<p>I'm an international student from Pakistan. All three colleges( college of arts and sciences in the case of tufts and NYU) have their own set of pros and cons and none seems better than the other. I'm very confused. Need urgent advice!!
So basically.
-I want to major in Econ or finance which I know CMC has a great program for. so does stern except I'll have to internally transfer.
- My parents are paying the full cost.
- Location doesn't really matter as I like all three equally, though my dad likes NYC because he thinks living there will teach me a lot plus it has the best opportunities for internships etc in the finance sector :)
- good study abroad programs are really important for me and I love all the places NYU sends it's students too!
- CMC is definitely highest in rankings (LACS) but it's not internationally recognised. That's important because I plan to work in Pakistan.
- I don't want the environment to be too secluded or too impersonal and I know that NYU and CMC are on the ends of that spectrum!
I'll be grateful to anyone willing to offer advice :D</p>
<p>Honestly I would probs take CMC ver NYU Econ but if you want to work internationally NYU has the better reputation. </p>
<p>I’d go with NYU as well.</p>
<p>The schools are so different that they are hard to compare. CMC will give you an excellent education and you will have access to all the schools in the Claremont Consortium. CMC is part of an amazing group of colleges that include Pomona, Scripps, Pitzer and Harvey Mudd. You will have individualized attention and many other benefits. If you plan to go to grad school afterwards this could be your best choice for an individualized education. It is located near Los Angeles but still far away enough away to be considered very suburban. There will be little support for you religiously and you will not be able to get Hallal food on a consistent basis if that is important to you. CMC is not well known internationally, BUT it is very well known in your field and that is most important.</p>
<p>NYU will give you the opportunity to live in NYC near the economic heart of the financial world. Your father is absolutely correct that the location in and of itself will be a great education. NYU also has a superior name recognition internationally and a great rep in your field. There is a huge Pakistani community and all the support that you could possibly want to keep your faith and dietary restrictions. Again, only if that is important to you. </p>
<p>I’d go with CMC because it’ll offer you the best undergraduate experience by far as well as the best education. The Claremont Consortium is a huge asset and your networking is expanded by the other four colleges as well. CMC is rapidly becoming one of the most distinguished LACs out there and their graduates do extremely well, especially in the sectors that you’re interested in. I don’t think there’s that big of a name brand difference between NYU and CMC among elite circles, but Pakistan might be different. </p>
<p>There is a strong Muslim community in the 5 colleges, if you’re interested. Halal food might be difficult to get, but 7 dining halls with great vegetarian variety don’t make it too bad. </p>
<p>I mean you yourself say it- - “I don’t want the environment to be too secluded or too impersonal and I know that NYU and CMC are on the ends of that spectrum!” CMC is not secluded at all- it’s in the heart of a bustling consortium with a vibrant social and athletic scene, and in the middle of a 18 million people metropolitan. NYU on the other hand is likely to be quite impersonal due to the nature of a larger university. At CMC I think you’ll find the balance you’re looking for.</p>
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<p>You cannot be serious!!!</p>
<p>Claremont is not in the middle of anything. It is a bucolic town of 35,000 population, 40+ miles from downtown LA with little/no public transportation. It is a really poor choice for an international, particularly if the OP does not have a car.</p>
<p>For an international, prestige trumps all, but a large margin. Between Tufts and NYU, the former probably offers a more intimate college experience, but the latter has better international name recognition. NYU is a no-brainer.</p>
<p>bluebayou says: Claremont is not in the middle of anything. It is a bucolic town of 35,000 population, 40+ miles from downtown LA with little/no public transportation. It is a really poor choice for an international, particularly if the OP does not have a car.</p>
<p>Nothing in the statement is true. The hundreds of students from other countries who staff the booths at this weekend’s International Fair, held for the last 39 years on the CMC campus, would argue that it’s much easier to be a foreign student here than at a large university. You’ll find plenty of peers (by nationality and religion) and also find it easy to meet - and learn from - students from the U.S. and dozens of other countries. Every student lives on campus, so off-campus enclaves don’t become foreign ghettoes. It’s easy to get into LA by train, when you want to, but you will find exciting cultural and athletic activity on each of the five undergraduate campuses. The Robert Day School of Economics and Finance offers far more research and internship opportunities than you will find at either NYU or Tufts, and your links to Wall Street will be superb. (CMC alumni include KKR founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts and TCW founder Robert Day, whose $200 million gift created the Day School mentioned before.)CMC is truly a no-brainer.</p>
<p>" Claremont is not in the middle of anything. It is a bucolic town of 35,000 population, 40+ miles from downtown LA with little/no public transportation. It is a really poor choice for an international, particularly if the OP does not have a car."</p>
<p>Last time I checked, it was I who actually attends a college here (Pomona), not you. I know way more than you do about the current status of Claremont, and about the ease of connecting to places in the SoCal basin, and about what these schools do to help with that. </p>
