Hello, everyone! I was admitted into UCLA but have not gotten into NYU yet (if at all… decisions are taking forever…). I got into UCLA with a full-ride which is great, but I’ve lived on the west coast for so long I’m thinking going out of state would really help me grow more as a person. Although I haven’t heard anything from NYU, hypothetically, if I were to get in which university would you choose? I’m an applied mathematics major who wants to emphasize biology rather than finance/economy if that helps at all.
Disregard NYU’s tuition costs and FA, I want to focus on their program and life in NYC compared to the program at UCLA.
Thank you! Good luck to those still waiting on decisions!
Sunshine, California and no debt sounds good to me. NYU crowded, cold and once you are a Junior you have no housing! I’d do grad school there but take your free ride! Congrats!
Thank you! I’m actually already a junior. I’m going in as a transfer. Everyone seems to be on your side with the weather and no debt. Maybe I’ll get some good FA from NYU… If not, UCLA it is.
If they were the same price, then sure, you could go with either school based on your individual preferences. But free UCLA, which is a dope place, vs $70K/yr NYU? Dude, this is a no brainer.
Considering NYU’s long established reputation for providing miserly levels of need-based FA even for freshman admits, not very likely…especially if you’re going in as a transfer student.
Even a couple of years at NYU undergrad will put you in serious debt as one younger friend has been finding out and still enduring even after graduating from NYU CAS for over 10+ years.
Moreover, it’s far better to go to NYU as a grad student than an undergrad based on what I’ve observed from campus visits and from having numerous HS classmates/neighbors attending NYU for undergrad and/or grad school.
If I were you, I’d take the free ride to UCLA, do well, and apply to NYU for their PhD program in Applied Math. If it all works out, you will not only graduate UCLA debt free, you’ll get the best of both worlds…especially considering admission to NYU’s Applied Math PhD program means you’ll usually be fully funded through a fellowship and even receive a small living stipend to boot.
@myfrienddune UCLA and NYU are ranked very closely for applied math, Courant Institute at NYU is ranked 1, UCLA is outstanding in math and ranked top five in applied math most years.
Both undergraduate math programs are likely to be
a big step up, depending on where you did your first two years of training in mathematics.
You can look at masters degrees in CS, statistics or applied math or PhDs in all those subjects if
you do well at NYU or UCLA in math. They are both going to be outstanding training for subsequent study of math.
But there are no guarantees about funding at NYU for graduate school! They do admit students unfunded to
their math programs and outstanding math students out there pay CASH for a masters at NYU. PhD programs are usually funded, but often NYU will only admit a PhD hopeful to the unfunded masters program ! If you do well in their classes then you may have to reapply for the PhD.
Your ability to get into a top PhD program like Courant/NYU will depend on the number of math classes you have taken, your Math Subject GRE score, your GPA and your research experiences in mathematics.
My son tried to get into a PhD in applied math at NYU, with a double major in math and physics, Phi Beta Kappa, from a top midwestern university, and he was admitted to the NYU masters program in applied math, UNFUNDED!
He got into six other PhD programs, in mathematical physics, all funded, and he won a three year NSF award, and picked one of those. His GRE score was near perfect in physics. He has two publications in theoretical biophysics, one from a summer REU at a top east coast research university. (The tuition at NYU masters program would not have been waived so even with the three year NSF graduate award he could not afford NYU for two years, but the program is FABULOUS in applied math.
So the posters like @cobrat that suggest a PhD at NYU, may not know what you will be up against, but then if you are a very top math student, with high scores and math professors who believe you can do it, you can get in with some careful planning now.
If you want a PhD in applied math, you must sign up for summer math REUs during your undergraduate summers. Brown University stands out as a great summer training in applied math, and if you do well that may lead you to NYU later. U of Maryland is another program, and U of Minnesota Duluth another. Look up Mathematics REUs. Getting As at UCLA and perhaps taking the Putnam Exam may be helpful. The Putnam is mostly pure math but a good score
will go a long way in getting into any PhD program in math or applied math. Might as well try it! I think you can hide your Putnam scores easily if it does not pan out. The average score on the Putnam is usually 5 -10 points out of 114.
