<p>@finalchild, I may have missed it on here, but what is your kid planning to study? For certain majors it is probably worth it to consider NYU’s schools like Stern and Tisch but for others, the extra debt and expensive is probably not going to be.</p>
<p>NYU truly is ridiculous. Rather than putting money into FA, the president is engaging in empire-building, opening campuses over the world and embarking on a big building spree in NYC. </p>
<p>The aid DD offered by NYU was the worst of the places which admitted her (although it included merit and need-based aid) and it got crossed off the list very quickly. Two years out of college, she is virtually debt-free, as we (her parents) are. If she had gone to NYU, all of our finances would be hurting.</p>
<p>Ognopgod. My D was accepted at Tisch BFA Drama. Is it still worth over $240,000 in loans?</p>
<p>Applied CAS, placed LSP. That part I actually understand based on her app and stated interests, being “undecided” in terms of major, etc. And I sort of see RMKA’s point. If you’re going to spend 190-200K out of pocket no matter what, then could NYU arguably be worth spending an extra 60-80K spread out over 4 years? But it sort of seems like buying a house. You start out saying 150K is your absolute limit, then you see that to get something you really like is gonna take 175-180K, so you say OK, and then you’re close enough to your dream house to take even more pain up to 190-200 where you really are at or beyond your max. And then at the last minute they tell you it’s gonna be an extra 60-80K on top of that. So you can keep playing that game in your head that “it’s only this much or that much more” but before you know it you’re way, way beyond where you originally started. There’s got to be a point where you say NO. So, we have to say NO. It’s frustrating because if they had given her 10-12K we likely would have been in that crosshairs where our head still said NO but our hearts said YES, and then she would be going to NYU. On the other hand, we aren’t surprised based on what we had heard about NYU and money but it’s still disappointing when you see the excitement in your child and know that she’s worked very hard to be in the position to be accepted by fine schools like NYU.</p>
<p>Finalchild and insanemom-
I understand what you mean. College prices are ridiculous but what is more ridiculous is that colleges believe that the average person can afford it. I guess the American dream- work hard and you will be successful(or in terms of college, work hard and you can go to your dream school and once that is done there is nothing left to worry about) - is just that: a dream.</p>
<p>@Chairo, I could not tell you since I know nothing about that dept. However, from what I understand, those two are two of the top depts at NYU where being in NY does give you a leg up besides being reputable depts. It’s extremely convenient for kids to go for interviews/auditions/work during the school year right in the city because most of these companies are located there (besides CA) - financial companies, Broadway, theatres. There is a large network of alumni and networking, exposure is essential here. However, depends on what your kid’s goals are. To become an actress or to become a drama teacher? </p>
<p>@finalchild, it does become tougher if your child is undecided. It does make it harder to justify spending this amount of money if you don’t know if the outcome would have been the same if she went to another school. Would she ultimately decide on a major that would provide a great ROI? or could she just has easily gone to state flagship or school x? You must ask her then, ‘Why NYU?’ ‘Why is it a dream school?’ If there is no good reason, go to a school where she is free to explore her options and if she does want to do a graduate degree later on, go to NYU for that. Or, perhaps transfer after a few years once she decided that the program at NYU is where she wants to be.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about LSP but it sounds like you go through 2 years of this LSP program and then can gain admission to one of NYU’s school.</p>
<p>HeyleyC, so very well said.</p>
<p>So this was pretty much a formality, but NYU has officially been voted off our island. Now the question is…can I still put the purple bumper sticker on my car?</p>
<p>I am very, very sorry to hear about this Finalchild. Like your daughter, NYU was my dream school. It actually is the only university I ever applied too, and I did so as I was finishing up with a community college. I came in during what was, at the time, the most competitive year in NYU’s history, and they were much worse with financial aid then than they are now. When I received my acceptance letter it was one of the best days of my entire life, and still is, but my parents, while ecstatic for me, were instantly worried about the cost. They ended up giving me a decent package for a transfer student who didn’t even apply, and audition, until the very last week of deadlines. And even then the loans we had to take out were extraordinary. My mom and dad were very anxious, and concerned, that they wouldn’t even get approved for the parent loans, and that I’d have to walk away from the one university I’d dreamed about since 7th grade. Thankfully they ended up getting approved for the loans, so ultimately my university was paid for by a combo of a sizable parent loan, a few small Stafford and Perkins loans in my name, a few thousand in merit, and work study that one extraordinary FA officer commuted into a scholarship (we found out the following year that this was totally against the rules, much to our shock). And even then we saved over a 100k in tuition/board by the fact that I did my first two years at a community college. </p>
<p>It is not an easy place to be in. These universities, even the great ones, are wildly overpriced. I don’t begrudge any parent needing to make this decision. My younger sister didn’t get to attend her dream school, American University, despite getting a somewhat generous financial aid package, because my mother decided she needed to go to UMBC, which gave her a better package. It was a solid school, but she never truly loved her college experience the way you hope. I watched a fellow Tisch student who LOVED NYU so, so much have to leave at the top of his sophomore year for non-payment. It absolutely SUCKS that money has to play a factor in all of this. I feel your pain.</p>
