<p>@cobrat:</p>
<p>NYU does that already. For kids who they really want, NYU is willing to put together attractive merit/fin aid packages. There’s at least one or more posters on CC who have given examples of NYU offering one of the best financial packages of any school to some kid or another.</p>
<p>The kids who have to take out gigantic loans to attend NYU are not the ones who NYU deems most desirable.</p>
<p>How financially accessible do you want NYU to be? What about the other schools in NYC? Or other areas? If their goal was to attract the academic stars who also come from lower-income backgrounds, but is that their goal? Or more what the NY state and city college system is supposed to be about? </p>
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<p>I also personally prefer Columbia’s campus. However, I also understand why NYU’s undefined urban campus has an appealing draw for some applicants/students…especially those who aren’t from the NYC area. </p>
<p>Also, Columbia’s location in Morningside Heights mean it is a bit of a trek via public transportation/expensive cab ride to get to the village or other vibrant areas of NYC for college students/young professionals if that’s the area they prefer being around. </p>
<p>Comparatively speaking, Morningside Heights has a bit more of a bucolic atmosphere in comparison. </p>
<p>Preferences for one, other, both, or neither is a matter of individual taste. </p>
<p>I am always surprised that there are so few restaurants/cafes in the immediate area surrounding Columbia. Maybe I don’t know the area well enough, but the only place that we could find recently that looked decent was a new cafe called Flat Top on Amsterdam. Thats one thing the West Village does not lack.</p>
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<p>There are more restaurants in Morningside Heights now than before. However, keep in mind that Morningside Heights wasn’t exactly considered an optimal safe place to open a business even to serve students just 15+ years ago. Back then, it was still a bit run down and students much more conscious about staying safe to avoid getting mugged and such. Students who wanted to have a good time off-campus were even more likely to head downtown both for more venues and because it was perceived as more safe. </p>
<p>Since the mid-'00s, Columbia students seem much more carefree about walking around/hanging around Morningside Heights even late at night compared with their counterparts 15+ years ago. </p>
<p>@PurpleTitan
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<p>Under a need-aware system it would be called, rejection.</p>
<p>@lookingforward I’m not sure I understand. NYU is private and is certainly not shy about ging after the students they want and not really worrying about the rest. In The states surrounding NYC, NYU does not seem to have the allure of Columbia. Nor does it seem as attractive to kids not interested in majoring in art and film. I’ll be interested in seeing how that develops now that they have absorbed NY Poly Tec</p>
<p>I agree NYU can do (pretty much) what it wants, regardless of some folks’ perceptions, desires, or what they think the school did a few decades ago. Otoh, the city and state colleges, imo, do have obligations to their populaces. When the price is exorbitant, caveat emptor applies. Not everyone can get into Columbia and no one is forced to accept their personal net price at NYU.</p>
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<p>Actually, folks who are interested in some natural STEM fields, especially Applied Math also tend to be attracted to NYU. </p>
<p>Their Applied Math program has long been known as one of the top 5 or sometimes even 2 in the nation/world. And this was the case BEFORE the 1990’s. Aspiring applied math nerds at my HS would place NYU as school’s they’d seriously consider for a PhD in Applied Math even back then. </p>
<p>Poly Tech was impressive and their new admissions director is out of Stanford’s admissions office. He gave a very good presentation at our visit. Think this program will soar at NYU.</p>
<p>Courant is known mostly for its grad programs, however, though it can also be a great environment for the right type of undergrad.</p>