UVA vs. NYU Stern

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
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<p>For economics and business economics.</p>

<p>I am an Echols Scholar, but it doesn't look like it's going to be a tipping factor. I am an international student and have to pay full price at both. UVA tuition is around $50k and Stern is around $60k, but in Stern, I'll have to live in New York City, adding a lot of extra costs.</p>

<p>Obviously, I am interested in going into business/finance. Job and internship opportunities are very important to me. I have to excel and find myself good opportunities to get a job in the US after I graduate. Alumni networks are a plus. I heard Stern has a terrible curve, but haven't heard much about UVA's grade in/deflation. I think I can do with big classes, but I'll have a really hard time with bad grade deflation.</p>

<p>The catch with Stern is that I may want to major in physics later. I don't know a lot about business and finance and very unsure about my future career path. But I'll have to apply to the UVA Commerce School in freshman year if I want to get in anyway(I think).</p>

<p>Also, I am really big on the music scene when it comes to figuring out what college would be a good fit for me (that's basically all I do for fun). NYU is clearly better in this respect, but then, I'll probably be broke if I went there. I know virtually nothing about Charlottesville the city.</p>

<p>This is kind of a stupid angle, but I would like a functional (not necessarily big) dating/partying scene too. I don't know how much of that goes on at NYU without a campus and their large gay population. UVA probably has a healthy amount of dating and partying going on.</p>

<p>FYI, other schools I am also considering are Davidson College, American University with $20k scholarship, and Boston College, but UVA and NYU are my top choices.</p>

<p>Any help is appreciated!</p>

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<p>Hi, lullina,</p>

<p>You seem to have stated contradictory things or maybe your point is that you are still uncertain about what professional goal you will ultimately pursue, business, physics, or maybe something else.</p>

<p>“Obviously, I am interested in going into business/finance.”</p>

<p>Then, next paragraph, “The catch with Stern is that I may want to major in physics later. I don’t know a lot about business and finance and very unsure about my future career path.” </p>

<p>If you are not ready to devote yourself to one specialty area and need to explore further, then an undergraduate program that is more broad-based and allows you to explore your interests further should fit better (in this case UVA).</p>

<p>However, if you have more certainty about being in business/ finance (in particular), then Stern is probably a top choice for what it can give you, especially if you are ready to work hard and try to do your best. Read hellodocks thread, “Ask a Current Stern Sophomore,” if you have not done so yet. He has great tips and advice on how to do well (though, of course, it is still up to the individual).</p>

<p>By the way, NYC will require 60K+ but closer to 60K if you choose to live in a Low Cost Triple for your freshman year (save $5000 compared to a double room). So there are ways to cut cost and keep a tighter budget. </p>

<p>Which leads me to the importance of the music scene for you. Wow, you should be in nirvana in NYC. There are a lot of choices. Of course, if you have money you can go to fancier places, like Lincoln Center (excellent jazz series) or concerts with famous people coming through. However, you can also access things either very reasonably or for free even. My son has gone to free events at Brooklyn Academy of Music and cheaper after hour Jazz series. And there is all kinds of music in the city, rock, pop, jazz, hip hop, etc… It is also sonny’s favorite past time. He has his own band and he tells me there is lot of talent to tap into with Tisch and the Clive Davis Dept. of Recorded Music. Also the larger city. He goes into the small bars (most times for free) and he has been asked to join the band onstage!</p>

<p>Anyway, that is the main part I want to address. For someone who loves music, there is no more fertile and exhilarating place to be than NYC.</p>

<p>Hehe, except maybe New Orleans if you are into jazz and blues music.</p>

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<p>Extra costs in NYC won’t be that large of a factor. Your freshman year you’ll be on a meal plan, so you shouldn’t be spending too much on food beyond that. Granted, everything costs more in the city, but if you aren’t a spendthrift you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>If you’re interested in finance, you’re interested in finance. If you’re looking for career opportunities, Stern blows UVA out of the water. It’d be closer if you were talking about McIntire as that’s a top-10 nationally ranked business program, but if you fail to get into the school of commerce you are just not in the same league as Stern.</p>

<p>Stern’s curve is rough. Quite rough. You just have to put in the work to make sure you’re at the top of your classes though, that’s what it boils down to. Trust me, I made every excuse in the book my first year and eventually realized I was doing myself a disservice rationalizing and just started working harder. No clue how UVA’s grading is.</p>

<p>If you’re still undecided about career focus, Stern might not be for you. It’s a brilliant school for people who (a) know they want something in business and are just trying to sort out exactly which discipline while they get one of the best quantitative educations in the country, and (b) people who aren’t sure they want business as a career but definitely want that quantitative education so they can apply it to whatever career they do identify as an interest.</p>

<p>If you’re interested in music, I don’t see how this is even a comparison. UVA may have more on-campus (doubtful), but NYU has New York City. In addition to the vibrant, thriving music scene at school with all the performance/music majors, artsy kids who just love all art, and kids who were musicians as children, there’s the entire city’s population. You’ll have sensory overload.</p>

<p>For partying, it is what you make of it. There’s more than 21,000 undergrads here so whether you like to stay in and party in a more intimate setting, hit lax bars in the Village, or go to clubs out in the city, you can find whatever appeals to you. UVA probably tops NYU in terms of kids dating, but I look at that as a function of their respective location more than anything. In VA there’s far less to do or less stimulating a social scene so dating is kind of a natural recourse, whereas in the city there’s almost too many options for anything and everything all the time.</p>