<p>Hi guys. I am currently a freshman studying at NYU Stern and am completing my first semester right now. I know a lot of these posts are going around but none of them are very updated. Any questions you guys have about classes, admissions, and just questions in general about Stern, feel free to ask me and I will respond! I will also chance you because I know how much I wanted someone to chance me when I was applying!</p>
<p>Some stuff about me:
Female
Economics and Statistics Double Major
Don't live on campus, live at home
Went to a nationally ranked high school in nyc. Had a 3.7 gap, 35 ACT, 8 AP exams. Barely any extra circulars though. Applied to Stern early decision in October of my senior year, only school I applied to. </p>
<p>How easy it is to switch schools? Let’s say I do apply to NYU Stern, and end up changing my mind and want to go to NYU Poly, would it be very difficult for me to go from Stern -> Poly? And Vice-versa.</p>
<p>Also, I am mostly interested in the mathematics and statistics aspect of financial mathematics and was leaning towards financial engineering, but from what I’ve researched that is actually in NYU Poly rather than Stern even tho it is financial? Here’s where I got the info from: [Financial</a> Engineering, MS | NYU-Poly](<a href=“Home | NYU Tandon School of Engineering”>Home | NYU Tandon School of Engineering)</p>
<p>The internal transfer rate for NYU in general is pretty low. I don’t know the true percentage, but it is difficult to transfer once you’re already in the college. That being said, it is much, much easier to transfer from stern to poly. It is significantly harder, nearly impossible, to transfer from poly to stern. Stern accepts a handful of transfer applicants every year, and over a hundred apply. I would suggest determining what you really want before applying, as later it would d be very hard to switch schools. If you want to do financial engineering, I would suggest declaring a finance major at Stern. Stern has one of the top finance programs in the country. If you’re going to go into that field, definitely Stern. The program is very intense but it is a fantastic program and you open yourself up to many more job opportunities.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply and info. I’ll try to do my research and make definitive decisions before deciding (but it’s due Jan 1 so there is still some time). </p>
<p>There might be some bias in you suggesting Stern over Poly in Financial mathematics since you go to Stern, but from what I have heard I guess that is probably true.</p>
<p>Just some other questions in general (if you don’t mind)
=> How are the people are NYU , NYU - stern at general from your experience? (I do like in the city (NY) so it won’t be a much move or change for me)</p>
<p>=> You mentioned you are doing a double major is stern flexible about that. Can I possibly double major in Math & Finance , Stat & Finance, or Math & Stat?</p>
<p>=> Just out of curiosity what school did you go to? Because the current school I go to is in NYC and ranked relatively well nationally.</p>
<p>Absolutely do your research. You have a month and a half left to do it so that should give you ample time to really throughly look at everything and decide what the best possible college for you is. Haha I definitely don’t deny that there’s a bias. But I also speak from an objective point of view. You know as well as I that a finance degree from Stern will carry a lot of weight. That and I don’t know as much about Poly as I do about Stern. I never looked into it because I was sure I wanted Stern.
Absolutely! I’m here to answer any questions you might have. If you have a little more private ones you can always pm me. As for the people, I have to say it’s extremely diverse. Some people you will meet who love to drink and party all the time and don’t take themselves too seriously. Other people are very intense, very very brilliant. They are very serious when it comes to their studies. I have to say people at Stern are not often very open to helping you out. You’re on your own with that kind of thing, because Stern creates a very competitive environment. Speaking personally, I always help people out with homework whenever I can. I don’t have a problem with that kind of thing. Some people you will meet will have a problem with that though. Eventually you’ll fall into the right crowd though, don’t worry. I fell somewhere in the middle. I don’t party or drink but I also am not super intense. You’ll meet a lot of different people, that’s for sure.
The fact that you live in new york is a definite advantage right there and I’ll tell you why. You’re used to being in the city, you’ve grown up with it. You’re not going to (I assume) spend all your time going out and clubbing because you live here. I have to say for me it’s an advantage because I know the area so I’m not mesmerized by it and I have time to do my homework, study, and just take it easy.
