<p>People simply reflect their own fears and concerns. They have heard those awful stories about how dangerous NYC was, and cannot see anyone sending a girl (more so than a boy) there by herself. It doesn't bother me, but then I am allowing DD to go to NYC by herself to attend the US Open and take the bus back by herself to college. Am I concerned? Yes. Am I going to stop her from doing something that she may never again have the opportunity to do? No way! Every opportunity has risks, and some people live constantly in fear. Revel in the opportunity, and dismiss the fear that others are trying to project onto you.</p>
<p>Congratulations - NYU will give your daughter fantastic opportunities!</p>
<p>It's funny how people react when your child is going to a school outside the listener's comfort zone. My daughter, from Texas, will be going to Carleton. We get - Where's that? That's really far away! It's cold up there! Do you have a coat? It seems like most people can't think up other questions/comments when confronted with something so foreign to them.</p>
<p>"I would just like to say that the naysayers may not be fearful/scared/unsophisticated, but like me, would be unhappy in a large city (any large city for me) and just wonder what makes NYU a draw."</p>
<p>Hear, hear, hear!</p>
<p>Opinions of others are just that: opinions. The key is that what matters is the opinion of the student attending the school. There is no need for kudos, endorsements, and hooo's and haaa's. In addition, one may not be thrilled by the negative reaction, but should nonetheless refrain to dismiss the lack of endorsement as being a sign of ignorance. In this vein, I disagree entirely with the posters who are belittling whoever happens to think that NYU is not a great choice. No school is perfect, and NYU is far from it. What about the no-campus feel, the big and ugly city environment, the dorms, or one of the worst financial aid among selective schools? </p>
<p>NYU is a great choice for some, but could be viewed as an incredible poor choice by others. For instance, you can count me among the ones who could not be paid enough to spend four years at NYU -for the school and for the city. </p>
<p>However, I realize that there are hundreds of thousand students who would give their left pinkie to attend Stern or any of the other colleges in NYC. That is why we have over 4,000 colleges and a wide range of ... great fit!</p>
<p>PS If you think people diss NYU, just try any of the LAC's. With the possible exception of Wellesley -because of Mona Lisa- most people have never heard of them. It is no big deal!</p>
<p>mam1959</p>
<p>You have no understanding of the theater world at all, so let me try to explain a few things to you.</p>
<p>First off, being a good stage actor is a very, very difficult thing to do. If it looks easy to you, it's because the actor is so good that he/she makes it look easy. Untrained actors rarely make it on stage (although they can make it in film and television, but even then the trained actors have an advantage). Badly trained actors can actually be worse than untrained ones. Basically, stage acting is a difficult art because the artist is INSIDE the illusion he or she is trying to create. The artist cannot see what it being created, and needs strong training (and good eyes from good teachers) to know how to do it well.</p>
<p>Not all acting teachers are created equal, and not all acting programs are coherent in the ways and sequencing in which they teach skills. NYU has a reputation as a very good acting program with good contacts in New York.</p>
<p>I know you will find this difficult to believe, but not all people seek 9 to 5 jobs. That sort of routine makes some people very unhappy. I know the world would probably be a better place if we had no artists, right?</p>
<p>As for moving from job to job, that is a stage actor's life. Getting on with a single company and working there in every play is a curse. It tends to lead to artistic stagnation. </p>
<p>I have no idea of the quality of the Shakespeare Festival you attended, so I can't speak to the educational credentials or mastery of the actors in question. What you obviously don't know, though, is that the short bios you read with the theaters where the actors have worked is supposed to impress you. There are certain famous theaters throughout the country where it is very difficult to get cast. To do a role there suggests strong acting skills. Of course, they cannot impress you if you have never heard of the theaters. Most theater-goers know a hawk from a handsaw.</p>
<p>"...but for those who find it exciting and stimulating and a challenge to grow, nothing else will do."
NYU has been an amazingly positive fit for my son. Having NYC as his campus has placed tremendous resources within reach. His profs have been intellectually stimulating and have made excellent use of museums, libraries, etc. in designing their assignments. They have been uniformly expert, accessible and supportive. Frankly, I'm not sure what the advantages are of a more traditional campus!
Let's assume that for your friends, concerns stem from lack of familiarity paired with distance. And, there's a degree of "bravery" involved for any parent who sends their child off to school.</p>
<p>Sloparent-</p>
<p>Off topic - Here are a couple of websites that my daughter and I have found useful in finding out what is going on in NYC. The cheap eats section of Time Out is a great resource when on a student budget. </p>
<p><a href="http://beta.nyc.flavorpill.net/%5B/url%5D">http://beta.nyc.flavorpill.net/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.timeout.com/newyork/%5B/url%5D">http://www.timeout.com/newyork/</a></p>
<p>the student we most recently know who attended NYU, did attend in the arts. She wasn't in the theatre program but in dance. I don't know anything about dance programs, but her mother was quite happy.
Tragically her mother died during her sophomore year and although her high school community fund raised so that she could finish that year, NYU did not offer her enough aid to continue. ( aparently quite typical of NYU)
However, through her contacts at NYU and in NYC, she was able to land a big job, with a very well known touring company.</p>
<p>My D attended a LAC. I had barely heard of it before we became intrested, so I wasn't surprised at the( lack of) reaction of aquaintances or even my inlaws. :::shrug:::::
But now that she has graduated, and its profile has increased a bit due to USNEWs feature article among other things, the response I get is quite interesting.
