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New York University

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I've pretty much got the same complaints asQuite BrightCommunications
I've pretty much got the same complaints as everyone else. Hard to make friends, absolutely horrendous core material (MAP is the devil, and if you go to nyu, you know what i'm talking about), and just general lack of community. One of the things that i found the most amusing was that my entire writing workshop class took the proficiency exam the first day of class, and all passed (the one they're supposed to give you after you finish 2 semesters). Yeah, ok, so we were all proficient, yet we all needed those 2 semesters of bullshit. Right. And the placement test for language, oh man. They give you the SAT II test. This test has nothing to do with what they actually teach you. I placed into 3rd semester french (4 are required), and i was learning things that i had learned in my junior year of high school. Argue with your professors/advisors over that one, although it didn't help me. Easy A i guess, maybe it wouldn't have sucked so much if attendance wasn't part of my grade (required). Then i could've just shown up for tests.

And the comm department more specifically, i'm learning the same exact things in all of my classes. Okay, yes, this makes it easier because i know it all already, but it's extremely boring, and it feels like i'm writing papers on the same topics over and over and over again.The housing all over the city may seem nice, but some of the dorms are so far away that you may as well be a commuter. There is just really no way you can form a community at this school. 3 semesters to go...i cannot wait to get out...

2nd Year Female -- Class 2003
Surrounding City: A+, Individual Value: F
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NYU is all about name.Quite BrightBiology
NYU is all about name... it's only famous and prestigious because of its location. It's in the heart of nyc... yup a big city where students can get internships easily and stuff like that... but the truth is nyu is not very good educational-wide... i mean the classes are really big... they are finally small by junior year but that's like half ur college years already... basically the classes r HUGE lecture classes. in my chem class it started out with 300 students in a auditorium where the teacher is on a stage... and my cal teacher have to use a microphone and projector just so the people in the back of the room can hear and see... oh and the classsroom for the most part r old and worn and ugly... my writing class has no windoiw and really bad ventilation.. it's like a sauna in there even though the halls outside r like freezing...

There is nooo campus and that kinda defeat the whole college experience... true it's the city but soon u'll find out that there's really nothing to do there... u cant afford to go shopping all the times.. beside the store doesnt exactly have new stocks of stuff every week u kno... eating can be real expensive... and the amount u paid aint worth it in my opinion... about joining clubs well only if u have time... i mean school work is not exactly hard just a lot of work... be prepare to read a lot in most classes...

most of the teacher r nice and willing to help for the most part.. they all have office hr but not much.. usually like twice a week .. 2 hr each... which can really sucks when u have class during that time.. there is usally no student-teacher interaction.. there's a recitation with a TA for those lecture classes... u can usually learn more from these ta than the professors.. well it depends really cuz some of them dont speak english too well but they're all usually friendly and trying their best to help u.. oh and depending on who u have some teachers takes attendance and would minus pts and stuff if u miss a class... so dont think it's just study on ur own and do good on ur tests and stuff... well most classes u can probably get away with but some r very strict..

nyu is very big on the money... in addition to its tuition there's lot tons of required fee and stuff like that... i mean bascially all ur classes will be 4 credits when in actuality u only have like 2 hr of class each week.meaning it should be 2 credit and not 4!! so u dont have the opprtunity to take much classes since there's soo much requirements for ur major and not to mention those core classes... nyu have way too many core classes.. i mean do u really need 4 terms of language and all those cultural and writing classes? 1 of each is good enough but no they basically arranged so u have to take them for like 2-3 years of each topic... dont expect to take much electives classes u like..


socially.. nyu sucks.. i mean u can talk to people but dont expect to get to kno them or be friends.. people r willing to talk but that's basically all... talk.. ur only friends will probably be ur roomate and people living near u... dont expect to make much friends.. i talked to people who graduated and the most friends they made was like 3...... imagine 3 friends out of 4 years of school and those 3 were from freshman year too!!! in order to visit ur friend's dorm u have to leave some sort of id at the front desk and that gets really annoying...

the school has way too many students... in between classes it gets real crowded... the elevators r like always packed around peak hr... so they only stops at every other floor... hey even the stairs get real crowded... be prepared to walk a lof of flights.. u have to wait on a mad long line too... they arranged poles and stuff just like they do for the lines at a bank... real messed up if u ask me... imagine if there was a fire.... too many people for that place to handle i tell u... the reason is proabbly nyu figure the more student the accept they more tuition and more they get from us poor students..ahh... all those loans... it doesnt matter if the classes r hundreds... they dont even think of making more classes and hiring more professors.. they figure the professors have to teach either way... what difference does it make whether it's 20 or 200? nyu is all about the money....

