Which College.... (specifically NYU VS FSU VS CUNY:BC)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey all, I'm new here first of all. I joined in order to post this because I'm honestly at a loss. Don't worry, this isn't a chance me thread. I know there are already hundreds of thousands of those here haha. This is more specific. I know the thread says NYU VS FSU VS BC, but I'm actually debating more between BC and FSU because of money.</p>

<p>I have already been accepted to CUNY: BC (City University of New York: Brooklyn College) FSU will get back to me in March, NYU in April. </p>

<p>This is sort of a thread to compare the three colleges. I want to study Film Production, so hope that helps in deciding which is the right one. I am currently a Florida Resident, so going to FSU for me (after doing several rough calculations of room, supplies, food, etc.) would be roughly 20 grand whereas Brooklyn College would be nearly 30 grand. NYU... I'd rather not say at the moment haha.</p>

<p>From the research I've done, here are the pros and cons I've come up with if I were to attend FSU:</p>

<p>Pros:
- I'm not TOO far from home, my parents said they'd be willing to drive the 8 hours to come get me and take me home for holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Or, I can fly.
- It's cheaper to go there because I'm a Florida Resident.
- I don't lose Bright Futures (Gold Medallion) for going out of state.
- It's a new place.</p>

<p>Cons:
- Florida is not the state for my major; I want to study Film Production. I know the best places to go for that is New York City and Los Angeles.
- I fear that Florida may be lacking internships and/or other opportunities to add to my resume, as like I said before, pretty much all films are made in NYC or LA.
- I don't know anyone there. (No family, no friends)
- FSU's film production department, from what I've heard, isn't as good or high quality as NYU's or BC's.</p>

<p>Pros and Cons of going to BC:</p>

<p>Pros:
- It's in New York, the perfect place to study for my major.
- There are bound to be far more internships and film societies/clubs I can join due to the fact it is in New York. This'll be great for my future resume.
- I'm already accepted there.
- I am near family and friends. (I do have family in New York and I know of a friend that told me if I go to NY he can help me out.)</p>

<p>Cons:
- It's more expensive because I'm out of state; almost 10 grand more.
- Flying back and forth, even for the holidays, can be a problem due to the fact New York is 25 hours from Florida (by driving) to there, and plane tickets skyrocket in the holidays.
- I lose Bright Futures.</p>

<p>Pros of going to NYU:
- One of the top schools in the country.
- It's fantastic for film.
- It's near the city, where I'm guaranteed opportunities for film internships and/or clubs.
- They have high quality professors and awesome records.</p>

<p>Cons:
- It's a private school, so it's VERY expensive. It's probably more than we can bear.
- Again, I don't get Bright Futures because I'm not staying in Florida. </p>

<p>So after looking at these, I'm really at a loss of what to do. My parents are trying to convince me to stay in Florida, but I really don't want to because I know that Florida is not the state for Film; that's all California and New York. There's just not that many opportunities here in Florida like there will be in LA and NYC. It might ruin my future for making this one mistake of college choice. NYU is already extremely expensive so Idk if I'm even going there anymore. It'd really suck if I can't go because of money. I hate how money's a factor for everything.....</p>

<p>So anyway, that's my question. Out of those three, after looking at the pros and cons of each, where do you think I should consider going? I'm honestly at a loss and I don't know what to do at this point.</p>

<p>Sorry for being so long.</p>

2

<p>When you have all of your financial aid packages, run the numbers here: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid) Then think about what the cost difference can mean for you. For example right now you find a difference of 10k each year between the Cost of Attendance at FSU and at CUNY-BC. That 10k saved could mean that you can afford to take a couple of unpaid summer-long internships, or heck, even a semester off for an internship. 10k x 4 years = 40k which would be a nice chunk of change to put toward some film projects of your own or to help pay for an MFA program one day.</p>

<p>If you have not yet paid a visit to your department at FSU, do that. When you are there, talk with the various professors about where their students go for summer internships (paid and unpaid) and where they go after graduation. You might be pleasantly surprised. At the very least, you will be better prepared for studying there if it turns out to be your only option come May 1.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>

3

<p>Pretty sure FSU has one of the top film schools…</p>

4

<p>This site ranks it #1 nationally: <a href=“http://education-portal.com/top_ranked_film_universities_in_united_states.html[/url]”>http://education-portal.com/top_ranked_film_universities_in_united_states.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Top 25 here: <a href=“http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/25-best-film-schools-rankings-215714[/url]”>http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/25-best-film-schools-rankings-215714&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It’s definitely regarded as one of the best film schools so that debunks your “FL is not the place for film” con and the other schools’ pros of being reputable film schools is no longer relevant, since so is FSU. </p>