<p>First of all, Claremont is right in the middle of the Inland Empire and Los Angeles county. This directional guide really does show the central presence that Claremont has- <a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/about/pomoniana/center-of-it-all.aspx”>http://www.pomona.edu/about/pomoniana/center-of-it-all.aspx</a> SoCal is not some farmland with large cities scattered- it’s a field of cities all throughout. Claremont is in very close proximity to Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, and Ontario- all of which have populations of 100,000+, and also very close to several places with populations of around 75,000+. So it is not in the middle of nowhere, unless you consider being in the middle of the 2nd largest metro nowhere.</p>
<p>Secondly, these are residential colleges which highly encourage students to go out and explore the SoCal Basin. I can’t speak for CMC as I’m not a student there, but just at Pomona, I’ve been to Knott’s Berry Farm, Cirque de Soleil, 3 concents, 2 orchestras at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Universal Studios, Pantages Theater, Hollywood, Staples Center, Six Flags Magic Mountain, LACMA, Griffith Park, LA County Fair, San Diego Zoo, the Getty Center, Hungington Gardens, and the list goes on. I do not own a car but it has not impeded me from making the most of this diverse location, as the school covers much of transportation. In terms of exploring natural scenery, SoCal is one of the most diverse places in the country to do so, and I’ve gone to Sequoia National Park, Joshua Tree, several different beaches, and Zion National Park as a result of our outdoor’s club (the largest group on the five colleges). </p>
<p>Entertainment isn’t the only thing one can find here. Connections with companies are available too. Pomona for instance has an internship program which sponsors 10% of the student body to do an internship in SoCal during their school semester, and it pays for the transportation in addition to a living salary. Internships are available in virtually every discipline- arts, non-profit, medicine, law, business- and students can also get funding for internships which they themselves find. I know Claremont McKenna has a similar thing. </p>
<p>In terms of getting to Los Angeles, the Metrolink drops your right off in downtown LA in approximately 50 minutes, and I can’t remember one time that it was delayed. Then from there ((Union Station), you can take a train to San Diego, take multiple different subways to different parts of Los Angeles, take the fly away bus to LAX, take a MegaBus to Las Vegas or San Francisco, and so forth. There are definitely places which require cars, but Pomona has those covered through its partnership with Zipcar and its own private cars, so if there’s enough demand it’s easy to go. I know International Place provides a lot of different excursions for its students, all subsidized, to get to explore California, such as Disney Land and San Francisco Spring Break Trip. </p>
<p>Claremont itself is the right “escape” from the busy rush of the 2nd largest metropolitan area. It’s beautiful, safe, and has necessities like banks, movie theaters, cheap restaurants, and salons. The Claremont Colleges themselves provide so many events that there’s seldom a need to go out- just tomorrow for instance, we have a Sanskriti performance, International Festival, No-Chella Music festival, and the Bashment Party- all of which will attract 100s of students from all around the Claremont Colleges. Today, the Seminannual Hackathon begins, there will be three different movie screenings, a film festival featuring original productions, Salsa Night, and the Surfboardt party.</p>
<p>Claremont McKenna in particular has a thriving international student body- almost a 1/5 of the student population. And I know from personal experience that they’re an extremely welcoming and supportive group- international students love the Claremont Colleges. I-Place provides students with home-stays to help them adjust to life in America, and they also build a family that preserves even while most domestic students go home for winter break (international students tend to stay on campus). </p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the advice 
I have no dietary/religious issues. I love everything about CMC and it seems too good to be true so I was worried I was missing something. Anyway thanks again :D</p>
<p>I would tell you to chose NYU over CMC. CMC is kinda in the middle of nowhere. Inland Empire / Ontario isn’t exactly a fun area and you are at least a half hour drive from downtown LA or anywhere else interesting. If you don’t have a car you probably won’t enjoy your stay. Furthermore LA, while a world renown city, lacks the big city feel of either SF or NY. I think as an international student you will find NYU much more enjoyable. Just my 2 cents. </p>
<p>I think in telling you to go to NYU people are missing the point that you have to transfer into Stern. I’m betting it’s not easy to internally transfer to Stern, so you may want to consider that. Would you be happy if you didn’t get into Stern and you had to stay in CAS all four years? I’m pretty sure you can major in economics at CAS.</p>
<p>Living in any of those three places will teach you a lot, and financial sector internships are available in Boston and LA too. There are more in New York, but they are also more competitive. There aren’t any special lessons NYC has to teach you that you can’t learn in/near LA or Boston (or really, in Claremont or Medford). CMC and Tufts both also have great study abroad opportunities. And if you don’t want an impersonal environment, then CMC or Tufts is probably the better choice for you.</p>
<p>Is school prestige important for getting jobs in Pakistan? There are a lot of colleges “nobody” has heard of, or are not well known, here in the United States, but I consistently meet people who went to them and are still gainfully employed. In the U.S. there are only certain fields in which school prestige is important; otherwise, it’s really more about what you accomplished in undergrad (and even then, after your first job it’s all about your track record).</p>
<p>FWIW, I toured Tufts with my son and was very impressed with the campus. It seems not too big, not too small.
