<p>I was accepted into NYU's Liberal Studies Program, and I REALLY want to go. I'm about to visit NYU for my third time today to go to an information session, and I absolutely love everything about it. I've visited other colleges to put it all into perspective, and I've had over a year to consider all my options -- but NYU is still number one. </p>
<p>Anyway, enough of that bullcrap. Here's an idea that I thought of, and I want some input on whether or not it would work. So far I've received very crappy financial aid packages from some of my other schools, despite that my EFC is 0. One of the schools only gave me $5k, leaving me with $32k to come up with out of nowhere. Anyway, assuming NYU's isn't quite that bad (but still not generous), do you think I'd be able to go there for a year with intentions of transferring out? I understand the whole "attachment" issue, but I'd try to transfer to a school known for generous aid if NYU's just isn't cutting it. I figure if NYU expects me to take out $20-30k per year, then I can just do that for the first year, experience the school and Manhattan, with full intentions of leaving the next year. I have no idea what I want to study (which is why I like NYU's broad range of majors), so I'd just be taking general courses no matter where I go.</p>
<p>So how plausible would an idea like this be? It's obviously flawed, but I want to do what I can to go where I want. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Not a good idea. Going to any college with the intention of only staying there for one year is silly. First, there's the issue of whether all your credits from NYU will transfer somewhere else - if they don't, then you've paid money for credits that essentially will be wasted. Second, depending on where you want to end up, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to transfer - what if your applications aren't accepted anywhere? Third, transfering is a time-consuming process - that's another round of college applications and fees. Do you want to spend your freshman year in Manhattan writing essays and paying more application fees?</p>
<p>I've heard that NYU's financial aid is infamously horrible. </p>
<p>Do you think that perhaps it would be a better idea to go to another school for the first year or two, save up your money, and then transfer to NYU if you're still sure that it's worth it?</p>
<p>Why does it say on collegeboard that NYU's average financial aid package is 20,000 if aid is that horrible?</p>
<p>...^^because you will still need to come up with the other $35K it takes to cover tuition, room and board. Don't expect to attend NYU and pay much less than $55K per year.</p>
<p>"Financial aid package" means "scholarship + loans." A typical package would be something like $5k or $10k in scholarship with $15k or $10k in loans.</p>
<p>shades_children</p>
<p>I was at NYU today, and they claimed that Liberal Studies credits transfer easily to other schools (not just other NYU schools but other universities as well), and it's completely doable. Also, I forgot to mention that I'd also apply to some state schools that should be safeties. Thirdly, and I'm not trying to sound cocky at all, but I typically don't slave over college applications, so I think transfer apps will be doable. I've thought it over, and it's something I'd want to do. </p>
<p>flatteredpeacock</p>
<p>If I go to another school for the first two years, then all of the money I'll be saving will have to go to that school. In other words, I'll never get to NYU unless I take up their current offer.</p>
<p>Oh, and on a side note. Are all the kids attending NYU either really rich or really smart or something? If it's so notoriously bad with financial aid, then how does it gain 4,000 or so new freshman every year?</p>
<p>ikat:</p>
<p>You ask for advice, then diss the people giving you advice. So just make up your own mind, if you are capable.</p>
<p>hsseniorlooking</p>
<p>I'm not dissing anyone. My ideas have flaws, and so the other posters point them out, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to respond, "Oh, okay. I won't go." They've given me important factors to consider if I do choose the whole transfer scenario (which at this point I'm starting to think that I might as well take the debt and go to NYU for all four years). I've wanted to go to this school for a long time. It sounds mushy and dreamy, but I've looked into it extensively and know that it's the best possible fit for me. And I'll come up with different ways that I can achieve my goal. I'm looking for advice that points out where I might falter so I can come to a compromise between pragmatism and idealism. Sorry if I came off as snubbing all of you. I really do appreciate your advice.</p>
<p>transferring does take up time. i transferred here from CUNY, a city college. i had to:
a) actually do the extracurricular activities that filled up my application
which meant two internships, playing a sport, having a job
b) write my essays
c) run around and get my letters of recommendation and transcripts sent. which took forever because professors always forget and offices lose transcript request forms. it's not such a snap. </p>
<p>my best friend and roommate transferred from a private university, where she had a 3.8 and she is still taking MAP (liberal arts) credits as a senior. not everything transferred over the way she thought they would and NYU gave her elective credits instead of liberal arts credits. </p>
<p>you know how people afford NYU? loans. yeah, some are rich, some are trust fund kids, but most people think NYU is an investment and invest in their future. i transferred here, but NYU pays my tuition because my father is a professor in School of Medicine. </p>
<p>but transfers get even WORSE financial aid than the freshmen. transfer students typically get very little financial aid.</p>
<p>plus, transfer admissions get more and more competitive as less and less people leave their programs. bad economies = people stay in school. right now it's about 1 in 4 applicants actually make it to NYU. it's really competitive, i had a high GPA when i transferred and i had a ton of ECs and amazing recommendations. my roommate had a 4.0 at her other college. i was rejected ED.</p>
<p>so while this sounds reasonable, please have a backup if you don't get into NYU. i'm not trying to discourage you, i'm being honest. i got lucky that NYU took me because my backup plan was terrible. i'm just being realistic.</p>
<p>You make some really good points about transferring. I hadn't considered how time consuming extracurriculars would be in college, and professors probably aren't as accommodating with letters of recommendation as high school teachers are. </p>
<p>I honestly don't know what to think about loans. My cousin went to an expensive college and is $60k in debt. He told me to do what I want and not believe the hype about paying off debt, and he's not rich now or anything. He just pays it a little at a time. I know that, with NYU, I could be looking at over $100k worth of debt, though, so I'll have to decide what's reasonable. </p>
<p>I don't think transferring into NYU is very realistic, either, so I figure that I might as well just go for the full four years. I'm already in at their Liberal Studies Program. This might be the only chance I ever get to go. I'm just waiting on financial aid, which makes it ridiculous that I'm worrying so much. </p>
<p>I just have a feeling that their aid is going to suck, and then I won't know what to do.</p>