<p>I’d say definitely FSU for film; much greater value for your money, being a FL resident and all.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the responses. I appreciate it! </p>

<p>@Seeking Uni: I remember seeing that link before, and it does look legit. Maybe it’s a little far fetched for it to be ahead of NYU’s considering that NYU is a lot more expensive but… maybe it’s just me haha. Thanks for responding. Maybe I am underestimating Florida a tad… it’s just that I’m always the one to think that the more expensive = the higher quality education you get. Hence why Private Universities are usually better than Public Universities. Maybe that’s a stereotypical label… but Idk. I was also considering USC but that’s also expensive… after looking at the other link (the top 25) I confirmed that most of those schools are indeed from NY and Cali…</p>

<p>@happymomof1: That sounds like a great idea… so in other words do internships during the summer? Hmmm… it’s definitely an option. I’ll probably give Florida more consideration now…</p>

<p>I was also given the idea to do two or four years here in FL, then go out of state to NYC or LA as a transfer student/graduate, respectively. How about that? That’s also another question I wanted to ask: </p>

<p>Is it true that it’s harder to get accepted into college as a college graduate rather than a high school senior? I say that because since college is harder, it’s probably also gonna be harder to maintain a high GPA. Not only that, the government doesn’t help you anymore; you’re pretty much on your own with the money.</p>

6

<p>“FSU is the only film school in the country that pays for the production costs of all of its students’ films, thereby creating a level playing field for students to focus on art, craft and imagination, instead of fundraising. To ensure that this high caliber of education is available to the most talented student regardless of financial means, the university offers generous scholarships and assistantships, and tuition costs that are among the lowest in the country.” <a href=“http://film.fsu.edu/About-FSU-Film/Overview[/url]”>http://film.fsu.edu/About-FSU-Film/Overview&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I say go there,
for Film… it’s best
for Price… it’s best
Kind of a no brainer. ALSO… I know someone that graduated from the film school recently and they are already very sucessful.</p>

7

<p>Hmmm… and that is from the FSU website so it is believable… thanks for the link. I guess I really should give Florida more consideration. Thank you for your input. I am going to look into it more… I know that it’s not gonna be all THAT expensive compared to NYU and BC (though BC isn’t too much like NYU is) but I just want to make sure that I go to the right one. If I have a better opportunity in NYC or LA then I might go there… or if I find after further research that FL also has internships/film societies/clubs then I see no reason why I can’t stay here…</p>

8

<p>The FSU Film School is hideously competitive. About 30 freshmen are accepted each year. FSU Film screens students on the front end, whereas the other film schools accept more students initially and then weed them out later.</p>

9

<p>Simba1994,</p>

<p>Many students (and parents) have the foolish notions that more expensive = better and that private = better than public. Do not let yourself fall into that trap. Take a look at what each institution offers, and where the graduates end up. That way you can best determine which places are better for you and your own career goals.</p>

10

<p>I agree with happymom. Simba, you are definitely underestimating FSU. Although the little “higher cost = better education” adage may be generally true (again, generally), the game changes when you consider a school’s particular department/college. Yale (insert prestigious school here) may be a better university overall, but school xyz (insert state school here, e.g. FSU) may have a better film school than the prestigious school.</p>

11

<p>@Parent2noles: Wow, I did not know that to be honest. Guess I really haven’t done enough research yet haha. I don’t have all that much time either so I gotta get busy.</p>

<p>@Happymomof1: Thanks. I guess it is true that more expensive =/= better all the time. I know it is generally true as SeekingUni said, but not always. Idk about NYU; I thought that was the best tbh. On that top 25 link SeekingUni posted I saw that it did indeed have mostly NY and CA schools, though I saw Florida there too. I guess I won’t know for sure until April. </p>

<p>@SeekingUni: I appreciate your input. I’ll definitely give FSU more consideration now. FSU’s film school could most definitely be better than BC’s, despite the fact that BC has a lower acceptance rate overall. I also like how FSU appears to pay for student productions according to their website. That’s a big plus for me; I won’t have to spend as much money which can go to either personal expenses or a masters degree elsewhere such as NY or LA.</p>

<p>Once again, really appreciate all the input so far. This process of selecting isn’t as easy as it looks haha. Do you guys think it’s harder to get into a college as a graduate than an undergraduate freshman btw? That’s also been on my mind for a while. I would think considering that my high school records will most likely be higher than my college records. Probably a 3.76 GPA out of a 4.0 scale I have now in high school compared to like a 3.5 or something I may get in college. In addition to that, moneywise, you’re on your own I heard.</p>