The best thing about NYU is the connections you make-no contest. Most of my professors in the music department are composing works and conducting major ensembles. My choir conductor teaches at Juilliard. Believe me, when you come here, you are most certainly going to get people who are the best in the business. However, the one thing I would change about this is that I wish the professors were more personable and less adamant about their graduate work. Hell, half of my professors don't seem to care, mainly because there are nearly 40 people in one class. I would say that, yeah, this school is way too big. NYU always complains about how they are "the best of the best" and that they should be higher in the ranking. Well maybe because you accept anyone with a 3.6 GPA and a composite 2000 SAT score. Seriously, I ask myself why certain people are allowed to come here.
When I tell people that I go to NYU, I usually get a look of awe or someone asking me if I've met anyone famous. However, it depends on who you tell. If you tell someone in New York, you'll get a shrug at best. If you want to go to best school in New York, go to Columbia. That is what will get you the attention you want. Yet people from back home tend to think I'm a genius of some sort because I got in. I don't necessarily think that way at all. NYU may be a tough school to get into for some, but if you are a consistent student in high school with some extracurriculars, you'll have no problem getting in.
Since I am a commuter student, I tend to spend more time at the Kimmel Center For Student Life or Bobst Library. Kimmel pretty much has it all in one building-practice rooms, lounges, computers, a dining hall. It has served me well as my base of operations. Meanwhile, Bobst is probably the most expansive library I've ever been in. Granted, I've toured some colleges and I've seen some pretty big libraries, but NYU is definitely ranking up there in terms of sheer volume. There are lounges downstairs, along with some conference rooms. There is also the Avery Fisher Center For Music And Media, which is a great place is you want to catch a film or listen to some new, avant-garde music.
When it comes to college towns and NYU, people usually say "well, that's what I came here for". But really researched the city and really get a feel for it. I thought I liked New York when I would come visit some friends or go see a Broadway show. But there's a difference between visiting and living in New York. Within six months, you will grow bored of the city. That's just a plain fact. It doesn't matter how many museum exhibits you go to or how many baseball games you attend, New York may seem expansive, but you'll soon see how much you wish there was more to do once you've lived there for a while. And it is expensive as well. All the clubs, the restaurants, everything you've wanted to do in the city will not come cheap. Granted, there are special "city dives", such as Pizza Mercato where two slices of pizza is $3.00, but when you add up all the money spent for tuition, books and room and board, you ask yourself if it's ethical to ask your parents for more money just so you can hang out.
The NYU administration is horrible. Probably next to Rutgers for worst college administration. I've had classes dropped for no reason. To get a practice room, I need to fill out a form and wait a day before it becomes open. If you're having problems in terms of adjusting, they'll tell you to go read a book. This school does not care about its students. It only cares about the money and making itself even grander and bigger. But it doesn't matter how much money the school pours into itself: until they learn to treat their students like individuals that matter, they will never see above number 30 on the US News and Report rankings list.
Probably the biggest controversy on campus is the Take Back NYU group and the acts they pull off so they can get everyone against NYU. You see, the students, being curious as always, would like to know what their money is going towards, such as salaries, projects, etc. But NYU, being a private university, refuses to show a budget and what it is going towards. While colleges like Northwestern and Brown happily show their budgets on their website. But that gives no reason for kids to take over a dining hall for four hours and heap a bunch of bad publicity on the school. Seriously, you ask yourself who is dumber at this school-the administration or the students.
There is absolutely no school pride. In fact, it is not out of the ordinary to hear your friends talk about transfering. Hell, I may be transfering next semester. The fact is, kids like knowing that they are at NYU their senior year. But as soon as they show up to cash in on what their parents are paying, they become ornery and "past" the fact that they are at NYU. I would not be transfering if NYU had more school pride. Considering they refuse to endorse the athletics or anything great done by the undergraduate body, it seems you will not be cheering for anything about NYU any time soon.
The most unusual thing about NYU is that despite being located in the middle of Greenwich Village, it is not New York. NYU and NYC are two completely separate entities. Sure, you may feel like you're in the city, but the truth is-NYU is totally different from actually living in New York. You'll understand once you visit the campus...it'll hit you that you're no longer in Midtown anymore.