Recommendations for daughter for a college in NYC

We are just starting to really dig into the college search. My daughter, who is a junior in HS, desperately wants to go to college in NYC. We live in South Jersey and have been there many times. She is leaning towards writing, politics, social justice, or (this is the outlier) fashion studies. So she is undecided but her strength is definitely in writing. She knows she doesn’t have the scores for NYU but we are looking at Pace, Marymount Manhattan, St. Joseph’s, The New School, and possibly a program within the CUNY system (that one I am still trying to understand the various colleges). Can anyone help me start this search? Thanks!!!

Scores and grades solid enough for Hunter? Macauley?

Fordham has campuses in NYC @ Lincoln Center and Rose Hill in the Bronx.

Realized I meant to put St. John’s not Joseph’s.

She struggles with standardized tests (@1100 but she is going to do some studying to try to bring that up) but her GPA is strong with several AP courses. Is Macauley part of CUNY?

Is Fordham difficult to get into with lower SAT scores?

Fordham is going test-optional for the fall. I’m not sure if they will remain that way. It is worth looking into.

Maybe look at Sarah Lawrence? It’s not IN NYC but Bronxville is very close. It’s a short enough commute that high school kids there sometimes choose to attend NYC private schools.

Fordham might be an option if her GPA is high enough. Manhattan College in the Bx.

The main issue with CUNY schools and some of the Manhattan schools is that dorms are very very scarce. Almost everyone at Hunter commutes. Can she get an apartment with roommates?

Thanks! We already realize she will likely need to find a roommate and share an apartment.

For fashion studies she can look at FIT (which is a SUNY school) or Parsons (which is part of The New School). Perhaps also look into Pratt and LIM.

Seconding Fordham (Lincoln or Rose Hill, check out the majors and “campus” at both), FIT, and Manhattan college.
Among CUNY schools, City College would be most likely for her interests. There’s an honors program, worth getting into to cut through the red tape and have priority registration (worth its weight in gold in the CUNY system).
They have a residence but it might be better for her to secure an actual apartment with roommates if you can afford it.

The New School appears in this article on top literary colleges: https://www.flavorwire.com/409437/the-25-most-literary-colleges-in-america.