NYU or UW? Please help!!! :^(

College Search & Selection
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I really need some help here. I was accepted to New York University to the Liberal Studies Core program (not CAS like I had thought at first, my bad) and accepted to the University of Washington. I have a month to choose between the two.

With my financial aid, I am struggling because apparently my information was unverified and now I’m having to deal with that, but it will likely not be done until early May–which is when I have to have chosen my college. Also, it’s stupid because my parents have been divorced for years but are now finally separating, my father moving out in two weeks. Will this affect my financial aid? Eeeeek I’m so worried…

With UW, I like the idea that it is a more typical college experience, but this is not necessary for me. Also, the college focuses a lot more on sports and I really, REALLY, hate sports culture. Also, I feel as though I will excel academically here but not be as challenged as I would at NYU. Furthermore, I am under the impression UW has a more clearly defined campus… More typical college.

While NYU doesn’t have as much of a majority of undergraduates attending like UW does, I will still get a worthwhile experience. Additionally, I think I will have to work harder at NYU and I’m not sure if it will be worth it. And at NYU would I be able to double major with the core program? Double majoring was my intention. And at UW?

Which school would offer me better opportunities? I am a creative person so the big cities of both universities are a big draw to me. However being from Idaho I feel as though the creative community in Seattle would be more accessible to me, but I wouldn’t know where to start in NYC. And I wouldn’t even spend my first year in NYC! Speaking of, does it detract from the experience to not spend all four years there?

My mom really wants me to go to NYU and my dad wants UW… So now I feel like I’m picking between them. UW was where I thought I was going to go, but then I was accepted to NYU which is been one of my dream schools (I didn’t expect to get in).

With financial aid, I don’t want to kill my mother with loans and I don’t think I can take that amount of loans on. Just thinking about it combined with me being late on fixing my FAFSA problems makes me feel like I’m suffocating already. I want to know how much aid I would get but I need to put down a deposit and commit before then.

With UW, I feel like I will be too close to a sports oriented community and home, so it’s not really an adventure, and there will not be as much emphasis on academics or internships. With NYU, I don’t want to give up the big city experience but I’m worried that I will be just a mediocre student and also that my parents will never be able to retire.

Furthermore, I also don’t even know what I want to do… Definitely nothing STEM. I love international studies and linguistics and anthropology, but then also journalism and writing. My aunt is in NATO I think and that sounds interesting, so I’m wondering which school gives me better opportunities.

All advice is welcome!!! I’m really needing help sorting all this stuff out. I feel like my head is going to explode.

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ALSO GRAD SCHOOL??? I feel as though I would have a more difficult time at NYU finding a professor to research with and maintaining high grades… but I’m not sure if that is really the case.

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bump

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Where are you getting the idea that sports are more important than academics at UW? That’s completely false. Sure, there are many sports nuts, but since it’s so big you can EASILY separate yourself from that group. There are EXTREME amounts of academics at UW. Competition for majors and research and internships are really bloodbaths, with those that didn’t work as hard failing to get their choices. And even among those that excel, many don’t get their desired internships. Plus, UW has the highest research budget in the nation, over 1 billion. Higher than Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, you name it. You WILL have to work extremely hard to compete at UW. There are those that focus more on the social scene, then there are the ivy level kids that stay instate, these are the kids setting the curves.
If you want to talk about a school that has sports over academics, that would be UofO…

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Thank you so much! This is making me feel a lot better about UW. In the end, because of the price I think that’s where I am going to end up going.

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Aw man, I guess I am just bummed that I will have to give up one of my dream schools… I guess I could always go for grad school, though.

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Bump

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What is the price difference? It’s not clear to me from the post, although it sounds like UW is a whole lot cheaper than NYU.

If that’s the case, I’d go to UW. It’s an excellent school. As for the ‘dream school’ thing, don’t get too attached. Often we create the idea of a ‘dream school’ in our head because we romanticize what it would be like to go there - not based on actual reality but based on our imagination of what we’d love and expect from such a place. And sometimes it’s only based on one or two factors; for example, I would imagine that NYU is a dream school for many students simply because it’s in New York.

FWIW, my undergrad ‘dream school’ was Columbia but I ended up going somewhere else for college. Then I went to Columbia for grad school. And, while I was a grad student there, I realized it was not my dream school after all and I was really glad I didn’t go there for undergrad - the atmosphere of the college I went to was much better for me.

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Ummmmmm I’m going to already tell you that if you’re struggling to find financial aid then NYU is NOT for you (or at least at this time).
I tell that to every college student trying to come to Columbia, NYU, Pratt, Cornell, etc. Unless they give you a full scholarship of the sort don’t even BOTHER looking at them!! Sure you’ll live your “dream”, but it will be the most miserable one you’ve ever lived!!! Which millions of NYers are doing now. Living in a city they can’t afford because they’re chasing a “dream.” listen to @julliet…shes a great example!

My advice: go to Madison, study hard, party hard (which they’re known for), go to some KICK ASS Big Ten games (something else NYU doesn’t have) and THEN MAYBE go to grad school at NYU. In other words…gotta be realistic, my friend.

PS - as a current NYer, I can honestly tell you its overrated. Just saying :slight_smile:

PSS - from what I hear, there’s nothing TYPICAL happening in Madison…I hear they do some weird crazy s&*t, but in a cool fun way. hahaha

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@HisTyNess OP is talking about University of Washington, not Wisconsin haha

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Alright, guys!!! Looks like I’m off to UW! :^) I feel a lot better about this, and I’m going to work really hard for grad school on the east coast. Thank you so much!

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Right choice! Congrats. What are you interested studying?

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oh thanks @FireBallsDJ …but hey, why not? Univ of Wisconsin is awesome! hahaha

oh in all seriousness id head to U Dub if i were you. Its higher ranked (worldwide!!) than NYU and is absolutely capital G GORGEOUS out there!! I’ll be out there in June…cant wait!!!