Now what’s great about Stern is that the credit requirements for each major aren’t that big. This means that more likely than not, you will end up double majoring. In fact, it is a rare opportunity to meet someone who is NOT double majoring, because Stern makes it so easy for you to take advantage of that. It’s great because you can pursue two different interests without killing yourself with work. The catch here is that if you plan on majoring in statistics (like me), you HAVE TO double major. The course requirements for statistics are so small that Stern HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDS that you double major. Which is why I’m also pursuing a major in economics.
I went to Stuyvesant High School. But now I’m curious, which school do you attend?</p>
<p>i’m a junior, but i want to go to Stern in a couple years, can you tell me if im on the right track?
GPA: UW 4.0 (but will be 3.93 after junior year) W: 4.2 (4.33-4.5 junior year), top 10% at my school (maybe top %5, not sure)
SAT: 1970 (practice test)
ACT: 29 (practice test)
(will bump both of those up, <em>hopefully</em> lol)
APs: AP Euro (5). Taking AP Chem, APUSH, AP Lang & Comp. Will take AP Calc, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP micro/macro, AP Gov, Ap Italian, and AP Lit & Comp
EC: volunteering 120+ thru 2 years. teaching seniors how to use computers, have done this 2 1/2 years so far. i also volunteer at a senior care home and tutor a bit
varsity track and cross country
captain of an ultimate frisbee team that went to nationals
member of Math Olympiad Club, Asian Club, and Illusion Club</p>
<p>@rapfan313
your gap looks fantastic! keep it up. as for your SAT and ACT scores, I’m not going to sit here and ********. You have to get those up. Study harder, maybe take classes, and practice practice practice. Stern SAT and ACT scores are on the similar level of most ivy league schools. If you could just pull those scores up a bit then you would be golden.
You’ve got a lot of difficult AP classes going on. Just make sure you do well on those exams and don’t overload yourself. Hard classes are great but if you can’t do well in them then they’re useless. Remember, don’t overload yourself. You don’t want your grades to suffer.
Your ecs and athletics look really good. The commitment to both is excellent. Colleges loves to see a dedicated student with only a few ecs rather than someone with a page full but not really into any of them. Def keep up the sports and volunteering. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Right now I have to say I don’t love it simply because I’m taking required core classes right now. Which you’ll come to learn are tedious, boring classes. But each college has them so there’s nothing you can do. The one Stern class I take right now though, microeconomics, is amazing. I’m in love with the class, and the professor is super smart and helpful. I could not have asked for a better class. I’m very much looking forward to next semester, where most of my classes will be Stern classes. I think I’m going to love it more when I start focusing on my Stern classes.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, I really appreciate the thorough response. You somewhat already convinced me to apply me to Stern over Poly. Although that being said NYU is my 5th choice, but my other choices are relatively difficult to get into (so acceptance is doubtful). I go to one of the other specialized high schools in the Bronx.</p>
<p>Also, you seem like a person who had the credentials or at least good chance to get into other top tier schools like Wharton - UPenn, Sloan - MIT , etc -> why did you not apply to those as well rather than just having one school? I just find it strange.</p>
<p>Do you think a math score of 710 on SAT1 is too low for Stern?
My total score is 2180 800 on reading and 670 on writing.
I have 2 Subject tests 800 on both Math2c and Chem
three APs 5 on both psychology and world history ( no CalBC though… I took the course but didn’t take the test).
MY ECs and Honors aren’t so spectacular, but I filled out all the spaces on the Common App site, and I wrote more on my resume.
