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What is your dream school and why?

Possible reasons: Good program in what I want to major in/Location/Prestige etc.

By Columbia on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 08:10 pm: Edit

My favorite school is Columbia. It's diverse atmosphere, beautiful New York Campus, access to extreme culture, outstanding faculty, and more "down-to-earth" feeling lends itself to being my top choice school.

By ATmaster on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 05:27 am: Edit

My top choice school is seton hall university. i hear there are recruitin this huge playa. cant wait to chill with that dude.

By Wade Leahy on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 05:45 am: Edit

My first choice is West Point. The campus is beautiful, the place got amazing history and tradition, and it can give me the best training possible for my chosen career. I am so proud to have been chosen to be part of the Long Gray Line.
GO ARMY!

By Hey Vik on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 - 05:26 am: Edit

University of Alabama. it's for the G'ssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

By Carrro (Carrro) on Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 04:20 pm: Edit

UW-Madison or Indiana U Bloomington, can't decide...
they're my top choices because everything clicked with the location, majors, sports, size and city-type that I wanted.

By Stanford - dreaming on Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 07:48 pm: Edit

Stanford. Too bad I won't get in it, and even if I did, I couldn't afford it.

By Simms on Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 10:35 pm: Edit

UT Austin

Location: Austin, TX (possibly the nicest city in Texas and one of the best in the midwest)
Size: Largest population 49,000 and really diverse.
Community: strong sense of community (actually in Austin 1 out of 8 people are college students)
Program: Best nursing program in the US for a non-medical center campus. great law and one of the best undergrad business schools.
Prestige: here in TX its either UT or A&M

Hook Em Horns!

By Omkar on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 10:35 am: Edit

MIT. I love it (I visited) and I think it's because I'll be surrounded by fellow geeks.

By Cru (Cru) on Sunday, January 05, 2003 - 11:28 pm: Edit

Cornell.
I just love this school. Although the engineering school is not as prestigous compared to MIT, Stanford, or Berkeley it would still prepare me very well for my gradute school.

By CORNELL, BABY!! on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 03:48 pm: Edit

Cornell. Cuz I'm going there next year, so therefore, it fuckin' rocks

By mac on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 03:55 pm: Edit

CORNELL, BABY, what are your stat?

By mikecccc on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 06:50 pm: Edit

boston university
easy to get in.. etc

By CORNELL, BABY!! on Wednesday, January 08, 2003 - 07:43 pm: Edit

SAT: 800 math, 620 verbal
SAT II:
800 math 2C
760 Physics
690 Writing
(Hence, I am an Engineer)

GPA: 3.7 (school does not weight grades nor do class ranks)

Excellent list of extracurriculars, excellent recommendations, decent essays

By JarJam on Sunday, January 19, 2003 - 12:43 am: Edit

Washington U in STL: Ivy caliber experience, beautiful campus, and an abundance of merit based financial aid.

By Leia on Monday, January 20, 2003 - 03:39 pm: Edit

New York University is my school of choice because:

1. The professors are fantastic, and lots of them are "stolen" from Ivy League schools. Thus, great classes, great education.
2. It's one of the largest private universities in America, if not "the" largest.
3. Study abroad opportunities abound.
4. Greenwich Village is a vibrant community with ten million things going on at once, and i eventually wish to live there.
5. Washington Square Park is in When Harry Met Sally.

And the greatest part, for me, is...

6. NYU's campus really isn't a campus at all. It's literally New York City. You just walk about the Square from building to building amongst not only your peers, but regular people who live or work or are sight-seeing in New York, hustling here and there on their way to various meetings and tourist attractions. This adds a dimension of freedom and "real life experience" i don't think i could get anywhere else.

And that's why i'm going to NYU.


Unfortunately, it's hells expensive. But worth it, in my opinion.

By Leia on Monday, January 20, 2003 - 03:50 pm: Edit

lol. I forgot something really important, although, i knew i wanted to go to NYU before this happened:

My first and only boyfriend (of 1 year) is there!

