NYU vs. Barnard

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
1

I am a rising senior and I am thinking of my college options now. I am not sure whether I should apply ED to NYU or Barnard. I still have quite some time so I wanted some perspective. I got 2060 on my SAT (CR- 670, M- 630, W-760). I am an international student from India, so I got a 10/10 CGPA in Grade 9, a 9.4/10 CGPA in Grade 10, 89.8% in Class 11 and my predicted mid-term percentage for Class 12 is 91.5%. I was a part of the student government in Grade 11. I am an alumna of the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio 2015 and will be attending University of Virginia’s Young Writers Workshop this year. I have also attended two OxBridge Programs: Oxford Prep in Grade 9 and Cambridge Tradition in Grade 10. I am the editor-in-chief of a magazine, and a poetry editor for two magazines. I got an Honorable Mention in the Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest and was a winner in the Columbia College Chicago Young Authors Writing Competition. I have a few publications to my credit, and published a novel in middle school and a poetry collection as a high school freshman.

I am planning to major in Comparative Lit and pursue Creative Writing alongside. I have heard that both NYU and Barnard have amazing writing programs, but can someone provide a better and in-depth analysis? Also, NYU’s lack of campus doesn’t bother me. Any perspective as to which school might be better? I am actually looking forward to being around more artsy people, and becoming more independent. I am interested in editing or working for literary magazines and publishers, mainly. And I would love to be as engaged in the New York city scene as possible. Academics is important for me, as well. If you have any recommendations besides these two schools, do let me know.

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Both are amazing schools in the city… I have a friend going to Barnard (I’m going to NYU). One thing I can tell you is that she does get to put “Columbia University – Barnard College” on her resume. To the lay-person this is very impressive since it has the ivy league name. Anyone who is educated on the university, however, will know that Barnard is fairly easy to get into (much easier than even Cornell) and that academically it is not considered as strong as Columbia College. I would really say it comes down to fit (ie. do you want to attend an all-girls college). Both programs will give you access to major universities and all their amazing clubs and programs. Best of luck!