I have a GPA thats like 4.6 weighted (unweighted 3.8). The college counselor told me that this will be some kinda gambling because I am way below Stern average… Do you think I have a chance of getting into Stern? Its been my dream school all my life! whaa…</p>
<p>The - I think you have a solid chance. The difference between a 800 and 710 on the Math SAT I is like 3-4 questions. Plus your reading score more than makes up for it. It’s a worthwhile shot to apply and hope for best -> just have back ups just in case. As far as chancing goes, it’s a pretty flawed process because people basically tell you what you already know. The only purpose I see is to get a false sense of reassurance, there are really no guarantees (that works both ways though). Good luck.</p>
<p>Also your counselor should know the averages don’t really reveal much. Even if you are not at the 50% middle part, keep in mind 1/2 the people below that mark still get accepted. It just means your probability is slightly lower if you don’t meet the “median cut offs” but the process is so holistic that the SAT / GPA cutoffs really don’t tell much. Just make sure to write great essays.</p>
<p>@Gridvvk
It is a little strange and I actually get that question a lot. My answer to that would be that I fell in love with Stern. I loved the classes, the programs, and most of all being in the city. Wharton and Sloan are fantastic schools, I’m not going to argue with that. But ultimately in the end, Stern just fitted me perfectly. I was sure I wanted to be here. </p>
<p>@THEHORDE
I think your stats look really good, so I wouldn’t worry about that. I’m not sure why your cc told you that a 3.8 is below average…I don’t see how that’s possible. Then again, I’m not a cc so maybe I don’t know something that she does, I’m not sure. But I had a 3.7 and I got in so I wouldn’t stress about that. As for ecs, if you’ve done a couple and have been really dedicated to them, it’s much better that just having tons but being really non committal. Best of luck with admissions!</p>
<p>Also, Gridvvk is right about essays. Do not just toss those aside! Put a lot of work into them. Essays are often what makes or breaks a candidate for admission. Write a really great essay, have someone edit it, and just in general work on it.</p>
<p>those are really good stats but what else do you have going for you? what ap classes have you taken/are you taking right now? what are you doing outside of school? sports/volunteering? applicants to stern all have similar stats like yours. it’s what else you do that sets you apart</p>
<p>I heard that test scores matter the most for getting into Stern. How much truth is there to that? I have a 2290/1540 and perfect SAT IIs (chem and math iic) and AP scores (4 tests before sr year). However, my GPA is horrible 3.3 UW, although my super-competitive school seems to have good relations with NYU since it usually sends 20-30 kids to NYU (~10 to Stern alone last year) every year. Do you think that I’ll have a decent shot, assuming that my ECs/essays/recs are great?</p>
<p>@NerdyAsianKid
your SAT/AP/SAT II scores look really good. I have to say your gpa is a bit low, regardless of the fact that your school sends 10 kids to stern every year. Test scores are definitely the most important, but they are not the only important things for admission. assuming you can make up for your 3.3 gap through very good ecs, recs, and essays, you might have a chance of getting in. that being said, if you decide to apply ed II you’d have a better chance. but that’s only if you’re SURE you want to go to stern. otherwise, apply reg decision and take your chances. best of luck</p>
<p>@THEHORDE
you’re welcome and good luck! maybe i’ll be seeing you around campus next year!</p>
<p>Hey Jen (hope that’s actually your name or i’m dumb)
So I’m enrolled with LSP on track to Gallatin but now that I’m actually thinking about a career and not just what college will be most omgtotallyfun! I’m seriously thinking about Stern. I was class 2014 but took this semester off. I spent last year in London with NYU. I’m all enrolled in classes for spring 2012 (starting my sophomore year) and have a Stern marketing class that I’m really looking forward to. Do you know anything at all about who is in charge of/oversees/could help me with internal transfers to Stern? I’m not thinking so much in terms of who is literally reading the applications; more along the lines of which professors have a lot of sway and what professors I could get friendly with that would vouch for me if I decided to transfer.</p>
<p>I have a 3.6gpa with 12 AP’s and 2130 on my SAT. My EC’s are all pretty solid such as providing orphans in China with education opprotunities and also business summer camps and president of school business clubs and state DECA/business competitions including writing a business promotion plan for a local startup company who ended up adopting it. Chances for stern ? Or should I just apply to CAS economics.</p>
Do you think I have a chance of getting into Stern? Its been my dream school all my life! 
whaa…</p>