Ask your advisors when you get to UCLA about how to study for the Math GRE subject exam. There should be study sessions for that exam, and you will need to prepare for it. This is separate from the regular GRE, with has easy math on it. The GRE Subject exam is a very difficult exam testing undergraduate mathematics knowledge.
If one’s admitted to a PhD program as an unfunded student or to the Masters program, that’s basically a form of a rejection for whatever reason.
My post was coming from the experience of several colleagues/friends who were directly admitted to NYU’s PhD program at the Courant Institute in Applied Math with full funding straight from undergrad.
I also didn’t mean to imply getting admitted to NYU’s Applied Math PhD program is a cakewalk…a reason why I added the “if it all works out” part.
I think lots of students get rejected at Courant. An acceptance is an acceptance. It means the student can attend if they wish. Its just that its that hard to get in, with funding at quite a few math PhD programs, not just Courant, so it all depends on the undergrad depth in math is my understanding, but physics/math students can get in, if they have the right math background. If @cobrat colleagues and friends went to say Harvard Math or Princeton math or other east coast math, that helps. Those are pipeline schools. There are pipelines from one well regarded math program to another in the east. Some pipes travel from west to east, but caution is advised ! UCLA math may be a pipeline program, into Courant PhD programs, I do not know. Since UCLA is ultra competitive in math, it may be difficult to get the grades necessary but NYU will not be easier. UCLA may be more likely to lead to a math PhD at a west coast universities is my feeling. So the OP should think about it carefully. I think I might go to NYU over UCLA for undergrad, if he/she wants a PhD. later, at an east coast institution. New York City is different than LA though and equally distracting. I do not know the differences in the two undergrad curriculums, which would be useful to check for OP , or OP goals. Not sure he/she got into NYU either.
This doesn’t accord with the friends and colleagues’ experience with being admitted directly to NYU’s Applied Math PhD with full-funding. Especially considering some were admitted from lower-tiered LACs or directional state Us in the Midwest/West Coast with far lower rated math departments than UCLA’s without issues.
Another thing to think about is having ~$140,000 in undergrad debt for just 2 years at NYU CAS is going to be a burden OP will be feeling for years after undergrad…especially with the compounding interest.
One friend is still feeling the constraining effects of his undergrad debt from just 2 years at NYU CAS even 10+ years after graduation. Should OP be willing to risk that when there’s a free-ride offer from UCLA which has a comparably elite Applied Math department by your own admission?
Edit: Just looked up the USNWR Applied Math rankings…UCLA is ranked right behind NYU at #2. In that case, the differences are likely to be so minor OP should take the full-ride to UCLA.
@cobrat I fully understand that the full-ride is something I should not let go of. The only issue is, I would love to work on the east coast or go to grad school there after UCLA (if I plan to attend, which is 85% likely at this point). I’m just more so infatuated by the idea of leaving my hometown again to an entirely new city, especially NYC. Of course, I should just wait and reapply for grad programs on the east; I’m just impatient…
@Coloradomama Thank you for telling me about the Math Putnam exam; I wouldn’t have considered that! I’m aiming towards research with a strong emphasis on computing genetic data and animating simulations. Unfortunately, I have not heard back from NYU and will likely be either rejected or given poor aid since I’ll be in the last batch of decisions. And with a UCLA math degree, I’d hope it wouldn’t be difficult to get into east coast schools…?
NYC will always be there for jobs and a UCLA degree won’t pose any obstacles for those.
Same with grad schools provided you excel, get great research experience and LORs, and write a great statement of purpose. The schools…especially one with a comparably elite applied math department as UCLA’s won’t be the defining barriers here.
Also, keep in mind it’s only 2-3 more years…a seemingly long time now but once you are older, will be a blink of an eye in the greater scheme of things.
Disclosure: Worked with many UCLA alums on the east coast and have several relatives who ended up finding great career opportunities around the world.