It is actually in a suburb. though access to Boston is easy no doubt. .
Tufts has a well known international relations program, which I guess you are not in, but you might check up about it. I have some very successful foreign relatives who went there, so they must have known about it from their country, at least.</p>
<p>IMO you’ve got NYU figured correctly, it has no campus to speak of and students just drift off into the city. Many of its dorms aren’t even close to the campus. It is highly impersonal. Its various schools constitute a dense beaurocracy of separate fiefdoms. With tons of students. New York is a great city, but it is a lot greater if you are an adult making money and can actually go to all those great restaurants, as opposed to looking in the window as a student who does not have a ton of money.
Nevertheless, you will spend a ton of money there, just living and going out.</p>
<p>NYU may be famous internationally, but around here in New York, Tufts is a lot tougher admit and their students are generally considered academically stronger than NYU CAS students. </p>
<p>As for Claremont, it has a total of 189 students listed as “non resident alien”. Pomona has 71. You have to remember these schools are teeny. It’s far enough from LA that you won’t be going there all the time, particularly if you don’t have a car, and I’ve read less than glowing reports about the immediately surrounding area. Also, I really don’t particularly like LA, it’s too sprawling and you need a car to get anywhere. But that’s me.</p>
<p>You’ll have to look into all these things more, reputational considerations, etc, from where you are, but if it were me, I would pick Tufts. But I am an east coaster and do not know Claremont beyond what I’ve read. My D1 visited Pomona, and S was admitted to Pitzer, but none of them were interested in Claremont McKenna so I didn’t look into it extensively.</p>
<p>NYU for name recognition internationally, CMC for the quality of the life and education, attention , amentities if you are not set on big city experience. I’d pick CMC in a heartbeat, but i’m not Pakistani. I’ve known international kids have trouble with schools like the little ivies in their home countries. Name recognition can be a big deal.</p>
<p>BTW, an (inaccurate) estimate that was published a while ago indicates that about one-third of the students at NYU and at Tufts are Jewish, CMC had a far lower proportion. I mention this only because of my own personal limited experience with students from Moslem countries, the particular individuals I met were not great fans of same. Of course this may be of no importance to you, or to many or even most of your fellow countrymen, but due to my personal experience I thought it might be worth mentioning to you. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone
monydad and juillet thanks for the insightful advice. Really helpful!</p>
<p>Another thing I’d suggest you look into is, my impression is a disproportionate chunk of Claremont McKenna students are interested in economics and finance. That being the case, I wonder to what extent you will really experience the small classes there, in those particular areas, that you might expect. Suggest you check.
My own bias is, a lot of courses in these areas lend themselves to lecture format, not discussion so much. And once the Prof. is mostly just lecturing, it hardly mattters how many other people are sitting there with you listening to his lecture and taking notes.</p>
<p>But again, that’s just me.</p>
<p>He’ll experience small classes- some 80% of CMC classes have under 20 students. However, you are right in your judgement that most econ/finance courses will be taught lecture style. However, CMC’s history, lit, and philosophy departments are excellent (and taught seminar style).</p>