<p>I'm not sure why, but I feel like NYU has this attitude that "if you're not the best, we don't want you" </p>
<p>Their admissions process relies very heavily on numbers rather than the person behind the numbers (compared to other colleges), and Shawn Abbot admitted to me that if a person simply doesn't have the GPA or standardized test scores, very little of their application will actually be reviewed.</p>
<p>I remember going for an information session/tour last year, and they treated me very rudely because I forgot my confirmation number. The lady at the desk told me I had no proof that I was scheduled for a tour, and that I would simply have to come back another time (I live in Jersey!!) Finally, after some time, I was able to talk to someone else, and they looked me up in their records, and saw I was scheduled...regardless I felt very put down and unwanted.</p>
<p>Also, their whole system of financial aid based on "desirability" seems very snobbish and unfair. Should qualifications necessarily be regarded higher than financial need? Is NYU demonstrating moral folly? I realize that it is a private institution, and they reserve the right to do whatever they want, but I feel like they are very cruel and cold in regards to their admission process. </p>
<p>To current/prospective NYU students how do you feel about this? Does NYU truly permeate a sense of pretentiousness, or am I being foolish and quick to judge? How did you feel during your admission/fin aid process, and what were your thoughts when you arrived? </p>
<p>Yeah, I got that too in the tour–- the guide calling out the names looked me straight in the eye and said that she couldn’t see my name on the list (rather rudely and accusatory, too) and told me I should have planned ahead. I had flown in from California. Then, about 10 minutes later, my name magically appeared in the middle of the list. I just think that the admissions staff are generally unfriendly, because the student leading my tour actually seemed happy.</p>
<p>NYU may try to act like that, “if you’re not the best, we don’t want you” but deep down they really want you to apply. Obviously, Shawn Abbott is going to say if you don’t have the GPA/SAT requirements you won’t be reviewed, because he’s trying to pump up NYU and make NYU seem like a very difficult school to get into. In reality, NYU does review your application fully and is “holistic” in their decision process. </p>
<p>If you really want a college where you will get that nurturing hand, you might want to apply to Liberal Arts Colleges instead of a big school like NYU. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about the person at the front desk of your visit. That’s not really how NYU is. The admissions office just probably got annoyed because they go through a specific routine and it was disrupted. This isn’t representative of how professors teach students in classes or likewise how students treat each other. </p>
<p>And I guess you can have your own personal beliefs about NYU’s financial aid system, which many people find difficult to get a lot of money out of, but I guarantee NYU does their financial system just like any other top college. They find people with who they feel have the best qualifications and then give them the necessary aid. This is how it works in most colleges, not just NYU. </p>
<p>But really, I don’t think NYU is pretentious or snobby as a whole. Maybe for a few isolated individuals or groups of people, but the majority of NYU isn’t that way. The admissions process may give you a feeling that it’s a numbers competition, but once you get to NYU everybody’s in the same boat so coming in nobody has a major upper hand. If you don’t like that feeling of an ultra competitive environment though NYU might not be for you.</p>
<p>The snobby admissions lady is probs just some underpaid intern or in some kind of clerk. </p>
<p>And SAT/GPA play a large role in admissions.</p>
<p>Student 1: Applied to Stern ED with a 2000 SAT and top 10%, rejected. Also applied to Upenn as a major reach, he was accepted (Wharton).</p>
<p>Student 2: Applied to UPenn, Columbia with a 2360 SAT, ranked 1st in class. Rejected from UPenn, waitlisted at Columbia. Got into Stern with a 33k merit</p>
<p>both classmates of mine. I was rejected from CAS EDII and instead admitted to Poly with a 2040 SAT and top 25% rank…yet I got into BC with 5k merit…</p>
<p>Just FYI, BC does not give merit awards unless you are part of the top 10 students accepted. That 5k is probably financial aid money.</p>
<p>And no offense, but this is a pointless question. Your experience with the lady is typical. Everywhere you go, you will find people who are just mean. However, in no way does this mean that everybody at NYU is mean. </p>
<p>Also, NYU has the right to give aid to “desirable” students. I don’t see it as a elitist action. NYU has to somehow convince these top tier students, who probably qualify for many Ivies, to come to its programs. </p>
<p>What’s the point of applying to NYU if you know you can’t afford it? I know some people got short changed in terms of financial aid but, seriously, why apply when your grades aren’t spectacular (enough to get significant scholarship) and your parents are making less than 30k/year? NYU is notoriously known for giving terrible FA. Many people blame NYU for not giving enough FA but in the end it’s THEIR fault for not researching the schools they applied to. There are plenty of cheap state school alternatives.</p>
<p><strong>Their admissions process relies very heavily on numbers rather than the person behind the numbers</strong></p>
<p>Maybe they see the numbers as a way of seeing the person behind the numbers. High scores means hard worker. I know a lot of kids who do all they can to “pad” their extra-curriculars and it’s mostly BS. For example, a girl in my school was made President of VAASA (Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse) by the teacher who runs the club, and it’s the biggest joke in school because everyone knows she drinks and smokes pot. But she knows how to suck up to the teachers. I know lots of kids who join club after club and hang around at school every day doing a bunch of nothing.</p>
<p>There’s really no way to judge the applicant on paper. If NYU uses numbers, it’s as good a way as any; at least you can’t fake the numbers.</p>