<p>I'm currently an NYU freshman in CAS. For most of the year I've hated it here and decided to transfer practically since day one. The lack of community really makes a depressing college experience, with a very lame (and expen$ive) party scene. This is only hindered by the size of the student body, especially since there is such wide range of students. I'm from Houston, so I applied to Rice since I felt it would give me the college experience I'm looking for, and let me be close to home. And, though NYU is great academically in my opinion, Rice does have a bit more prestige, which is a definite plus. But also, I want a less rigid administration system, which will let me dabble between the arts and regular subjects (like English). I'm really interested in film, but I don't want to have to transfer to the film school to study it, especially since I haven't taken any film courses yet, so I don't know if I really want to entirely dedicate myself to it yet. Also, I don't even know if I'll be accepted since I would have to apply next semester, and even if I do get it, i'll have to take multiple summer sessions to catch up. Up until a few weeks ago, my desire to leave was unwavering, but I joined a sorority a couple months back, and now that I've made more friends I'm starting to feel more comfortable. Though I still dislike the same aspects of NYU, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't mess with a good thing. Also, since I'm interested in film, it seems like I'd be shooting myself in the foot by transferring AWAY from one of the best film schools in the country or the world for that matter. Then again, there's always graduate school.</p>
<p>Also, I can only see any semblance of community dwindling in the years to come, since people move more and more off campus to areas as far away as Brooklyn or Queens. Some people even commute from New Jersey. And there’s already so much division in the student body, Tisch and Stern kids and basically every minority sticks together.</p>
<p>Also, if I transferred to Rice, I wouldn’t feel bad that I was only there for 3 years, since I grew up in Houston (heck, I lived in West University for 11 years, the surrounding neighborhood) and I know a lot of people who go there already (an added plus since it gives me some friends). I would probably still do study abroad even.</p>