basically.. dont expect much of an education or a social life at nyu... in the end u'll get a diploma but not kno crap... even though u'r from nyu, supposedly a wonderful school, and get hired for a job they'll probably eventually find out that u dont know shit and fired u... oh and the internship thing... im sure u can easily find internship even if u go to another school.. most compnays have have to have free or cheap labor... think about it... u only have college once... those 4 years can help shape ur life.. dont waste it at a place like nyu... u deserve better... u deserve an education for the money u'r paying.. oh and u needs friends too.. they will help serve as connection in the future and happiness, fun and motivation and help throughout ur stressful years in college and life... trust me dont go to nyu... nyu was the biggest mistake of my life and i totally regret it.. i dont want anyone else to suffer what i did.. honestly im thinking of transferring out rite now.. i cant stand it here... well good luck to u all and think real hard and long b4 u enroll in any college.. 4 years can be really long....

1st Year Female -- Class 2005
Faculty Accessibility: B-, Useful Schoolwork: F
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I have mixed reviews about his place.Quite BrightBiology
I have mixed reviews about his place.
Having come from a primarily suburban setting, NYU was NOT my first choice since there practically isn't a campus at all, not to mention a common building or student center. (The latter was torn down for some mysterious reason so another could be built in the exact same place. Budget surplus, I guess) The lack of a campus or common building means people congregate in dorms, which are open only to residents. A resident has to sign visitors in and basically hold their hand the entire time they're there. So unless you know someone on the inside you can forget about socializing there.

If you're a freshman hope that you'll get a dorm near the cluster of classroom buildings near Washington Square, as this is where you'll probably meet the people you'll interact with for the rest of your career here. I ended up in an upperclassman dorm because housing lost my deposit 3 times. Although the place was really nice, there wasn't the social interaction you'd find in Weinstein or Brittany, two mainly freshman dorms. So I got screwed there. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into CAS scholars, which provides you with a scholarship and paid weeklong "vacations" to NYU's study abroad sites, such as Florence or Prague. However, unless you are involved in this, don't expect the University as a whole to pay much attention to you. Otherwise, NYU is out for your money, which happens to be a lot.

This university has grown too fast for its own good, and now it's up a creek. Facilities are crowded, (I swear there are 2X the number of students from last year), housing is scattered around because NYU leases whatever they can find. The Bio and Chem labs are crammed into 1 building, and I've yet to see a decent lab that's open to undergrads for general purposes. We have less than 10 open-to-all computer labs to accomodate 20,000 students. Yeah, most people bring their own, but if you compare with a similar sized school, (U Michigan has like 16) this is one area that is extremely lacking. The crowding problem will only get worse. NYU is getting record numbers of applicants, and space is dwindling. Try building anything in New York City in a timely manner, even if you manage to find a lot and get approval. If you originally hail from a city environment, you probably won't have any problems adapting. If you're from the suburbs, or a rural area, you may want to reconsider, unless this is what you want.

People here are generally friendly, but are for the most part unapproachable. Like I said, the friends that you'll value most will be those you meet first year in your dorm, or perhaps in your classes. After that, it seems like everyone remains in their little "groups", and generally do their own thing. You might be able to talk to them, but you probably won't get to know them.

All in all, the academics here are pretty good. The only problem I have is with the core curriculum courses you have to take. They’re for the most part a waste of time and just busy work. Take care with Writing Workshop…don’t step in the bullshit. Otherwise, the courses I’ve had to take for my major have been quite good. First year biology is taught by various professors, who lecture on the topics they do research in. This is quite interesting, you don’t have to listen to the same guy for a whole year, and you can ask basically any question you want and the professor will probably know. Expect to be challenged, but don’t expect to have to compete with your classmates. The professors I’ve had seem to discourage it, and don’t make you memorize crap like the structure of the stereoisomers of glucose in low level courses.

There are some redeeming features at this school, but if I could go back and do everything over again from the end of high school, I’d without a doubt go somewhere else.

1st Year Male -- Class 2004
Surrounding City: A+, Campus Aesthetics: D-
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