Are you serious? You got a full ride to ucla, a top notch school…and you’re debating over nyu which cost 70k or more for what? NYU isn’t really prestigious. Ucla is. And a full ride? The choice should be easy
@chemist76. NYU is the top applied math program in the world, see Courant Institute:
https://www.cims.nyu.edu/
NYU is ranked ahead of Princeton University and UCLA, which are both strong, in applied mathematics, and everyone in the field is well aware of this rank.
@chemist76. If original poster wants a PhD in math it may matter some. If he/she wants to go into actuary work, or some other field that does not require a PhD it may not matter. Its very difficult to get into PhD math programs so everything a student does in undergrad matters , every problem solved, every professor interacted with and the actual classes themselves. UCLA is a monster school, some people get lost there. NYU is also a monster school but the math program will be smaller, I believe. Those are all reasons to pay more and go to NYU.
To compare the two math programs UCLA and NYU , study these two websites. UCLA has a wide net, covering every type of math major, from actuary, math teaching degrees, finance and econometrics, theoretical and applied math:
http://www.armedcampuses.org/
NYU Courant is a private college, with a very prestigious math program for very top math students.
https://math.nyu.edu/dynamic/undergrad/overview/
You can get a fine education at either college. The experience in New York City will be different than LA and the student body different, one west coast versus east coast heavy. NYU is in an intense urban environment. UCLA in a wealthy suburban enclave of a world class city.
Not every student needs to worry about money. I think the OP may not need to is my understanding.
@myfrienddune I think you have a very good chance from UCLA to get into fantastic math grad programs on the east coast. Look at Brown University applied math as well. It is not that likely that NYU will give significant financial aid, for an undergrad, but I am with you that NYU might give you that academic edge. The problem is if you want a masters/PhD you may need to pay for some of that, but it all depends on the classes you take and the summer research work you do, whether you can get funding for a masters or PhD. Apply to the NSF GREP for grad school too. its three years of funding for a PhD in math/science.
Look at the Brown U summer REU and others. It will help you get into NYU later, but its not offered every year, check back:
http://www.dam.brown.edu/people/sandsted/rtg/
U of Maryland REU Math:
https://www-math.umd.edu/maps-reu.html
http://ireap.umd.edu/education/trend
PM me if you want more math recommendations for your summers.
Also housing will be pricy in NYC, for undergrad or grad school.
@myfrienddune NSF GRFP could fund part of your masters or PhD program at any university. UCLA is absolutely strong in math. Do not underestimate it, it will be a challenge. Also attempt to take a second major or minor in the field that most interests you, such as biology for bioinformatics, economics for econometrics, physics for computational physics, or fluid dymamics. UCLA is stronger in engineering than NYU. So depending on your exact interests, that could be an advantage to UCLA. bioengineering for instance.
Here is the process to apply for the three year grant on your own. The NSF will not tell you if you got it until after the grad schools tell you that you got in, although NYU is a little later than some other graduate programs. NYU will admit students who they do not fund, as I mentioned earlier. Its a way to get all the math that you missed, taking a masters at NYU, but with careful planning you should be able to take all of it at UCLA. Look at what NYU requires and copy it.
@myfrienddune Here is another enrichment for undergrads, in Hungary, many students who do this program go on
to successful math careers. There are many REUs for mathematicians too. Students that do those programs are the ones getting into Brown U and NYU Courant for grad school. More than one intense math program helps for admissions, but your Math Subject exam GRE score matters a lot.
@Coloradomama Thank you for all of your input! I needed the depth of knowledge you knew about NYU to weigh my potential options… All in all, I strive to go to NYU because of the small class sizes, courses, and urban lifestyle. I’m striving to go for a Ph. D as well and would love to work on the east coast later in life, so my mind has been focused on NYU. I really shouldn’t get my hopes high though since I haven’t even heard back from 'em! Regardless, like many of you said, either of the schools will provide me with an excellent education, but I’ll probably be going to UCLA for transfer next fall :3.