New York University Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Geline

I made sure to really know the school before I decided to attend.

Byron

That housing was so expensive, and that tuition increased by a lot each year

Nataliya

n/a

GOLD

I know that, New York University is one of the Top Ranking institution in the United State of America. More often than not, i had been following their achievements since i was in the secondary school. I know, it is a school, where , i could be monitored and tailored to my dream in life . It is a place of wisdom , knowledge and understanding ,where you could really know whom you are and what to become in feature to come. Through all this i had known, gave me the strenght to pursue the Great New York University of our time.

Mayde

How difficult the financial aid office is to deal with and how unwilling they are to give money to students that don't require a loan.

Nathaly

I wish I would have known that it is more difficult to make friends as a commuter student when majority of the student body dorms on campus.

Katherine

THe amount of money you must pay.

Nicolette

That the new engineering school was not fully merged into NYU. Feels a bit distant/ disconnected at times, but other times is wonderful.

Malorie

The LSP program was very confusing, which is the 2 year program I was accepted in before transferring over to the College of Arts and Sciences. I also wish I had known that tuition would be pretty hard to pay and that finding an affordable apartment off-campus in a safe neighborhood in manhattan is extremely difficult.

Cicek

I wish someone had told me how hard it was to make friends and that there is no sense of community on "campus."

Stephanie

I wish I had known how cut-throat it was in the business school. The business school is really intense. In fact, you cannot trust anyone with your work, they will intentionally rip up your homework and not turn it in for you, because your grade really makes a difference in the curve. It's survival of the fittest at this school, and I wish I could have prepared more for that mentally.

Sharon

I wish I known about about more scholarship oportunities.

Camille

I wish I had known that creative work (I'm a film and television major) can be much more challenging than regular work. It requires collaboration, cooperation, and demands something that can't be found by just reading a textbook.

Andrew

I wish before going to school that I knew the amount of money spent versus the amount of knowledge recieved. I wish I knew this because after spending a lot of money, I feel like I learned much more on my own in 2 months rather than the paid 4 years. I feel like at school I learned a lot of obsolete information by teachers who did not seem to care for the student's success. Therefore i wish i knew that my eduction was worth the money spent, especially coming from a highly accreditted university.

James

Before coming to NYU I wish I had known more about the day to day life of the student. It would have been great to see some sample class schedules from students in my major, as well as social spots on campus, clubs, student groups, etc.

Tiia

I wish I had taken the college experience more seriously and gotten more involved. I did not live in a dorm but I could have spent more time at the school. You do have to work hard to get involved.

Palak

New York University sets up a school in which you attend a magnificent school, but are also placed into the grand city of New York. Attending college here caused me to grow up extremely fast because of the independent environment fostered here. I came in expecting a more campus based experience, as I had typically imagined when thinking of college. I wish I had understood the vastness of the experience I was about to have so I could have adjusted to college faster and dove into city excursions and experiences faster.

rosemary

I can not really complain in any way about New York University. I think the only thing i wish i would have known about NYU is how you really need the help of scholarships, grants, loans etc.. in order to pay for school. Other then that, NYU is an amazing institution.

Jenelle

Nothing, going into it with an open mind and barely any knowledge about it made the experiences more fun and let me shape my opinion after I arrived.

Anna

I wish I had realized the extent to which drinking and recreational drug use was a part of campus life. It is a big adjustment, however there ARE plenty of ways to stay invloved/ have fun without either. Still, substance use is a big deal at NYU.

Raquel

I wish I had known better time management!

Arielle

I wish I had truly known how expensive it was going to be.

Patricia

I wish I would have known that it would be difficult. I tried to convince myself that I was very intellectual, perhaps even more than others, yet when compared to others in the classroom setting, one feels like a small fish in an ocean full of diverse sea creatures.

Meg

I wish that I had known more about the dormitories and cost of living in New York. I also wish that I had known that vocal students were required to pay their accompanists at their voice lessons. It was an expense for which I was initially prepared.

Grace

I wish I knew that the advisors are not very helpful, and getting to know upperclassmen is helpful. I also wish I knew that if I didn't join clubs, it is very hard to meet people.

Joshua

I wish I known the classes where going to be so expensive. I did not know it would be so hard to come up with the money to pay the tuition

Devon

I wish I had been able to get a better idea of the feel of the school, specifically the lack of a campus and a real "community." I wish I'd been prepared for the fact that not everything was going to change once I got here. Some things (bad things about my high school) would still be present here. I wish I had known this wasn't the magical place I'd always thought it was.