Yay. So, that's about it. I promise. Anybody else accepted to NYU?

By Jumbo Pride on Monday, January 20, 2003 - 06:20 pm: Edit

Tufts, cuz thats where I'm going next yr

By Marcie on Monday, January 20, 2003 - 11:51 pm: Edit

Leia (or any other NYU students), Could you answer some questions about NYU?
Do you feel like you are part of a real university, even though NYU is so integrated into NYC?
Do you feel safe at NYU? (As much as you could in a huge city.)
Do you find daily expenses a big issue?
Was moving to NYC a huge adjustment?
My daughter wants to go there, but I have issues with it: money, safety, distance. We live in a small town (suburb) on the west coast and she doesn't have much big city experience. Loved London and Paris and now wants NYC and NYU!
Thanks for any help you can offer.

By Leia on Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 12:13 pm: Edit

Marcie:

I will attend NYU as a freshman in the fall, so i am not sure i can fully answer your questions from experience. However, i have been there many times, sat in on classes, stayed overnight, and gone to Church/the Bobst library several times on the NYU campus surrounding Washington Square.

From what i can gather, NYU probably isn't as close knit as some other schools, but i wouldn't say you "get lost in the shuffle". There are millions of opportunities to become involved - Habitat for Humanity, Drama productions, choirs, Pre-Law societies, clubs for English majors, philosophy clubs, etc. etc. and the list goes on. You just have to find your "niche" in a school as big and diverse as NYU. The way i look at it, my opportunities will be expanded because of the school's large size and "integration into New York City," as you put it.

Greenwich Village is certainly safe - you simply have to use good sense and judgement, as you would anywhere. There have been mugs and robberies and such, i'm sure, however, the example that comes to my mind involves a student who was out at 3 or 4am alone. Now, come on. Obviously, one would have to know not to do this. If you're cautious and aren't out on the street at 2,3 am, you'll be fine. If you're worried about your daughter not having much City experience, take her in to LA or Sacramento more often and then perhaps visit New York for yourself. Definitely visit before deciding, it'll give you a better perspective of what you're looking for in a college. Your daughter might like it, as it certainly is a big change from the suburbs!

Good luck.

By Marcie on Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 02:07 pm: Edit

Leia, Thank you for the info on NYU. We live near Seattle, so that has been my daughter's experience with big cities. We have not been able to visit any of the out of state colleges yet due to finances and time. I'm sure she will like it IF she gets in and IF we can find the $. I'm the one with the issues, mostly. Best of luck to you next fall. You sound very thoughtful and mature and I am sure you will do well at NYU.
Thanks.

By Leia on Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - 04:48 pm: Edit

No problem Marcie, and yes, that is the big problem with me and my parents as well. The expense. It's a whole lot of money, and NYU isn't the best with Financial Aid. Basically, they give scholarships based on academics *up to* 8,000 dollars, which just about covers room and board. The only person i know who goes there for free is my boyfriend's suitemate, who graduated from Stuyvesant in the top 20 of his class, got a 1600 on his SATs, and is in the Med program. Whew. Still, it's a worthwhile education, and a really incredible experience.

Other colleges in NYC: Fordham (Bronx), Pace University, Columbia(way uptown), CUNY colleges and SUNY.

Let us know how it goes, and thanks for your response.

By Marcie on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 11:37 am: Edit

Leia, Do you have any info on who gets academic merit scholarships at NYU? Do you have to have amazing qualifications for that? Probably so, since it is so competitive there.

Without being nosy, was your family just willing to pay such a high price for you to attend NYU or are you personally taking on a lot of loans? I am concerned about my daughter taking on a lot of debt at such a young age. I don't like that trend at all. I think she might want to go to graduate school and a huge NYU undergrad debt load would nix that.

She really wants NYU because she is in theatre and wants to be there where the action is. She even got a job in a restaurant so she can be a server in NYC while she is a struggling actress!