I really don't know what to say when people go " wow, that school is really, really hard". So I just go " yes- yes it is" ;)</p>
<p>sloparent, So, where's your daughter going to college in the fall? NYU?! Wow, that's great. You must be so excited and proud!</p>
<p>sloparent: I will make an assumption that the same folks that are being "negative" about your D going to school in NYC are the ones having a conniption that my D is spending 6 weeks in Israel before heading to college in the fall.</p>
<p>Many people have a mistaken viewpoint that these places are dangerous all the time. </p>
<p>This just isn't true. </p>
<p>Yes, NYC (and Israel for that matter) have had their share of headlines, but what is unfortunate is that both are wonderful places to travel, and to live, and rarely are those points addressed publicly.</p>
<p>The comment my D gets about going to college in Massachusetts (from So. Cal) is more about the weather; but her travel plans to the Middle East? Fuhget about it!</p>
<p>I say don't listen to the naysayers! And fully agree with learning the subway system, and uptown VS downtown!</p>
<p>sloparent, we live in California and our D goes to college in NYC. The real hard part will come when she graduates, and we need to think of new excuses to go to New York on our own.<br>
Your daughter will love NY and the area around NYU especially. There are great tutoring and babysitting jobs available (have her read "The Nanny Diaries") which pay well on top of making the monthly subway pass a really good deal.</p>
<p>I am Corneillian, yet I have to admit this, NYU gives you great opportunity for internships, especially finance ones, all you have to do is go for them. However, I have heard that Stern is pretty competitive. As for everyone criticizing your choice, who cares, they're just afraid of sending their kids over the continental divide. I mean look at this way, as long as your daughter works hard, she'll do fine. Plus its NYC, Great Plus! Also, tell you daughter good job, and I wish her the best of luck.</p>
<p>I think you hit some of it - you shouldn't "allow" a daughter to go to NYC, while a son shouldn't be bound at home.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the best response to any of that nonsense is an incredulous look and several beats of silence, followed by, "Wow - and we had all thought that this would be the perfect school for her and a wonderful chance to explore the world. You must have a special crystal ball that tells you things that we would never know. Do share."</p>
<p>You'll forever deal with every form of busybody who thinks they know better than you how to run your family, career, finances, and child-rearing. If you let this happen now, what happens when she gets married? "How can you let her do that?" "Oh... I don't like him." Every opinion under the sun. </p>
<p>Or, try TheDaughter's line: "Dad, it's not the middle ages anymore when people were born, grew up, got married, and died in the same hamlet."</p>
<p>oh, yeah.... CONGRATULATIONS!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter!! </p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better the D of an acquaintance was accepted to MIT but parents made her decline because of the (I am quoting the mother here) "gay marriage thing, you know Hubby and I don't want her in an area that is so morally corrupt." </p>
<p>I, of course, started laughing. EVERYONE else just stared at me. Apparently it was not a joke. So I guess people can have all sorts of reactions to choices about college!</p>
<p>Good luck with the comments - I am sure they will not let up for a while.</p>
<p>MagsMom, that is an amazing story. Massachusetts=morally corrupt? I would have laughed with you, thinking it was a joke, too!</p>
<p>You should be extremely excited that your daughter is going to NYU. Maybe they are scared that the big bad east is going to eat her. Maybe they are jealous. Maybe they are scared of NYC. Maybe that have never heard of NYU and think you are just sending her to some random school that is really far away. Be proud and try not to let it get to you. NYU is an absolutely fantastic school.</p>
<p>Holy crap magsmoms. I would be like "hold on one second", walk behind the woman, and kick her nice n hard in the butt. What a horrible thing of her to do to her daughter. Those type of people **** me off soooooooooo much.</p>
<p>Me too. NYU has to be one of the most exciting places in the world. Coming out of the main admin building, in the middle of Greenwich Village . . . wow! And it's unquestionably a rising stock -- I think NYU is where Stanford was 50 or 60 years ago: a great university that will be seen as one of the top universities in the world within a generation. (By the way, I have known John Sexton, the president there, for about 25 years. There is no classier person anywhere, and no better leader. Everything he touched at NYU Law School turned to gold, and I would bet on his success any day.)</p>
<p>NYU is a great choice. Lots of people get intimidated by New York -- it's the center of the world, after all. There's a lot of everything: people, goods, choices, wealth, poverty, hustle, opportunities. I don't blame kids who don't want to go to college in the middle of all that. But if your kid is mature enough to handle it, you can't beat it.</p>
<p>NYU- my D loved it when we visited...great location, very urban school and tres cool</p>
<p>And you don't have to Keep it to Yourself, as suggested earlier, be proud, share and glory in your Ds accomplishments</p>
<p>I live in California as well, there is this sort of, well, why not Berkely, or Stanford, or UCLA mentality...</p>
<p>My D wants to do East Coast school as well- NYC, Boston or WashDC...</p>
<p>Do not let the turkeys get you down...just say, we are so happy for her, and we know she will be just fine...</p>
<p>At Urban schools, what I discovered in our searching, was the students, staff, etc are VERY security aware- with those blue lights, escorts, etc., and they actually have few problems</p>
<p>We rode the subway, gosh, after 10pm in NYC, walked everywhere, and the only time we felt nervous or uncomfortable was a big sale at some outlet store...all that grabbing!!!</p>
<p>Again, share proudly, ignore the naysayers, and start shopping for dorm stuff!!!</p>
<p>Wow. I'm so sorry that you're having this experience. New York is an amazing city and NYU is a wonderful school. I'm a teensy bit offended that so many people have something against my city. You should be proud of your daughter!</p>
<p>How anyone, even those that don't like him, can fail to recognize his accomplishments is beyond me. When I first worked in NYC over 20 years ago - it was a wreck - dangerous - with an ugly feel - 1 of 7 (yes, this is so)</p>
<p>That is so completely true. I've worked in Times Square for a dozen years and I've watched the changes with awe. Prior to Guiliani, there were aggressive homeless living on every street corner in tourist areas. That is a very ugly thing and I'm grateful that it doesn't happen anymore.</p>