Priyanka

Looking back over my first semester, I feel the one thing I wish I could have better prepared myself for was the intense amount of freedom that we were granted as college freshman. I love the freedom that we are given in regards to choosing our courses , extracurricular activities as well as the freedom and opportunity we are offered through the city atmosphere. I wish I could have better realized the myriad of activities and opportunities that I would have available to me at NYU so that I cold have researched my options more thouroughly and narrowed down my preferences.

Jerron

Frankly, I told myself the right things when I was in high school; I did all the right things. I even started a college club for stressed seniors. But, I was mainly concerned with the price of college. It weighed heavily on my decision making. And if I were to go back in time and tell that sprite, charming young man something it would be to seriously take finances into account. However, don't allow estimated cost to limit your dreams. Although it is expensive, you will not be limited because of your inner drive. Anyone with that will succeed.

Caitlin

The teachers are here for the students. For them, it is more than just a job, more than just a place to go everyday. They are really interested in their students, in a way that is comforting, intimidating, and exciting. Take advantage of every opportunity available to learn from your teachers. Go to office hours, ask questions in class, get to know your teacher and let him/ her get to know you!

Mitali

I wish I knew how to study certain subjects and get work study positions. It was very difficult to figure out how to study. I was also unable to get a work study position in time because I applied too late.

Amir

I wish that I had known how different the workload in college is from that in high school. In college, there is generally less homework given, but the homework is much harder than that in high school. As a result, it requires the same amount of time dedicated to studies. It can be very easy to see what appears to be a light workload in comparison to high school and procrastinate as a result. However, one should not let this fool them. The difficulty is not in the amount of work, but in the work itself.

Joseph

I think prospective students should understand that with regards to attending a university in a city like New York for example, the experience is probably much different from attending a traditional university in terms of not having huge quads or lawns. However, the city experience isn't worse off in any way, it offers a lot of great opportunities outside the classroom that should be taken advantage of.

Keri

How extremely difficult it is to recieve financial aid and how difficult it is to get anything done when dealing with any administrative process at the school. Other than that, I felt prepared.

Dale

I wish I had known the full impact of the tuition on my finances. The full understanding of the additonal service fees and charges would not have made my tuition that much less but I would have factored in an additional $4000 in my tuition when applying for loans especially at the start of pre-clinic.

Eunji

I wish I knew how lonely it could get. Although it is a super-exciting school, the city has something that drains energy out of people and make them feel lonely. It makes a lot of people wish there is a campus.

Kate

be patient, you will find the friends you need, and don't wait around for someone to tell you how things are done and where to get what you need. NYU will not baby you--love the city and be independent, and you will love your college experience

Angela

The lack of financial aid that the school provides to their students.

Justin

How much it was going to actually cost me. NYU is the second most expensive school in America, and I'm going to be paying back these loans many years after I graduate... My mom is a high school guidance counselor and just took out a very large home equity loan because of debt she's accumulated. I doubt that she'll be able to help me pay my loans back. She's a single mother.

Taurean

I wish I had been prepared to juggle a job and a course load as well as the social life that the city provides for. While I did work during my first semester the unexpected strain of employment with academics got to be to much for me and I had to give up my job in favor of my school work. However, now I am in need of money that I could have made and saved last year with better time management. This year I enter school knowing my obligations.

Cindy

How integral the dorm experience is to the college experience.

Rachel

I wish I would have known how hard it was going to be to have control over all of the aspects of college life in New York City. As a young actress, I constantly worry about making the right connections and always proofing that I have what it takes. It's exhausting. Sometimes I find it very rewarding, but I wish I would have known how physically and mentally draining it was going to be. I don't think I would have changed anything, but it would have been less of a shock.

Wendy

I wish I had known more about how the american school system works. Because I went to a French hich school (in Los Angeles) I was not used to american schools and the transition was harder than I thought.

Lauren

I wish I had completed a higher level of math.

David

That it is not very social and that it is hard to maintain friendships in the city.

Mallory

I wish I had known how to get around New York City a little better.

Heidi

I wish I would have known more about money management before I came to NYU. Living in a city like New York, one must be wise with her money.

Kristina

The difficulty level of the pre-med courses, the lack of help from the administration (i.e. - advisors, registrar, financial aid), and the type of students that go there.

Stephanie

I wish I had known that off-campus housing can be far more practical and just as affordable as on-campus housing, and that I had been more encouraged to find an apartment.

Rebekah

I wish my highschool had better prepared me for the level of coursework and classes I encountered at my school.