I want to be supportive, but I also am leery of a 17-year-old judging the ongoing ramifications of a huge debt load at age 22. (Please don't take offense since you are that age as well.) I always told her she should seek out any college, and if she could get in, she could go, but I didn't know she would choose the most expensive college in the country! (It must be or close to it.)

By Leia on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 04:48 pm: Edit

Yeah, it's about 40,000 dollars a year total. I only got 2,000 dollars from them academic based, so that takes a little off for me. My boyfriend has an 8,000 dollar scholarship(just about), which is the highest amount they give, i believe. Of course, i'm sure this varies, but most everyone he knows who has the largest amount of scholarship money awarded gets $8,000(except, as i said, his suitemate in the Med program on a free ride). My boyfriend had substantially higher SATs than me (1420) and he was third in his class, while i am tenth. I think he also had a higher GPA (i've got about a 4.5 weighted). So, yeah, the standards for an $8,000 scholarship are pretty high, i guess, but perhaps they take into account your family situation as well. I'm not sure, but if your daughter excells in school, she may get some money from NYU academic based.

My parents and i are struggling. We're actually not sure quite how to pay for this huge expense. My family was definitely not "just willing to pay," no. I wish! I'm taking on a lot of loans, basically, and they're somehow going to manage. My parents have had frequent money problems, so it is very very difficult. I am sure, however, that when i get out of NYU i'll be able to land a good enough job to hopefully pay off my loans steadily.. and eventually, pay off my parents' loans. There are five kids in my family, and i'm the oldest, so sending us all to college is definitely going to be difficult. My dream, though, is to attend NYU, and if i have to work really really hard to pay off those loans, then...so be it. It all depends on what financial load you feel you and your daughter can handle. My parents and i, to be honest, still aren't sure if we can. I wish i could help you more; i definitely feel for you though. I'm in the same rock-and-a-hard-place situation myself. :-)

By Marcie on Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - 06:10 pm: Edit

Leia, You're so helpful to share this specific financial info with me. My daughter isn't really in that highest academic spectrum: she has 1260 SATs and 3.85 GPA. As I understand it, most of your acceptance into theatre (if your grades and SATs are within range) is based on your audition. We have to go to LA for that next month. It's so competitive that I don't think she would get much talent money either if she gets in. A couple of people elsewhere here posted about getting into NYU in theatre with similar grades-SATs so I guess it will depend on her audition.

That is difficult that you are the oldest of five so you probably can't get much financial aid based on what colleges expect your parents to pay. You have a good attitude about it, though. I had to pay for my last two years of college and all of graduate school, and looking back on it, I think it means more to me because I had to work so hard for my education. You take school much more seriously when you are helping to pay for it!

Do you think that lots of students at NYU just end up graduating with huge debt? My trusty U.S. News and World Report America's Best Colleges indicates average NYU debt is $20,000, but that seems low to me. My sister just met a college student from Portland who goes to Reed College (small, excellent private college in Portland), and he will graduate with $80,000 debt. I wonder if that is common?

By Leia on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 11:25 am: Edit

Marcie:

No problem on the information, i just wish i knew more to help you out. Your daughter certainly has a chance with her academic marks - and with a good audition, i'm sure she'll be fine. I applied to the College of Arts and Science at NYU with a 1200 on my SATs, and was accepted Early Decision. Of course, NYU does not have a specific "SAT cut off" mark, so it's impossible to predict acceptance based on SATs and a GPA, but i'd say she's got a great chance.

I'm definitely going to have to pay for at least half of my education, which will be difficult, but i think i'm ready for it. It'll at least give me the incentive to do well in school at all costs. If i'm paying for my education, and i mess it up and get bad grades, i may as well just light a match to my money. So, yeah, i agree, it makes you work harder when you're the one who has to pay for the education. I'm actually kind of excited..i like being independent and i also like challenges. Helping pay for college will surely involve both of these. :-)

Yes, i think many NYU students end up with debt upon graduation...as a matter of fact, i'm sure lots of college students have debt. Many of the young teachers at my high school are still paying off their college loans, and doing really well. They tell me that, despite the loans, it was worth it for the education they received. NYU debt is only $20,000? Wow. That does seem low. I'm guessing i'll graduate some 60,000-80,000 dollars in debt...That's...a whole lot, but i'm sure many have this same problem. If a college is 40,000 dollars a year, and the parents pay for half the college tuition in loans and such, 80,000 dollars sounds about right, without figuring in grants, scholarships, etc.

