I am from France and currently applying as a transfer to NYU. I am at a community college in NYC.
I called NYU and the lady told me that I need 2 letter of recommendation, translation of my French high school transcript, the TOEFL (passing it March 10) and a letter from my counselor.
I do not have a SAT since I am international student. My GPA is currently 3.788 and will be 3.89 after this semester (assuming I have all As). My transcript is mainly As but I had a F due to a teacher not letting make up two exams due to health issues (I am still mad about it), I retook the class and got an A.
Do you think me being an international student (= paying more tuition to the school) gives me an advantage as a transfer ?
Do you think I have a chance to get accepted based on my GPA ? My TOEFL score should be high as I am fluent in English by now.
NYU is my dream school and I literally came to the USA to get in that school.
NYU has a reputation for two things. First, for being ridiculously expensive. Second, for seducing high school students into believing that NYU is somehow special. It isn’t.
Unless you are so rich that money is of no concern to you, I would strongly suggest that you expand your college list.
@Barium NYU is global and has one of the best undergraduate program for what I want to study so I do not see why you say it’s not special. Money is not a concern for me if I am applying to NYU obviously
I don’t want to disparage NYU, it is a good university.
That said, alarm bells should go off in your head anytime someone tells you that an academic program is “the best.” The best in what metric? As judged by whom? Are you sure you are getting real information and not just a marketing message?
The demands on a prestigious research university are in many ways at odds with the requirements to provide a good undergraduate experience. Research universities tend to hire faculty based on their academic or professional accomplishments, not their teaching skills. Their sheer size allows them to teach many large classes, which is economical but often not in the students’ best interest. The faculty tend to be too busy mentoring graduate students to pay much attention to undergraduate students.
I am not saying this out of bitterness. I have a degree from Stanford. I also attended a community college and a small liberal arts college. My experience at Stanford was the worst out of the bunch, even though it was “the best” university if you go by rankings. I appreciate that a Stanford degree makes me very employable. I also appreciated that their campus was pretty, the weather was nice and the dining halls served relatively good food. But the academic experience? Way better at the other schools.
Relatively to somewhere such as McGill, you are spending an extra $200,000 (assuming 4 years) to go to a school that is probably lower ranked for most subjects. I do not understand the motivation.
Regarding your chances at NYU, this will depend upon how many courses you have at CC, and if less than probably 3 full semesters worth will also depend upon your high school transcripts.
@katliamom I understand but I am an international student so the name also hold weight outside the US. People mostly know Columbia, NYU, Harvard etc in other countries.
Given that you already have 63 credits, I think that your CC GPA is going to matter a LOT more than your high school GPA. As such I think that your chances are pretty good at NYU as long as you are fine being full pay. Good luck with this.
@DadTwoGirls I do not have a GPA for high school since I am international student (they asked me to get my high school transcripts translated). My CC GPA is 3.788. I hope I will I get in
New York University isn’t as well known in France as Berkeley, UCLA, and the big Ivies. I personally think you would have a better experience at the UCs than at NYU.
@“aunt bea” Haha very true I literally move to the US in the hopes to get into NYU. I am not sure why everybody hates it, they probably never studied there. I know a lot of NYU students and they seem bloomed by their experience. Thanks auntie, i hope i get in too
People don’t “hate it”; it’s just that for the money, there are so many other great colleges out there that have
“better” experiences and fantastic quality educations, including the small LAC’s. Maybe it’s an “international” thing.
I have distant relatives, all over the place, who are international. When they visit, I am always floored that they always want to buy “American” products with “labels” on items that say seem to imply US-made products. When in reality, the products are made outside the US, but carry an “American” brand. You can’t get them to look at the quality or anything else. They get home, and then are “disappointed” that it faded, or didn’t wash well, or didn’t notice the label actually said, “made in abc land”.
Maybe your acquaintances didn’t get the opportunity to experience other campuses and have nothing to compare it to?
NYU doesn’t offer the traditional American college experience. For the money, you could have that, a degree from an internationally recognized university – and better weather, too
Of course, maybe you don’t want the traditional American college experience. And that’s OK too.
@burgerdebambi No I don’t. What do you want to study? I’m not ranking obsessed but it is around #60 in the US. Not worth it would be relative. What is your plan B if NYU doesn’t work out?
It is my first post on College Confidential.