<p>I wonder if some of the NYU parents might address some of the other OP questions?</p>
<p>Finances aside, how is the academic atmosphere at NYU? Is it difficult to focus on coursework with so many distractions?</p>
<p>We’re on the west coast and have only visited NY as tourists. We stay in nice hotels and do fun things, so I’m worried D has the wrong impression of what it might be like to actually live and STUDY in the city.</p>
<p>My understanding is that when you apply ED to NYU and the financial aid is enough, you make your deposit and if other financial aid offers are better then you can always withdraw. Nonrefundable, of course… but I think that’s a risk I’m willing to take to go to my top choice school. </p>
<p>If not any one of the schools I mentioned, does anyone else have a better suggestion since I seem to be too ignorant to plan my own future?</p>
<p>Olivia, once you accept the offer of admission, you are required to withdraw all other pending applications, so you won’t know if the offers are better. If you have any rolling admission schools, or non binding EA actions, you may have heard from them regarding acceptance, but most full FA packages don’t come out until the completion of the FAFSA (not available until Jan) and if required the Profile.
My kids have rec’d merit offers with acceptance from some schools, but some merit offers also lagged and weren’t rec’d until the spring. I know in at least one case, as some merit offers (from some schools) starting arriving, one EA school that accepted my D started to drop a bit in her eyes. She started to “love the schools that loved her”. Then out of the blue in the spring she rec’d a merit scholarship. I do not know if that was their standard operating procedure, or if some kids turned down the admission/merit scholarship-freeing up some merit $$ to be offered out.</p>
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<p>No that is not correct. ED is a binding agreement, basically when you receive an acceptance from an ED school (ED, EDI, EDII doesn’t matter) you will also receive then or shortly after the acceptance a financial aid offer. If you accept the offer you must notify any other colleges where you applied and withdraw the applications. You will have a very short amount of time to accept or reject the ED offer. Do NOT apply ED if you want to be able to compare financial aid offers. As bhmomma says, the actual aid letters can come from colleges at different times, some come with acceptances, others can come as late as April.</p>
<p>“the only way this will work for you is if your parents can contribute more. Otherwise you need to rethink NYU.”</p>
<p>I strongly agree with the advice you’re getting. Even if by some miracle you were permitted to borrow $30,000 per year to make up the half of the cost that your parents’ savings will not cover, it’s madness to borrow $120k for undergrad, and triple madness to do it if you intend to then go to law school. From NYU’s own page:</p>
<p>“Students must be aware that applying Early Decision will not enable them to compare financial aid packages from other universities. If comparing financial aid packages will be necessary for a student, the student should apply under our Regular Decision program.”</p>
<p>You should not apply ED to NYU. If you have already applied, you should contact them and request that you be considered under RD.</p>
<p>I was trying to figure out how to answer the OP’s questions about the NYU environment. I"m not really sure that the city offers more distractions than a self-contained campus where all sorts of parties, lectures, clubs, etc. are going on. Time management and focus are issues that any student anywhere has to address.</p>
<p>As to how students adjust without a campus, I guess it is a personal thing. It does take more effort and independence because your friends will be scattered farther around depending on which dorm / apartment they’re living in, but there are clubs, dorm events, dining halls, etc, and even in the streets when classes are changing, a student can wave to people that they know! </p>
<p>There are tradeoffs to be made by going to NYU, and pros and cons. In some ways, NYC is a better place to live than to visit, IMO, because you aren’t just going to specific things, but taking in that energy and vitality every day. </p>
<p>My D is managing to take advantage of what the city has to offer, but also has made alot of really great friends and doing just alot of hanging out in dorm rooms with them, which is what would go on anywhere. There is alot of stuff going on around the city that she doesn’t take herself to do, either. One great thing about NYU is that the dorms are open during vacations (including the long winter break; but not summer), and the kids can get in the rooms a week before classes start, so if they really want to spend some time just enjoying city life without the burdens of academics, they have a “free” hotel (well, okay, for the price of tuition and housing…).</p>
<p>How each kids does or does not take advantage of the city is really individualized. Some kids go clubbing alot, I suppose. Others spend little money and do all their socializing in the dorm.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>I think you will have to re-evaluate the schools you are considering. It sucks but is reality. We have an EFC higher than the amount that we can pay (just like you). That sucks for my son (only a Junior). No apps will be made to schools like Northwestern, Emory, NYU, Tulane, etc. I have run the numbers through their respective on line cost calculators and it is just not going to work even after some need based aid and some merit money…unless we take on significant debt which we will not do.</p>
<p>You can look at cheaper privates and maybe they can work for you…an example would be Trinity University (TX).</p>
<p>Thank you SDonCC, that was very helpful and encouraging.</p>
<p>Another NYU parent here. </p>