By Marcie on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 12:32 pm: Edit

Leia, Do you know what you will be majoring in at NYU? You are a thoughtful writer--I wonder if you will be majoring in English or communiciations? I am an editor and writer, so that's why I ask.

Do you plan on working while you are at NYU? That might be a problem for my daughter, wherever she goes, because it is supposed to be hard to work if you major in theatre because of rehearsals and performances.

The auditions for Tisch theatre are really competitive. They only take about 350 freshmen, and some of those will be ED. I guess it will all depend on her audition. Being from Washington might be of some advantage, too.

By Leia on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 01:26 pm: Edit

lol, yes Marcie, I'm an English person completely. Math is my greatest weakness; or should i say my undoing... I plan to double major in English Literature and Philosophy, maybe minor in Theology. Not sure what's next after that, but i'll take it one step at a time. Law school, perhaps, maybe teaching. I'd love to be a writer, of course, but i stupidly worry over the practicality issue. That's *awesome*, you have the coolest profession! What do you write/edit, or for what literary circle/paper etc? Is it tough to get started?

Yes, i plan to work while at NYU, possibly on-campus. I know, it's difficult to work while in college, especially if your daughter is going into theatre...she might have an easier time working in an office on-campus. They're probably more understanding than an off-campus job, as they do(at least, i hope!) consider you as a student, and an employee.

The only problem with getting jobs through the school is that they sometimes charge more - that is, they may expect you to pay for some of your tuition with some of the money you earn through your job. This can happen, i've heard, through "America Reads" programs(where students assist teachers in a school classroom), and it could actually cost more in payments. The advantage, of course, is a more flexible, understanding schedule than, say, "The Gap" would offer.

Tisch is one of the tougher schools to get into, i believe. Stern (the business school) is also difficult, and ulta-competitive. Your geography gives you a nice advantage though. Best of luck with the audition! What does your daughter have to do at the audition? Anything she wants, or do they specify what she needs to act out/sing/perform?

By Marcie on Thursday, January 23, 2003 - 10:09 pm: Edit

See, this is why we have clicked, because I have my BA in English and philosophy was my minor. Also bad at math. (How's that for a coincidence?) Watch out in philosophy: I loved it and did really well through about 25 credits. Then I hit the 400 level seminar class with the philosophy majors and graduate students and a Rhodes scholar and I had to give it up! I literally did not know what they were talking about at that level. I think all those classes have helped me with my life, though.

You might think about going into editing. Not many people set out to do it, NYC has most of the jobs, you could intern, etc. I currently edit freelance for University of Michigan Press (used to work there long ago) and I review children's books. Most of my work has been with children's books and educational publishing. I don't think it would be too hard for you to get started in editing, especially if you plan ahead for it. Most people sort of fall into the field. It does not pay well at the beginning, though. There are many job opportunties though, especially on the east coast.

The audition scene for musical theatre is this: you do two monologues, part of two songs, and learn a dance combination. (You choose the monologues and songs.) Probably an interview too. The audition process for NYU and Carnegie Mellon takes 3-4 hours each. Scarey, huh! I saw on one of your other posts that you have been in theatre, too.

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, January 24, 2003 - 12:12 am: Edit

Editing is a wonderful job. But like most of publishing, it's not a good way to pay off your college loans in under a decade.

(signed) Has Known A Lot of NYC Editors

By Thedad (Thedad) on Friday, January 24, 2003 - 12:15 am: Edit

My daughter has about five favorite schools at the moment: Smith, Columbia, Barnard, Harvard, Georgetown. Can you tell she's a junior and is visiting the first four this April to get a better idea? Likes them for different, asymmetrical reasons.

