Can’t decide. Possible journalism or anthropology major, might want to go to law school. The cost is the main issue: for NYU will have to take out about $8k in federal loans per year; for UNC, no cost at all. (I also got into BU with about the same cost as NYU)
If private school wasn’t so ridiculously expensive I would choose to go to school in NYC in a heartbeat. I am a city person and easily bored without a lot of things to do. I hate feeling trapped in a campus bubble. I like to be a part of the larger world, I guess. Having no campus doesn’t bother me at all.
However, it seems UNC is better financially. I’m trying to come to terms with it. I know I will be bored of Franklin street in a short time…is there anything else to do? I will have a car, so that could help? I don’t like frat/college style parties or sports. I’m more of a cafe, museum, bar/club type of person. NC weather is meh.
I’m telling myself that I can get a job and work in NYC or Boston after college, and that it will be easier to do with no debt.
Any advice on this? Will I be completely miserable at UNC? Will I have a chance to get internships/jobs in other areas of the country?
Thanks.
First off,
Don’t do anthro lol
Secondly, pursue journalism at NYU…a myriad of door will open for you as NYC is the epitome for young journalist (Buzzfeed, etc)
I think NYU is the better choice by far, especially if you are a city person.
You should have looked at NCState… seems like a better fit than UNC. If you’re a city person, you’d love NCState. I wouldn’t go to UNC if you are a city person. You’ll die of boredom.
You will only be miserable at UNC if you choose to be. Since you will have a car, you can take advantage of everything that the entire Raleigh/Durham region has to offer, and when time permits, you can wander even further afield if you want to.
For your possible majors, debt-free is definitely the way to go.
@AnitaSwan1 I have looked at NC State and I completely disagree, it’s not a city environment at all! didnt like it, even worse fit for me than Chapel Hill.
@happymomof1 that’s what I was thinking. I know that I can make the best of it and I definitely agree that my majors aren’t going to set me up for a super lucrative career in the near future. It’s just hard to give up my NYC dream.
“dream” is the key word. NYC is not going anywhere, any time soon. You can have an even better NYC dream at a different time in your life.
You make a good point, thanks. Still unsure but I guess I know what the right choice is.
If anyone has any anecdotal advice about the UNC experience in regards to things to do/city life/etc please let me know.
You do know that the student loan limit as a freshman is $5.5K, right? Above that is your parent’s bill. I think you underestimate how involved you may be on campus. And Raleigh Durham has more museums than you may know. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1CAHPZY_enUS595US595&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=raleigh%20durham%20museums I grew up in NYC and now live in Ohio. Much of life is what you make of it.
Assuming that you are currently a traditionally-aged high school senior, how do you know that you hate feeling trapped in a campus bubble? Presumably, you have never lived on a college campus. I mean, I trust you when you say that you are a city person, but you can’t know that you’d feel trapped on a college campus yet.
The biggest thing is that you cannot borrow $8,000 in federal loans. The federal loan limit for first-year undergraduates is $5,500. You will have a shortfall of $2,500. That’s not a whole lot - you could probably make it up in work-study or through summer work. But it’s still there. (The amount you can borrow goes up to $6,500 in your second year and $7,500 in your final two years).
If you want to live in a large city like Boston or New York post-graduation, having little to no debt will be a definite plus in that area. It’s only 4 years and you have the rest of your life to live in a city. I lived in New York for 6 years after college while pursuing my PhD, and aside from the fact that I think it’s completely overrated, finding an affordable place to rent would’ve been even more difficult if I had to account for repaying loans in my budget. Even an extra $200 a month can make the difference.
NYU has a strong graduate journalism program. If you really want NYC, then go for grad school. You can always go to UNC and do internships in NY. In addition, I know several people who are juniors and seniors at NYU and even though the tuition has reached an all time high, their financial aid package isn’t increasing as well. UNC is an amazing school. NYC will always be there.
Free ride to UNC-CH?! I’d choose it in a heartbeat. You have a car, so you’ll get along fine in the Chapel Hill/Durham/Cary/Raleigh area. LOTS of things to do there:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_Triangle
.
You sound like me. BU actually has one of the top Anthro programs in the world (I know this because Anthro is my major haha), and Boston is a great city, though it isn’t NYC.
If you think you’re going to go crazy in UNC then I say go to NYU since it has everything your heart desires. Debt is debt and everyone has debt, so no worries about that unless you really have no clue on how to manage your finances and debt (then I’d say go to UNC).
But if you really think NYU is going to make you the happiest and propel you towards an amazing future, then don’t worry about the $8k/year, seriously. Go to NYU, have a blast, learn a lot, meet people and make something big out of yourself. You’ll probably struggle a bit, but then you wouldn’t be a real New Yorker if you were fine and dandy! (My mom, a New Yorker born and raised, now lives very comfortably and can afford 3 months in Europe after spending like 6 months eating only tuna from a can when she was in her twenties in NYC)…
You could also get into a public service career for a little while, where your debt will be forgiven (or so I hear, you’ll have to do more research there).
As for internships with your Anthro major… Well, you could definitely work at the NYC museums. But both schools have good internship opportunities. And the NYC experience will give you an edge also. But networking, your personality/drive, and chance are other factors that must be considered as well.
Personally however, I would go with NYU.
Good luck and follow your dreams!
Thanks for all the responses, they give me a lot to think about and overall make me feel more confident about the decision!
I think I am way underestimating my campus involvement, so you’re right about that. I’m sure I’ll be crazy busy with academics and etc once I actually get there and this will all seem silly.
As for the loan part, I rechecked and its, as you all said, actually only around $5k a year, so that is better than I thought (I rememebered incorrectly). However, the idea of even $20k in debt freaks me out, I don’t think I could ever take on that, at least at this point in my life.
As for the campus bubble, I went to prep school so I have experienced that already to a degree. I have lived in a number of cities around the world and I can assure you that I am, without a doubt, a city person. But I suppose I have plenty of time in the future for that.
I’ll just be hoping to study abroad/intern somewhere in college. Ive lived in the triangle before and despite what everyone has said, it’s really not that exciting.
@supahstressed part of me is telling me to bite the bullet and take the NYC route, the other is worried about it. thanks for the advice, I appreciate a different viewpoint!
The public service idea is also interesting, I hadn’t thought about that! I have considered going into foreign aid or something similar so that might actually be a possibility.