Seems like NYU Hospitality did start out as an adult learners program decades ago but now is filled with traditional undergrads.
NYU in general won’t offer a (American) “traditional college experience”, however. But NYU (and NYC) would be very international. Grads do seem to all enter their desired industry (then again, it’s not that difficult to enter) and some do do well.
If money isn’t a concern, I’d probably choose NYU. I would think there would be more networking opportunities in NYC than anywhere else (though more competitive too). NYC isn’t laid-back. So that doesn’t mean NYU is the right school for her.
NYU really requires the right “fit” for a student to be happy. If you are looking for a traditional campus that’s self contained that’s not the place. Everyone’s not headed down to the basketball game Friday night to root on the team and go to a fraternity party. On the other hand NYC is your campus, if you are adventurous student and take the initiative to discover new places they’re are endless opportunities. I do think it’s easier for Freshman to adjust to a more traditional campus. Sounds like a lot of great options to choose from. Best of luck
I admire that your D has a definite plan for what she wants to do.
Even though you seem to indicate that money is not a concern, regardless of whether or not you have to take on debt to pay for it, I don’t think I would want to invest NYU-level tuition on a career that, at least starting out, is on the lower pay scale. Have you checked the rankings on hospitality programs for any of the other schools? I seem to recall reading that JMU has a highly-regarded program, but don’t quote me.
Can’t recall if she received any merit awards for her schools but VT & JMU would be significantly less than NYU (awesome that money is not an issue, but why pay more than you have to?)
You mentioned her wanting to get out of Boston - does she want another big city environment? If not, JMU is in a smaller city and VT is attached to a small college town. If working in Europe is her goal, perhaps a school that has robust study abroad programs would be a good option.
I agree and would also choose NYU. I would not be concerned about safety issues. Since she doesn’t want to stay in her home state, NYC and DC would seem to offer the most opportunities for hotel internships.
I was recently up in Lake Placid and visited the Paul Smith’s College campus. Hotel management is the reason this college was founded and it is their main claim to fame. I was amazed at how many internship placements they claim in Europe. Based on this model, I’d look into each of these schools to find out where they place their students during their college years. Thus would seem to be important since it doesn’t seem like a business you learn exclusively out of a book.
How is your daughter on foreign languages? UMass Amherst has great languages, and right next door is Amherst, which also has great languages. If she’s planning on going into hospitality in Europe, or in any large city here, she is going to need languages.
I understand that money is no object here. But when you think of it, UMass Amherst in state is going to cost you about 30K/yr. The private colleges, about 70-75K/yr. How would she like to finish college with 160K to spare, towards getting started in a business?
Amherst is a bit quirky as a college town, and nearby Northampton, easily reached by 5 colleges bus service sounds right up her alley - she will fit in perfectly there!
I totally agree with her going to college. And every high school kid thinks that the flagship state U will be a continuation of high school, when of course it is not. The quality of life at UMass Amherst is wonderful. Good dorms. Great food. Beautiful campus. Gorgeous area. She could get a part time job in a New England inn nearby. Safe. And 160K that you will not have spent on one of the private colleges, that she could start a business with. It just seems like a no-brainer to me.
Right, even if you can afford college with no debt, if $160K is real money to you, it may not make sense to pay a ton more for the same results.
I second the idea of looking for and/or asking the schools for a list of where the grads of their programs end up.
A lot of success in this field is about personality/social skills and networking, however. Bigger metros would offer those opportunities though some schools have programs that get their students internships easily.
Something I haven’t seen mentioned - money saved could be used to purchase or invest in an inn after college. Not sure if your DD has considered having her own place but, it could sway her decision.