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<p>No one is saying they are “entitled” to FA. And NYU is not a “top” institution. It just has the luxury price tag. momfromme is right that they are not investing in students, but rather in empire-building (and some rather controversial empire-building, at that).</p>
<p>finalchild: the fact that your daughter was diverted from CAS into the less-desirable LSP (which has been described as a community college within NYU) is concerning, too. My son’s friend had the same thing happen to him and he is desperately trying to transfer out already.</p>
<p>Sally305, Are you qualified to say that NYU isn’t a “top” institution? Do you assess colleges and universities for a living? I understand that you are disappointed for your friend’s child, but you seem to have an additional gripe with NYU. Your posts feel very personal in nature.</p>
<p>It is pretty absurd to say that NYU is not a top university.</p>
<p>sally 305</p>
<p>the fact that your daughter was diverted from CAS into the less-desirable LSP (which has been described as a community college within NYU</p>
<p>Nice job. In one sentence you smeared all the fine community colleges across the country and misrepresented the LSP program as a whole. If you do a simple search on CC, you will find many threads about LSP with many students who loved the program and went on to graduate NYU in their desired studies.</p>
<p>No college is worth spending 300k on undergrad.</p>
<p>For some reason my Albert price tag is 68k… I guess Tisch is more expensive? Haha that’s really messed up, I’m sure Tisch grads make significantly less money than CAS and, say, Stern alum. And finalchild, I’m in a similar position. I got 18k, which sounds great but when that means I still owe 50k a year, and when my parents aren’t paying for college (all loans here!), it is absolutely absurd. I would kind of understand if they were more reasonable about it though. I called them today and was told they’re not taking FA appeals… what the heck? I thought all schools took appeals!!!</p>
<p>Final Child: You have every right to be disappointed. CC’s can be a heartless and petulant bunch as evidenced by the lack of sympathy and the attack on your $10K add on figure. BTW, did you try your luck with Fordham? The Jesuits are well known to lend the occasional helping hand. GL</p>
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<p>NYU might have programs in a few areas that are “top,” but even according to USNWR, which people on this site revere, it’s only ranked #32. I would not consider that “top” by any measure. Would you? (And what are your qualifications to render an opinion?)</p>
<p>Chelsea: There are MANY fine community colleges in the U.S. But they don’t cost $60K+ a year. Also, you should do some more research on LSP. Yes, some people defend it, but for students it has definitely been a mixed bag–and a very expensive one, at that.</p>
<p>Sally305, I don’t consider myself to be an expert on “top” universities. And I would never make a statement that in any way indicated that I was. I don’t think I did that – did I? I have a child who is very happy–and who is doing extremely well–at NYU. That is why I visit this board. How about you?</p>
<p>gradygrad, I don’t want to argue with you. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It’s great that your child is having a good experience at NYU and that you are able to make it work financially. For a lot of people, that is not the case–and yet it remains one of the most popular colleges among high school kids. Many, many kids want to “live the dream” in NYC, and NYU is one of the first colleges they may have heard of besides Harvard and the schools in their part of the country. So the disappointment can hit pretty hard when they get in, but don’t get the aid that would make it viable. Or they get there and realize the experience is not what they were expecting. My particular issue is with LSP, which I think is a big bait and switch. From NYU Local:</p>
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<p>Read more: The Liberal Studies Program, Explained · NYU Local [The</a> Liberal Studies Program, Explained · NYU Local](<a href=“http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2011/02/07/the-liberal-studies-program-explained/#ixzz2QCynmoMl]The”>The Liberal Studies Program, Explained | by NYU Local | NYU Local) </p>
<p>I’m sorry, but I think that is just wrong.</p>
<p>This subject IS personal for me, because it affects people I care about and has caused an enormous amount of stress for them. Unfortunately, they were people who DIDN’T do their homework and have been unpleasantly surprised with what they are getting for their money.</p>
<p>Sally305, I understand, as I mentioned before, that you are disappointed for your friend. And I also understand that you are expressing that disappointment here. But at what point have you said enough? You don’t have a child at NYU. And your friend’s child is one of many students who are currently enrolled in LSP. My daughter, who is not in LSP, knows people who are in that program and those students are very happy. And I am sure she also knows people who are in LSP (Stern, Tisch, etc.) who aren’t happy. And she knows people who are at USC, Columbia, UGA and a variety of other schools who are happy – and some who are not. And they are all paying tuition. Some of them are paying more, and some less. But whatever they are paying – they agreed to pay that amount before they signed on. And if they didn’t do the research, that is a shame, but it is also foolish. </p>
<p>I don’t think any one person should proclaim a program (or university) to be any one thing. Why not let people do their own research and decide for themselves? Or… share your friend’s experience, but only do so once or twice. People can (and obviously have) read your posts. You don’t need to keep beating the same drum. When you start off by talking about LSP and then move on to criticizing the entire university, you lose credibility. </p>
<p>I hope your friend’s child is able to find a better fit and is able to transfer easily. Truly, I do.</p>