<p>“D” means daughter. “S” means son.</p>
<p>uskoolfish summed up NYU very, very well. read their post carefully.</p>
<p>NYC is dark? Um. One look, just one look, out to the city at night from the Brooklyn Bridge (or Jersey City or something), and I think NYC looks anything but dark. </p>
<p>Last year I did an overnight at NYU (I was still a junior). While I agree with the fact that NYU lacks community, I think the reason behind it is because NYU students are VERY driven. They know what they want, and they know which resources they need to use in order to get it. This can be a problem for people who aren’t exactly sure where to go. With NYC in general, it is really easy to get lost…especially when it seems like everyone else around you knows where they’re going. Point is, you have to be very outgoing in order to reach out to New Yorkers, and to make something out of yourself at a place where everyone is striving to reach the top.</p>
<p>I’m sure whoever made the original comment about New York City being dark was not referring to the amount of electrical lighting present, but was rather referring to the fact that NYC is no SoCal; it’s not exactly the sunniest place on Earth.</p>
<p>I was insanely excited to come to NYU but found myself largely disappointed. New York City is awesome, but it’s also very inaccessible. Museums, theatre, concerts, shopping, clubs, restaurants, cafes, sports games — COSTS a lot of money. While I thought I’d be out every weekend clubbing or seeing the latest in theatre, I’ve found that I simply cannot afford it. And this is coming from a person with an allowance $100 a week. Money goes fast. </p>
<p>So, stuck at the dorm, one realizes that your options are really slim. There are no regular (cheap) parties to go to like there are at other colleges. No one parties in the same places so you don’t see people regularly. Your richer friends will probably go out, so you’ll be stuck at home alone.</p>
<p>Honestly, it’s the promise of a shiny B.A. that’s keeping me centered. I’d have gone crazy otherwise. This place caters to a certain type of person. PM me if you’ve got questions.</p>
<p>@chocotufu - yeah it is expensive, but if you’re a woman, lots of clubs and lounges don’t have a cover charge if you show up before a certain time (usually 11 or 12) and people often pregame so it’s not like you spend all your money on drinks once you’re there. </p>
<p>Museums are often free on a certain day of the week (MoMA is free friday after 4) or have student discounts. Some are only “suggested admission fee” like the MET and Natural History Museum. And there are tons of art galleries which are free or super cheap (like $5) and they’ll give out free alcohol and food sometimes…my Art prof literally handed out of a list of like 20 cheap art galleries in the Village and Chelsea the other day. And check out the student discounts in that office in kimmel 2nd floor. </p>
<p>but yeah you’re right things are super expensive - HS students expect they’ll be going out every other night but usually I come home tired from classes and my job and am too lazy to cook dinner. But I still generally go out like twice a week with friends.</p>
<p>NYC is really dark, not just because it’s in the Northeast, but because tall buildings = less sunlight on the streets. Sometimes i go home on weekends to long island and it seems brighter there, even though the weather’s the same.</p>
<p>I currently spend a lot of time in the West Village and associate with a lot of NYU students. Sometimes I find myself sleeping in Hayden (undergraduate dorm west side of the park) so I think I know the students fairly well. There seem to be two types of students at NYU:</p>
<p>1) The independent/artsy/alternative students who didn’t fit in their home town and wanted the alternative lifestyle of the Village.</p>
<p>2) People who really did not understand what life would be like living in NYC. They thought it would be like Friends.</p>
<p>The MAIN PROBLEM WITH NYU UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IS:</p>
<p>THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT NEW YORK CITY IS THE TYPE OF PLACE BETTER ENJOYED BY PEOPLE IN THEIR TWENTIES!</p>
<p>Most undergraduates are too young to fully enjoy most of the things NYC has to offer. Even if they do get into these bars or clubs, NYU undergraduates are simply not socially/culturally mature enough to fit into the NYC scene. Hell, they aren’t even old enough. It is very awkward for most NYU undergraduates who just wanted a normal college experience. This is probably the main source of depression. The social scene is very fragmented.</p>
<p>Another problem is that NYU tends to attract people who are very full of themselves. These are the type of people who probably came to NYU because they had a dream of living the fantastic life of a young hip person of NYC, and realizing they don’t fit, just become bitter. The other reason why many NYU students become so smug is because the “alternative” students from, say, North Dakota, were radical in… North Dakota, and that is probably how they got their kicks. They come to the Village and realize they are nothing special, nothing unique. This rubs them the wrong way and they are unhappy.</p>
