As a future upcoming college student, I’ve come to the very hard decision of where I want to go for college. Although I would love to go to NYU, I know currently I most likely would not be able to get into their Stern school, and even if I managed to get in I would not be able to pay the immense costs that, that school requires. So I’ve come to the decision of whether I should go to Baruch Zicklin School of Business, or Nassau Community College. I’m looking to work my ass off in either one of these schools, however I wanted to know which one I would have a better chance of being able to transfer into a more prestigious school from. Baruch is known for their excellent business school within the CUNY school system, and Nassau Community is recognized as one of the best transfer schools, and community colleges in the country. So where would you guys recommend I go to for the first year - 2 years, if I wish to transfer into a more prestigious school such as NYU in the future. Also please take into consideration that I will receive free tuition from either school, as I apply for the Excelsior program here in NY state.
CUNY is slightly less expensive than SUNY, but as you have Excelsior, the decision for me would be based in part on where you live. Will you have to commute into Manhattan on the LIRR because that can add several hundred dollars monthly for fare, plus it may take longer to commute, or are you already in the city, in which case you might only need to buy a monthly Metro Card, which is about $125/month now?
Also, NCC is a 2 year college while Baruch is a 4 year college. NCC has a dedicated transfer office and a good honors program. Also, you can take care of your gen eds there. In terms of that, if NYU is your goal, you should not register for any classes at either Baruch or NCC without consulting the transfer equivalencies tables to make sure you will get reciprocal credit.
I would finish with saying that if your family qualifies for Excelsior, what makes you think you would be able to afford NYU? Graduating from Baruch is an accomplishment and it can get you into the work force with little to no debt, which means that your young adult life could be so much more pleasant and you could more easily pursue a graduate degree.
Good luck.
What are your net costs at each school? The Excelsior won’t cover tuition at private colleges like NYU, so I can’t imagine how you’d afford it, especially as a transfer student. What school (or combination of schools) can you afford all 4 years?
Not a good idea to transfer to a more expensive school. You will receive much less aid than you would have as a freshman.
It looks like you live in Nassau.
A monthly LIRR ticket to get you to Baruch will run between $250 and $300, depending on where in Nassau you are. Then, too, you have to get to and from the LIRR-- that could mean paying to park your car somewhere every day if there’s not a station within walking distance. And when you get to Penn Station, you still have to get to Baruch-- not sure whether or not you’ll want to take a subway for that 1.2 mile walk… think snow and sleet and ice in January and February. A metro card is about another $120 per month.
Going to Nassau will probably mean getting a car if you don’t already have one. Yes, you can get used. But don’t forget the added price of insurance.
From Nassau you could also transfer to Farmingdale or SUNY Old Westbury for a far more reasonable cost than NYU. Working your tail off or not, I suspect that NYU will be as unaffordable for you as it would be for us… and that’s in addition to what it would cost to dorm there. Excelsior is ONLY good at SUNY and CUNY. https://www.ny.gov/programs/tuition-free-degree-program-excelsior-scholarship
Of course, you could always start off at either Farmingdale or Old Westbury. It wouldn’t really change the finances, but it would relieve you of the burden of applying again in 2 years, and of being new to another school after you transfer.