@alldonealldone I concur with all of the foregoing. Plus here is additional info on UMass. UMass is amazing and diverse. Isenberg is highly selective and supportive. They really want their B School students to succeed and promotes a collaborative environment amongst its students. Plus I believe she could double major or minor in a liberal arts Field, perhaps a language? UMass is also in a consortium with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, Hampshire. Amherst itself is such an eclectic College town. Bring her out there. You know, the last school on the list might be the one they end up at, especially this year where these kids have not had the opportunity to get on campus, feel the vibe and connect organically. This type of vetting usually happens when students visit BEFORE applying. It’s been a struggle for many. Good luck!
@alldonealldone I still love UMass as a choice, but Northeastern has an amazing co-op program. I suggest finding out which hotels and companies they partner with for co-ops. As far as pay scale, the big companies (Marriott, Hilton) offer solid pay, benefits and travel perks for corporate employees. I understand this isn’t her initial goal, but it could be an option for the future.
I am going to read through all of your replies in a bit, but I just want to thank all of you for taking the time to help. You have no idea how comforting it is to receive so many thoughtful, smart, insightful and “out of the box” replies right now.
Well, my D just texted me from a friend’s house that the mother of one of her friends just “outed” me and shared this thread. So, now College Confidential is no longer confidential for me…
D and her friends (and at least one friend’s mom, I guess) can follow this thread now, so I’m going to sign off in order to preserve my daughter’s privacy moving forward. CC, it’s been a great 5 year ride through college admissions for our kids, but I’m done with posting. Thank you, CC!
Please private message me if anyone has additional thoughts to share. Thanks to everyone again!
And a special message to my D: Love you, Kiddo! We will talk at home.
Sorry to see you go, but I do hope your D read the comments. She’s totally anonymous as far as the rest of the world is concerned and hopefully she will consider what we’ve said here. Best of luck to her.
P.S. FWIW, my D always knew I posted here and didn’t care. She liked that people gave honest answers.
The mother of my daughter’s best friend freshman year figured out who I was. I don’t think the kids found out that we were then in touch. I am ashamed…
Yes, I only recommend the College of Charleston for those who are offered admission to the Honors College.
Honors Colleges tend to be the most structured & most beneficial during one’s first year of college. The first year is the time when C of C sees its largest attrition rate (about 20%). Ask about the attrition rate of students in the College of Charleston Honors College. It should be just a small fraction when compared to the overall attrition rate.
The Honors College experience is quite different than that of the typical student if one takes advantage of the Honors College benefits.
Charleston, SC is an exceptional city frequently named as the best city in the US for culture & entertainment so discipline & clear expectations are necessary for one to succeed in this enticing environment.
NYU’s School of Professional Services was previously known as the School of Continuing Education. It was renamed SPS in 2014. It does sound a lot like Harvard’s Extension School. If your research confirms that, I would recommend against NYU.
NYU SPS definitely started out like HES (and NYU decades ago was mostly a combination of night school and safety school for rich kids who couldn’t get in to CUNY).
To some folks, NYU SPS would be regarded like HES.
NYU is neither in a great college town, nor a great college city. There are tens of thousands of college kids in NY, but taking advantage of what NYC has to offer requires a LOT of time on public transportation, seeking out opportunities for free tickets to the ballet/symphony, hustling for internships and part time jobs. Based on what you’ve posted, I can’t imagine the experience is what she’s looking for.
And she does NOT need a degree in hospitality to do what she wants to do. And it most definitely locks her in to the travel/tourism industry which is a huge negative if she happens to graduate during a downturn (like June of 2020 when the planes were mostly grounded and hotels were operating at 20% capacity, catering to medical professionals).
For any hotel in Europe this is very important. I remember the staff at many hotels in Europe breaking into any of a wide range of languages very easily with near fluency. I have overheard them break into English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish with various different customers, and it would not shock me if they could speak at least a little bit of several other languages. Exactly which other languages might depend a bit on where you are.
If she goes to U.Mass, some of the money you save on tuition could be used for intensive language courses in Europe (or in Canada if she wants to improve her French, or in South America for Spanish or Portuguese, or …).