<p>As far as the “environment” or lack there of it’s an individual thing. My dd had many roomates that partied non stop and she couldn’t figure out how they passed. My dd on the other hand is paying for NYU herself so she focused on her studies.</p>
<p>My dd came from a small suburb of Philadelphia. She absolutely loved the city and everything about it. My ds a year younger visited her once and never wanted to go back the city was to much for him. So, you need to figure out what kind of person you will be. If you think the city life will draw you away from your studies you should think twice about being in such a busy city.</p>
<p>As FA goes I agree with the others. My dd has very high need base, above average SAT’s and she gets about half her tuition covered that means any where from 20,000 to 30,000 she has to cover with loans each semester. Fortunately for her she is also a go getter and she is graduating a year yearly to save herself an entire years worth of loans.</p>
<p>As far as ED goes. My dd was ED and she got a tentative FA packet that clearly stated that it could change after your FASFA was submitted. So, while you do get a FA packet your actual aid could be more or less then what was first estimated. With your parents income and the fact that you have a education fund of 120,000 you really don’t qualify for anything need based. So, you either would have to find scholarships or merit aid or loans to cover your additional expenses. And you won’t know what other schools offer until after the ED acceptance deadline.</p>
<p>Then there is the actual possibility you would get into Steinhardt it is very very competitive and from what you have said your numbers aren’t quite there. So, I definitely would look into other schools.</p>
<p>You can go to a good liberal arts college that gives you a lot of merit aid, and take off a year and do public health work in Africa (or somewhere else) with all the money you save. You do that, and do well in school, and public health grad. schools will drool over you. </p>
<p>I don’t see any particular reason why you should be applying to NYU at all. It isn’t that their public health program is any better than, say, that at a good state school like the University of Washington. It isn’t like NYC offers any special public health opportunities. </p>
<p>But it’s your and your parents’ money and I wish you well. (And, no, you have no business applying ED.)</p>
<p>(P.S. Here’s a list of schools with undergrad public health degrees, not that you necessarily even need one - <a href=“http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=1106[/url]”>http://www.asph.org/document.cfm?page=1106</a> Note that NYU isn’t even on the list. They are very new, and most certainly haven’t established any special kind of reputation. For the record, I work in public health.)</p>
<p>It seems black and white to me (an NYU alum parent):</p>
<p>If you want to compare FA offers (which means NYU is not your dream school), then you can’t apply ED.</p>
<p>If NYU is your dream school (which means you don’t want to compare FA offers), then there’s no reason not to apply ED. If rejected or the FA offer is inadequate, you have time to develop one or more other favorites.</p>
<p>The real issue is whether NYU should be your dream school; there doesn’t seem to be much reason for it.</p>
<p>The idea of a “dream school” is in itself a problem. It’s great for college marketing, especially for a university like NYU that does not guarantee to meet full need – but for the consumer (i.e. student) – it’s just a fantasy that has very little bearing on reality and stands in the way of rational decision making. </p>
<p>The OP made clear at the outset that finances were a concern, which means that she would be hurting herself and hurting her parents to indulge in the fantasy that NYU or any other college is her “dream”. </p>
<p>I mean – I don’t live in my “dream” house or drive a “dream” car or take “dream” vacations, even though I can conceive of what all those may be, because of course I know full well I can’t afford that. Instead I live in a comfortable house, drive a reliable vehicle, and buy discount airline tickets and stay at budget hotels when I travel. College applicants should think along the same lines: what can they afford? what can they find within that price range that meets their needs? The OP is very fortunate in that her parents have put away $120K for her college education, which gives her a tremendously broad range of choices for colleges, especially if she looks among schools that might discount their COA with merit aid. NYU may even fit within that possibility, but as there are no guarantees as to financial aid, she shouldn’t be applying ED.</p>
<p>By all means, substitute “by far number one favorite” for “dream” school. :)</p>
<p>So, if you have a by far number one favorite, don’t care about comparing FA offers, and only want to know if you can afford it, apply ED; otherwise don’t.</p>
<p>Again, if public health is really the thing, the University of Washington has a far better undergraduate school of public health, in a beautiful setting in a beautiful city. Out of state total costs are estimated at $35k/year. (That doesn’t mean you’ll get in - it is very competitive.)</p>
<p>I think my comment about wanting to compare FA offers was taken out of context… If I get a package from NYU that makes it REALISTIC for me to attend, then I will definitely be going, because it is after all, my first choice. However, if it is anywhere near crossing the line of being too much as far as what I’m getting myself into with student debt, then I obviously will not be enrolling. </p>
<p>If I can make NYU work for me then I don’t really care if I get in for free elsewhere. Don’t really care if any of you have an opinion on that, either. Your idea of what is practical is clearly different than mine. That’s definitely been established. I have parents too. Not like I haven’t heard these things before. I also have my own common sense?</p>
