<p>Before I start, I guess I should give some background information on myself so everyone can understand my dilemma. I was born in New Jersey but lived incredibly close to NYC, and ever since I can remember, I dreamed of going to NYU. I enjoy NYU for its rich liberal arts program (which even as an undecided, I still see myself majoring in something liberal arts in the future) and I would be lying if I didn't admit that its location wasn't an important factor either. I love NYC. I love that being an NYU student gives me many opportunities to explore the city and enjoy its culture (museums, plays, etc.)at discount prices. For the longest time, NYU was my school. Now, however, it might not be. I moved to California two years ago and applied to schools on both the east and west coast. So far, I have been accepted to NYU, Boston University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and UC Berkeley. My biggest problem is between Berkeley and NYU. I find that Berkeley is starting to grow on me, but a big part of me still wants to go to NYU. One of the main deciding factors in all this is, of course for my family, the money. If I go to Berkeley, I only need to take out about $10000 in loans, compared to $30000 for NYU. Obviously, NYU seems like it costs a lot so...</p>
<p>I'm wondering if the experience at NYU is worth the approximate $120000 that I would owe when I graduate in 4 years?</p>
<p>Btw, I've been accepted into GSP if it helps...</p>
<p>I agree with Jenny, but if i were you I'd lean towards nyu (you have all your life after you pay back your loan. you might regret not following your dream) rather than be practical.</p>
<p>If you're leaning towards Berkeley, but still want an NYC experience, why not do a 'summer abroad' in NYC? In otherwords, use some of that $120k to take some summer courses in the city...by why stop there? Use some of it to spend a summer in Paris to learn French...or Madrid to learn Spanish...or Beijing to learn Chinese...or wherever you'd like to go for an enriching experience. Or use it for grad school. Or a trip when you graduate.</p>
<p>$120,000 debt at graduation? Ummm.... no! First of all, who is going to loan you that kind of money, and second, how will you pay it back? It's simply too much. Go to Berkeley.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your comments. But you're right deadlysyphen, I'm wondering if I'll regret it in the future if I pick Berkeley simply because it is more affordable.</p>
<p>hboots, Berkeley is not "more affordable" -- among the two, it is the ONLY affordable option you have. $120K debt over 4 years is not something that you are going to be able to manage or pay off -- there simply is no way. You would come out of college and be unable to support yourself or meet your own basic needs because of the monthly payments on your debt. </p>
<p>No one in their right mind would borrow $120K to pay for an undergraduate education. I know that some students DO in fact take on such debt... but personally I think they are nuts.</p>
<p>agreed. in all honesty i think society has created this hype about what school to go to. Just to let you know, that there are many countries where few people dorm anywhere, or have an "undergraduate experience" and yet they are very happy. so.. just keep that in mind</p>
<p>You go wherever you truly want to go, regardless of the debt. You can't get back your college years after they are over, and you shouldn't spend your entire college years wondering what would have happened if you had only picked the other one. The rank of the college or anything like that doesn't have to matter. I am passing up Washington University in St. Louis (Olin) and going to NYU Stern.</p>
<p>agree with above. What is the problem with GSP? After two years of gsp, the student is a full-fleged nyu cas, stern, tisch, w/e student. There are NO NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS WHATSOEVER. Look at the "GSP v. Syracuse U." thread and read the quote in the first post. ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with it.</p>
<p>Ok...so let's say I stay on the west coast to go to Berkeley for my undergrad years. My guidance counselor suggests that I can go to NYU for my grad school. Can I expect the same experience when I go to NYU grad school that I would get for undergrad? Or are the first four years the most defining ones?</p>
<p>I'm in the same situation.. I got into fine other schools, but I also got into NYU gsp with my freshman year in Florence.. and I would absolutely love to go.. but would have to take a pretty big loan..
I did a bit of research, and found that if you find a good loan program, paying back that big a debt isn't very hard..
as long as the loan repayment term is long enough, it can be managed.. especially because you have an nyu degree.. and you're in nyc.. if you take the right steps, that gives you a great job
from what i've figured so far.. by reading lots of posts and forums.. and sending emails.. gsp doesn't matter because you still have an nyu degree.
if your heart desires nyu, go for it. you will be in serious debt, but it isn't impossible to pay it back.
i found this loan calculator link in one of the posts .. i'll look for it, and post it here when i find it</p>
<p>Only you can determine the quality of the undergrad experience. But let me say that once students get on campus, with some exceptions, those students who want rich cultural experiences find them and those that don't, don't - regardless of where they are.</p>
<p>I'd be more concerned about the debt issue. As someone who knows just a bit about finance, I'm troubled by financial advice such as "if you find a good loan program, paying back that big a debt isn't very hard..as long as the loan repayment term is long enough, it can be managed.. especially because you have an nyu degree.. and you're in nyc.. if you take the right steps, that gives you a great job." </p>
<p>The most thing to realize is that regardless of the time you take to pay off the loan, it is still $120,000 in today's dollars - if you pay it off over time, you pay, in addition, the interest. The longer it takes you to pay off, the more interest you pay. Now, if you get a very low interest rate, and you are are pretty sure of a much higher income in the future, this MAY not be a bad idea. But those are two IMPORTANT assumptions. </p>
<p>So, are your loans at market or subsidized rates? And what is the average starting salary for grads in your major (the school should have that information) - Stern grads (my guess would be they have the highest starting salaries) average $50k a year; once you find that out, take out taxes and living expenses (food and rent) and compare what's left that to your project loan principal and interest payments - you'll then have a sense of how much money you'll have left over.</p>
<p>Your heart is telling you to go to NYC. But make sure your head (and your wallet) agrees.</p>
<p>Sort of in the same situation, except I got into Tisch for film. I know that I won't get the same education in this field anywhere else that I was accepted, which really already decides it for me.</p>
<p>And hey, you could always just go for one year and then transfer somewhere more affordable if you can't continue financially. Maybe not the best advice. But really, consider every option available.</p>
<p>sorry to hijack thread, but how is financial aid for a transfer? and can you receive any scholarships, that you should have received, if you transfer. for example, if i got a scholarship in one place, but don't go there until sophomore year, is there a chance that I can get any of that money?</p>