<p>So yes, I would agree, more than any other group of students, NYU students are either the most depressed or the most bitter of all college undergraduates.</p>
<p>I have a lot of friends who went to the other NY schools - Colgate, Rochester, SUNY Albany, Binghamton, Geneseo, Cornell, etc - and have been to all of those campuses. It seems easy to tell that NYU students are the most miserable. This is admitted by many NYU students themselves.</p>
<p>DO NOT GET ME WRONG ON NYC! I love NYC! It is my favorite place on Earth and I think it has so many opportunities for everyone, and I do not think it is depressing in the least. Au contraire! It is so vibrant. I don’t particularly enjoy hip-hop, but like that new Jay-Z song said “These Streets Will Make You Feel Brand New” - absolutely true. just not those who are undergraduates in college. It is a much more adult environment. Undergraduates should go to Boston, really.</p>
<p>EDIT: I would say that Boston is really just New York’s college town. ;)</p>
<p>I disagree Manhattan75. Some of what you said is true - I have noticed both types 1 and 2. But it just doesn’t apply to the majority of students. Yeah, there’s the artsy kids who didn’t fit in back in Wisconsin and the ones who thought life would be like Gossip Girl. But the majority are just kids who wanted an urban college experience instead of a football team and quad. They knew there was no campus or sports or frat houses; that’s why they came. The majority of students aren’t unhappy - otherwise they wouldn’t pay the overpriced tuition year after year. :)</p>
<p>I came to NYU because of the academics, location (all SUNY locations suck), and I got a great scholarship. My boyfriend came here because NYU has a top Finance program. My two closest friends came here because of the Media program and the other is from Kansas and wanted to experience city life. The majority come here because NYU is a good college and they want to experience urban life - the same reason people go to New School, Fordham, Columbia, Cooper Union, etc…I’ve visited 3 SUNY schools, Cornell, Princeton, Brown, Boston U, Boston College, JHU, Georgetown, Villanova, Lehigh, Vassar…I totally get why most people want the traditional experience but some of us just don’t. It’s that simple. </p>
<p>I think it’s stupid of you to think undergrads can’t enjoy life in NYC. That’s why the majority of people come here, to experience life in this huge diverse city, to avoid the “normal” college experience. If you sleep in a freshmen dorm I’m guessing you’re a freshmen or in HS (or just have a fetish for younger girls ;)) but coming from an NYU upperclassmen…you’re describing a minority of students. NYU has 50,000 students and maybe 5 commit suicide each year - below the national average. The majority of students aren’t unhappy, but obviously many are depressed (for reasons I covered on the first page).</p>
<p>Honestly, humans in their late teens and early twenties are still dealing with hormonal and emotional issues that generally come to an equilibrium at some point. As such, a large percentage of humans in that age range will on occasion be ‘depressed’. As was mentioned before, there are a great many students at NYU whom fall within that age range, so statistically, at a given time, there will be a fair number that are depressed.</p>
<p>That said, I have been at NYU for six years, first as an employee and now as a grad student and researcher. My interactions with undergraduate students have been extensive. I have not noticed any abnormal amount of depression at all. I am very close friends with several people that I met while they were still undergrads, and I meet more every year. Making hundreds of friends may not be easy, but making a few close friends is not a challenge. If you are able to be enjoy yourself and what you are doing, then you will most likely find similarly minded people.</p>
<p>In regards to the light, sure the financial district is hardly the last bastion of sunlight in the world, but other parts of the city are just fine. I live in Brooklyn, where the light is no different than any other city in the country. The village is also just fine in regard to sunlight. Washington Square Park is a popular spot to play and relax because it affords some serious sunlight. Also note that you can take the subway to the beach…seriously…the subway to the beach!!! Ok, it’s Coney Island beach and not Venice beach, but it is not that bad and there is the freak show, amusement park, and aquarium right there as well (oh…and a minor league baseball team is you desire some cheap–ish sporting events)</p>
<p>In Summary, students are not generally more depressed, the light is fine, but you might have to walk a couple of block to find a good bright spot, and you can get to the beach via the subway. Oh, and free concerts all over the city all summer long.</p>
<p>Anyway, enough shilling for my benefactor.</p>