<p>"I think many head to NYU not fully aware of what life at the school fully entails." Slipper, I think you are correct, but I would argue that this is the case at many schools, not just NYU. </p>
<p>I think many 18 - 19 year olds head off to college and don't know what it fully entails. I have known three different students who started off at Cornell and weren't happy by the holiday time and were thinking of transferring. They didn't end up doing that because I think it takes time for adjustments and I don't think they want to give up that Ivy name. I have known a young man who started at Connecticut College and was unhappy within two weeks and transferred out by the next semester - he felt the students were too much into the alcohol and marijuana. He is at Vanderbilt now and much happier. My S started at NYU and had a big adjustment in the first two months (he was 17 going off to college) - going from suburban to urban, going from having your own room to sharing an apt. with five others, going from driving everywhere to walking everywhere. I said to him when he was deciding that "NYU does not have a traditional campus feel, etc. " I thought he might want to transfer (although I didn't suggest it) but he absolutely loves it now. My point is that there are adjustments for everyone wherever you might go. For my S - he has found people that he really likes, including a wonderful girfriend and he really likes his professors this semester. Do an overnight visit if you can to help you determine if a certain school is the right place.</p>
<p>Regarding theivery - about 15 years ago, I was going into NYC 3 -4 times a week for graduate classes at NYU at all hours. Nothing ever happened to me and nothing was stolen. At that same time, we did a vacation in Vermont, doing a hike where the Long Trail meets the Appalachian Trail. We parked our car there at the parking lot right at the highway and it was broken into and everything of value was stolen - money, checkbook, credit cards and worst of all my camera that I had just taken fabulous photos of my family in the gorge. We had to cut our vacation short because they had our address and our keys. Who would have thunk in rural bucolic Vermont. Apparently someone was targeting that parking lot because we were not the first. Crime can happen anywhere!</p>