Parental Pressure

<p>So, I'm trying to decide between NYU [cas] and Colgate. Pretty different, I know.</p>

<p>My mom told me before to go wherever I would be happy. Now, she's sent me an e-mail saying that she's so happy that I'm going to NYU. My mom and my dad both go around telling people {including those they just meet} that I'm probably going to NYU, then they come home telling me that so and so thinks I've made a great decision. I try telling them that this is my decision because it's four years of my life [I don't mean they don't get any say, but I think I should get a little more than they do]. They just yell at me and tell me it's a community decision. However, I don't think I am a part of this community. They give me long speeches about how I have to go to NYU because nobody has ever heard of Colgate and NYU will help me get either an MD&JD, JD&MBA, MBA&MD, or all three. Because apparantly I cannot survive without two graduate degrees.</p>

<p>The more they pressure me towards NYU, the more I start to hate it and dread going there. I wish they never started doing this. I feel like I don't even have a choice. They already eliminated one school, and now theyre forcing me to go somewhere else. Who knows... maybe I would have chosen to go to NYU on my own, but now I just wish I wasn't even going to college.</p>

<p>Am I completely overreacting? If I go to Colgate will I 'never get a job because people will think I'm a ****ing toothpaste salesman?' And if that's not true, is NYU really far superior to Colgate? More importantly, how can I get my parents to stop this?</p>

<p>I don't know much first-hand info for either of these schools. But even I know that Colgate is a top-notch college and (surprise!) a bit more selective than NYU (but in truth it's not a huge difference -- not enough to make a big deal about):</p>

<p>NYU:
Average GPA 3.6
SAT Range Verbal 610-700
SAT Range Math 610-710
Acceptance Rate 35%</p>

<p>Colgate
Average GPA 3.6
SAT Range Verbal 630-710
SAT Range Math 640-720
Acceptance Rate 33%</p>

<p>So even I can answer your basic question -- no, NYU is NOT "far superior" to Colgate.</p>

<p>Thank you! Purely ranking-wise: NYU is 37th national universities, and Colgate is 15th LAC. But I think theyre also talking about whether or not people have heard of Colgate.</p>

<p>money must not be a factor
NYU is notorious for not giving much aid- while Colgate with similar students and frankly has had a better academic reputation over the long term, although NYU has risen in recent years, gives far more aid.</p>

<p>The settings are very different of course.</p>

<p>NYU vs Colgate. Wow what a difference. Take a deep breath and dont let your
annoyance with your parents and emotion dictate where you want to go to school.</p>

<p>I would be interested in hearing what major(s) are you considering.</p>

<p>Share your pros/cons of each.</p>

<p>Congratulations on having such a great decision to make!</p>

<p>NYU is in the middle of Greenwich Village in Manhattan. Colgate is quite a distance from a large city. Colgate has a gorgeous campus in Hamilton, NY. But NYU is surrounded by restaurants, theaters, and easy public transportation so you can get anywhere, anytime. NYU has worked hard to bring its undergraduate program closer to the level of its exceptional grad schools. Yet, Colgate has a <em>long</em> history of excellent undergraduate education. NYU is a very large school. Colgate has a much more intimate feel. Local Internships will be more plentiful at NYU. Colgate is near the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. These are very, very different settings. Figure out where you want to be & why (e.g. compare academic departments that you're interested in). Then present your case to your parents.</p>