<p>I don’t think I’m so enchanted with the school its made me blind, either. But it does have everything I want it to have in terms of the opportunities I want for ME as a student. There are other colleges that come close, but don’t quite hit the mark. So rather than making the basis of the “advice” you have to give around me needing to give up my “dream school”, lets get to the point. </p>
<p>I have a first choice school. Getting in is not totally out of the question for me, and since this isn’t a chance thread I’m not entirely interested in anyone telling me that I shouldn’t apply either. There’s no way anyone could evaluate that without an understanding of my personal circumstances, seeing my course load, grades, test scores, recommendations, or essays. My decision to apply EDII has been one well thought out. (Steinhardt is also one of the least competitive schools in comparison, FYI. Doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake but their review is different). </p>
<p>Like I said, I’m not here to be told that I’m being unrealistic or I just shouldn’t go. Out of all the replies I’ve gotten, very few have answered my questions or really been helpful at all. </p>
<p>I was hoping that in asking parents I would get advice on the different options I might have as far as finding other means to pay for college… potential scholarships, loans, grants, etc. I want the options. I don’t want to know whether or not you think I’ll qualify. I guess I should have made that more clear and not posted any mention of my financial status (it was vague anyways). There’s no way anyone could evaluate my potential for money to come my way with the information I’ve given. </p>
<p>So I think from this point forward, I would really appreciate some constructive advice on how I can pay for a private education. Options and ideas, I can evaluate whether or not that will work for me on my own, since this does happen to be my process. The same arguments have been made over and over and it’s getting a little frustrating.
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<p>There are several million people who have asked the same question, and come up empty. They are now paying the price.</p>
<p>Selling blood won’t cut it. Kidneys under certain circumstances. (You think I’m joking of course, but both courses of action HAVE in fact been taken as a way to pay for education.) Multiple illegal activities. Begging all your relatives (that has also been known to work in certain circumstances, with the right relatives and the right approach.) Several years ago, it was reported that there was a guy at NYU who lived his entire year rent free by living (as in sleeping, washing, etc.) in the library. He saved a lot of money. Putting off college for a year or two, and working 60 hours a week and saving every penny. (There are people who have done that as well.) </p>
<p>I wish you well. I’m surprised it’s just a little frustrating. For those with large college debts, it is frustrating big time.</p>
<p>Oliviabartel,
I think what many posters are trying to say is that you don’t have many options. From the info you’ve posted, your family will not qualify for need based aid at NYUor at any other school. Go ahead and apply for need based aid, but unless there is additional information or you have the numbers wrong, it is unlikely you will get it. </p>
<p>Your stats are on the low side for merit aid at many places, but go ahead and look for schools where your stats would qualify you for merit aid. </p>
<p>As far as loans, it sounds like you need an additional 30k a year to go to NYU in addition to what your parents have saved. You will need someone to co sign for loans of this magnitude and of course that type of debt burden is not advisable. </p>
<p>You could apply for local scholarships offered by civic groups, businesses, etc. however, many of these are for small amounts and Re not renewable. Many also have a need component and if you are correct that your parents make 200k, you will not be eligible for those.</p>
<p>Selling eggs wld work. Not the chicken kind.</p>
<p>If you google things such as NYU can’t pay loans, you will find stories of students who went into too much debt for NYU.</p>
<p>Buy lottery tickets.
Start a wildly profitable business.
Join the military and stay in long enough to earn education benefits.
Get an ROTC scholarship – though your proposed major isn’t necessarily one that ROTC is looking for. (I believe NYU’s ROTC link is actually through Fordham.)</p>
<p>Each of these is about as realistic as someone with middling stats and a family with a $200K income coming up with enough to meet the gap. Loans? Unless your parents take out Parent Plus loans, that’s not an option. Do you have wealthy relatives? You’d know that better than we would. </p>
<p>You’re not happy with the answers you’ve been given, but people are being very truthful. NYU gives relatively little financial aid to students from well-to-do families – families earning $120K a year often find NYU’s aid to be negligible. The merit aid, which is also very limited, tends to go only to the tippy-top applicants, and you aren’t in that category. Local scholarships are rarely for large amounts, and are often only for a single year. </p>
<p>Given that it is a very expensive school in a city with very, very expensive living costs, parents here are simply not seeing any feasible way for you to make up such a sizable gap given what you’ve said. I’m not sure how parents could be more helpful while still telling you the truth. </p>
<p>Particularly on CC, parents who’ve been around a while see way too many students for whom NYU is a dream school, and for those who come from families with incomes greater than $100K a year who don’t have the capacity to pay full price, it is not a story that typically ends well unless the prospective student is a superstar. YMMV.</p>