburgh and we stayed on the campus for a family event at the PAA last summer. Unfortunately,we did not get to explore a lot. I have family that'd be thrilled to provide a warm meal on the occasional Sunday. Where else did your daughter apply?</p>
<p>In my opinion, Aron's D's list has enough matches and safeties. She is obviously a strong enough candidate that no school on the list is too much of a reach. The NYC schools span a ranch that I don't see why she won't get into at least one of them. </p>
<p>Regarding the original question of urban schools with a strong writing program, I think if the D is seriously interested in NYC, the only other location that could compete for her interest will be somewhere in England. Oxford and Cambridge, while not exactly in cities, are nonetheless vibrant in their own ways that are not found in smaller cities in the States. Neither will be easy to get into unless she has super writing samples. University of London has many colleges that are excellent in literature.</p>
<p>The issue to my mind is that Fordham is the only real safety, while Barnard is a likely but not true safety. BC is probably a good match in terms of admission. Maybe NYU is, but that is hard to tell. The others are reaches to some extent or other. That is why I think there needs to be another match or near safety--because Fordham, while a fine school, is not in the same league reputationally as the others. If dynamic big city life is the draw, one might think beyond New York rather than spreading the net so wide within NYC. Perhaps the University of Chicago as a reach but not perhaps a super-reach, becaue of its more self-selecting app pool. While NYC is an exciting place, I do think there are other cities that offer some degree of sophisitcation and excitement, and Chicago is one of them. I would think a little about Georgetown and GW.</p>
<p>I am not as familiar with large urban schools as with LACs so am hesitant to suggest other large schools with which I am only vaguely familiar but I think there are others on this forum who might be more knowledgeable and who moght share my more cautious approach and advocate finding strong matches adn safeties that offer campus cultures that are similar. Just becuase Rose Hill and Morningside Heights are in NYC does not mean they offer similar academic and social experiences. Maybe they do, but I don't know.</p>
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Just becuase Rose Hill and Morningside Heights are in NYC does not mean they offer similar academic and social experiences. Maybe they do, but I don't know.
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<p>Mattmom is right as Fordham-Rose hill is in the Rose Hill section of the Bronx. </p>
<p>While yes, for all intents and purposes the student would be going to school in NYC, they would be in the "outerboroughs" and would have to take a train or a cab to get to "the city" (Manhattan) whereas Morningside Heights is in "the city", but uptown. Broadway is a main drag where there is a bus that runs downtown, and the #1 train is literally outside of Columbia/Barnard's gates if one wants to go downtown and not take a cab.</p>
<p>While NYU may be an academic match/safety, @ ~ 50k a year it may not end up being a financial safety as they are known for not giving good financial aid across the board.</p>
<p>The Lincoln Center campus is a better match for aron's daughter. It is in the heart of the city and because it houses the drama program is probably stronger for writing too.</p>
<p>I second UChi whose application is very writing based and add BU, McGill and USC to the mix. McGill is more reasonable financially.</p>
<p>FWIW: Fordham does reflect its Jesuit sponsorship. </p>
<p>To OP: Barnard and Columbia share courses; cross-enrollment is so common that it is virtually one faculty. Columbia now sends more students to Barnard than B to C. D's second major is at Columbia.</p>
<p>D may do EA at UChicago and my husband and I completely agree about Fordham's location. We've had some hesitations about that all along. USC may not work (D wants to remain within a 2 hour flight because of my younger daughter). I'll try McGill again, have mentioned it previously without any success.</p>
<p>Glad that others see the lack of safeties and matches, the trouble is coming up with a list that meets her criteria.</p>
<p>I realize you are in the DC area...but truthfully, once your student is AT college, they could be 5 miles from home or 3,000 miles from home. They can make the campus their home if they want to. Now...there are many other great cities...Chicago, Boston, NY (lots of schools besides NYU), Phili (what about Phili???), Pittsburgh (I happen to agree that it is a top notch city), St. Louis, Dallas, Houston...and no shortage of universities in these places. What about SUNY Purchase, or SUNY Stonybrook? What about Temple? In Boston...Boston College, Boston University, Emerson, Northwestern, Tufts, Brandeis, Wellesley (last three are not IN Boston, but are sort of nearby).</p>
<p>and it is not true you have to take a train or a cab to get to Manhattan from Rose Hill- far from it, the subway is safe and quick, and the ramvan is very convienent</p>
<p>it cost my H and I 3 dollars to take the van into Lincoln Center, and the ride didn't take much longer than the public transportation from Boston to BC or to BU, BC is really out in the boonies, it is beautiful, but out there</p>
<p>Georgetown is not in the "city" either, it is a great neighothood, but I wouldn't call it more urban that some other schools</p>
<p>and Columiba's neighborhood isn't that much "better" then other schools</p>
