<p>I live on Long Island and my family isn't able/willing to pay $12000 for a dorm at NYU. I plan on commuting at least my freshman year.</p>
<p>I keep having people tell me dorms are a major part of the whole "freshman experience". My sister commuted to her school in the city, and she acts like she is still in high school. I don't want to stay here and be dependent on my family like she is, but there is no way we can afford that dorm price for a school that's only 60 miles away. </p>
<p>I am thinking maybe I shouldn't even apply to NYU. </p>
<p>Has anyone here commuted to college? Did you love it/hate it/regret choosing a school close to home?</p>
<p>Shouldn't you be asking this AFTER you get into NYU? How can you be so sure that you'll get in? I think its pointless to think about it since you haven't even applied yet.</p>
<p>I suggest not commuting. You will definitely miss a lot of what college life is all about and be isolated from the student population. What about going to a state school and living in the dorm? I went to NYU and it's hard enough to meet people there...I couldn't even imagine commuting.</p>
<p>I'm not a native NYer, but I am here for the summer, living at NYU. That commute would absolutely suck, and there is no way I would ever suggest it to anyone. </p>
<p>Would it ruin the experience though? I tend to side with yes. I look back to freshman year (I'm a rising senior at UPitt), and I cannot fathom what life would have been like if I commuted. Even during my sophomore year when a couple friends of mine elected to commute, it was always a pain going out with them because they would have to stay over-night, expected us to make plans hours ahead of time, and so on. Plus, it's much harder to meet people through class as a freshman. </p>
<p>Are there any other schools that would be more feasible (and at the same academic level) you are interested in?</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies so far. I am thinking maybe I will commute the first year and try to find someone to room with, rent an apartment instead of dorms and split the rent. I would like to dorm there, but I don't think my family is able to pay an extra $10,000. </p>
<p>MightNick - obviously you didnt read my post. I said I was considering not applying. Why would I apply to a school I know I would have to commute to if I wasn't sure if I wanted to commute? Thanks for your apparent concern though.</p>
<p>Dilo - I was looking into Vassar and Bard and I'm going to visit this summer. The plus side of dorming at NYU is I could visit home much more often than I could if I lived at Vassar, which is 200 miles away. I'm not really sure yet, but location is very important to me, and there aren't many great schools in NY.</p>
<p>Understandable...Location is huge, especially if in business (which I am). Good luck with the decision though, and perhaps look at all major cities as college destinations, not just NY.</p>
<p>
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Shouldn't you be asking this AFTER you get into NYU?
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</p>
<p>He's thinking about the right things right now. You have to consider whether you'd even be willing to go to a school BEFORE you apply. </p>
<p>Commuting 60 miles in New York every day is going to be absolute hell. You're losing what, a minimum of 3 hours a day? That works out to 15 hours a week. And if you're driving you're paying a ridiculous amount of money on gas (realistically about $100 a week on gas alone) , and if you're using public transport those costs are going to go up as well as more people use it. And I haven't even started on the "college experience" yet.</p>
<p>It isn't so much that dorms are part of the "college experience" (as if that's a singular thing, :rolleyes:) as much as living away from home is. Yes, it is different living in a dorm as opposed to living in an apartment, but the difference between the two is not nearly as great as the difference between living away from home and living at home. So don't worry about missing out on much if you're in an apartment, as long as it's close to your school. You'll have to work a little harder to stay involved but it's still possible. Living 1-2 hours away from school, it's not possible. You will basically be in a worse version of highschool if you do that. If you living 10 minutes from campus? Then it's a different scenario. But an hour? 2 hours? No. Look for scholarships/grants/loans to pay for your dorm/apartment if you go to NYU, or look elsewhere if those aren't options. This is a dealbreaker type issue.</p>
<p>Commuting is gay. There isn't a more accurate way to describe it.</p>
<p>I've commuted the last 3 years (financial reasons). Sometimes I stay in friends dorms or on campus housing and it's a million times better. I hate living at home and my forced commuting excludes me form a lot of things on campus (dodge ball league, constant parties, meeting hundreds of people all of the time, etc.).</p>
<p>If you commute, you won't have as many friends if as you would living on campus (fact). I have what I consider good social skills and I still see people with little to no social skills with 10x the friends that I have.
If you commute, you DO miss out on the college experience.</p>
<p>If I have a kid, I don't care if we live a mile away from the University, they're living on campus.</p>
<p>I go to NYU and lived there my freshman year, although finances in my family are really tight. It was completely worth it - please convince your parents! I am commuting from here on, though, but I already have my friends.</p>
<p>It is tough to stay at home and commute when you so want to live at college. Many students have to make that choice. In your particular case, you may want to apply to schools where you can afford to live there, such as the SUNYs. The cost differential is enormous. Tuition at NYU is more than the total COA at a SUNY. You can also apply to schools where you have a shot at merit money such as Fordham (depending on your stats), Manhattan College, Hofstra.</p>
<p>hmm, looking at your stats...
I'm not so sure you would even be accepted to NYU (unless you are black, native american, or hispanic). You might be able to get into GSP, but more likely than not you wouldn't get into Stern or CAS. Since you listed a few art awards/clubs, are you going to be applying to Tisch? NYU's acceptance rate this year was 24%, so I wouldn't expect to be accepted unless you have a good hook.</p>
<p>Looking above the fact that this thread has absolutely nothing to do with my "stats" as of the middle of my junior year, my GPA is now almost a 3.8, and seeing as I haven't taken the ACT or seriously taken the SAT w/ studying and how the essay is one of the most important parts of admissions for NYU (and I haven't posted that online), I don't see how it can be determined that I won't get in. And yeah, I was going to apply to Tisch.</p>
<p>ANYWAY, my parents aren't exactly convinced yet. My mom thinks I can find friends the first year and then try to rent an apartment with them for the next few years. The money I've earned from my job is already going towards the tuition, so I think I might have to look into the SUNYs, although I really don't want to.</p>