<p>having actually seen all those schools and used public transportation to each one</p>
<p>I wouldn't persume to make claims about transportation for schools I have never been to</p>
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and it is not true you have to take a train or a cab to get to Manhattan- far from it, the subway is safe and quick, and the ramvan is very convienent
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<p>train = subway (you would be hard pressed to hear a local person refer to the subway as the subway. they just simply jump on the train, specifically the train that they are taking; A, C, E, 1, 2, G, L, etc.)</p>
<p>In addition the ramvan is more expensive ($3 each way) than the train ($2 each way, or $24 for a 7 day unlimited), and is limited to lincoln center (which is ok if that is the only place you intend go to in the city if not, then you will still have to catch a train, bus or cab to take to you a different part of the city). Love it or hate it, NYC mass transit runs 24/7 and runs all around NYC.</p>
<p>and calling NYU a safety, well, not so much for anyone</p>
<p>and you have to take a train to BU, BC, and many other schools</p>
<p>and a train is not the subway, very different indeed- trains run less, cost more, and fewer stops</p>
<p>subways and buses stop more, are cheaper, run more often</p>
<p>I am just trying to clarify</p>
<p>to the OP, we live in SF, and my D wanted Urban as well, and was set on NYU or Emerson (in Boston), but realized she did want some of the tradition of a "regular" campus, which surprised her</p>
<p>Mythmom, need-based financial aid offers are always subject to change if there is a change in economic circumstances, so ED aid offers usually get revised slightly in the spring when the student submits final tax returns. That's one of the problems with ED -- sometimes ED students find themselves in trouble in the spring when their award unexpectedly goes down significantly and they have no other options. </p>
<p>There could also be minor changes in formula applied in the fall vs. spring - for example, Barnard recalculates home value using the federal minimum derived value index -- that number may go up between November and March, but its possible that Barnard does not make changes to that assigned value, giving the child of a homeowner the advantage of a slightly lower asset valuation for an earlier-written financial aid award. But because Barnard is a 100% need school and they also have a cap on the amount of loans they require most students to take - I don't think that its a matter of grant availability -- the students more likely to suffer are those who apply for aid but are not guaranteed it, such as international students or continuing studenta who did not qualify for aid when initially admitted. </p>
<p>There are some colleges where ED students are in fact favored for grant aid, even when full need is met for all -- but I think those would be the ones where there is a greater reliance on loans as part of the financial aid award. I just don't think Barnard or Columbia fit that mold.</p>
I like that suggestion -- I think that is also a win-win for the college, since the college has less of a financial interest in locking in students who need substantial aid dollars to attend. </p>
<p>The only problem is I think that would be perceived as giving wealthy students an unfair advantage if ED admit rates were higher than EA rates -- but I think that the reality is that they already have that advantage, since needy students for the most part are discouraged from applying ED. I know that if my daughter's top choice schools had offered that option, she certainly would have taken advantage of it.</p>
<p>Two more ideas of schools that don't often come up on these boards-- Loyola University Chicago and DePaul, both in fantastic neighborhoods in Chicago. Your D mentioned she wanted large, urban, and diverse, and though these schools don't have the sizzling academic reputation, I imagine she may be quite happy at either.</p>
<p>When I mentioned the Lincoln Center campus I meant Fordham. The dorms are right at Lincoln Center and right by Fordham's Law School. Most humanities disciplines are offered at the Lincoln Center Campus. </p>
<p>Thanks calmom for the correction. Your understanding of these things always goes beyond mine. You really are a marvel!</p>
<p>aron: I just saw the thread LC vs. Rose Hill comparing the two Fordham campuses. You might want to take a look at this.</p>
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I wouldn't persume to make claims about transportation for schools I have never been to
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<p>Considering that I have lived in NYC my entire life in addition to being very adept when it comes to traveling on the NYC mass transit system, why would you think I have never been to Fordham or that I don't know where both the Lincoln Center (columbus circle vincinity) and the Rosehill campuses are located?</p>
<p>Why would you think that I do not know where Columbia/Barnard is located (I have only had a very long working relationship with both schools for close to 2 decades, I have a sister who graduated from Columbia, my D was accepted to Barnard in her admissions cycle and I am very familar with morningside heights).</p>
<p>Why would you think I don't know where NYU is located (only completed 2 masters at the school, in addition to also having a long professional relationship at their schools, so it would be safe to say that I have been on their campus).</p>
<p>If you were not referring to me in your post, then my bad.</p>