By dtr12 on Friday, January 24, 2003 - 11:47 am: Edit

Here are my dream schools...






CORNELL

Top-notch engineering school, beautiful campus, highly respected around the world, great food.







HARVARD

Unlimited opportunities for students, located in an exciting city, excellent professional schools (business, law, medicine).




I'd love to attend either of these schools...

By MaritimeEnthusiast on Friday, January 24, 2003 - 12:13 pm: Edit

SUNY's Maritime College is my first choice. It's a really great place. It's a small school, so when I'll go there I won't get lost or anything (lol), and every summer they go on cruises to Europe. :D

By incognito on Friday, January 24, 2003 - 03:28 pm: Edit

Maritime Enthusiast, check w/your guidance counselor for a scholarship to Maritime. My guidance counselor told me that i shoul apply for a scholarship there, because they recently started a program in which they offered scholarships to certain students in certain towns throughout NY. If your school is in the top 10%, you can easily apply (and get the scholarship, I had a friend last year who got into SUNY maritime w/a scholarship.

By MaritimeEnthusiast on Saturday, January 25, 2003 - 02:45 am: Edit

Thanks, incognito. I'll ask my guidance counselor as soon as possible. (a scholarship would make everything a lot easier).

By Leia on Monday, January 27, 2003 - 12:59 am: Edit

Thanks for all your tips Marcie(and yes, that's such a funny coincidence..definitely explains why we sympathize with eachother)... i'll keep the advice on Philosophy classes in mind. There definitely will come a point when everything goes over my head - probably when the prof. tries to bring "Logic" into the picture. *shudders in fear*

Editing children's books sounds like such a terrific job! I'll definitely look into it, despite the starting pay.... if it'll give me a chance to write *and* edit, it definitely sounds worthwhile in my opinion. Besides, i'm planning on marrying a lawyer. ;-)

Wow, that audition sounds *tough*! When is it now? Best of luck - that's going to be a taxing 3-4 hours, but worth it considering the schools it's for. What songs/monologues did your daughter decide on? (or has she not made her choice yet?)

By Marcie on Tuesday, January 28, 2003 - 05:09 pm: Edit

Leia, Don't be afraid to take logic in your philosophy studies. I took all the logic classes my college offered (three) and loved them, and I was not good at math at all. Symbolic logic is different--it is LOGICAL. You have to take it if you major or minor in philosophy.

Editing can be a great field. Lots of competition initially and lower pay at first, but if you are smart and work hard, you can definitely move up.

Auditions: NYU Mar. 9. "Till There Was You" from Music Man and "Everything's Coming Up Roses" from Gypsy for songs; Maggie monologue from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and humorous one from Moliere, The Misanthrope. Also auditioning for four other schools, all within 8 days. Very nerve-wracking!

By Leia on Wednesday, January 29, 2003 - 05:21 pm: Edit

That's wonderful.. i love Till There Was You! Especially The Beatles' version...

Her audition is filled with awesome stuff, and Everything's Coming Up Roses is great. Terrific choices, you two. But ouch, all within 8 days....better tell your daughter to get used to performing within 48 hours of her last performance, though. ;-) Acting is an exhausting profession.

By cornell!!!! on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 05:43 pm: Edit

Cornell is my favorite school because it's such an awesome place. Great campus, prestigious, great food, great people, great atmosphere, great bitchez.

By Dartmouth on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 11:16 pm: Edit

Dartmouth

By natalia on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 - 06:33 pm: Edit

Princeton, because I'm obsessed, I got in early, I loved the people (way more down to earth than I expected), loved the professors, the programs (molecular biology), the sailing club is a lot of fun... yeah I just adored it.

By cu on Friday, February 14, 2003 - 12:42 pm: Edit

Cooper Union, becuase it has an excellent program and it's cheap!

By ljkll on Wednesday, February 19, 2003 - 02:03 am: Edit

Stanford allllll the way!

By Cornell OWNS MAN on Wednesday, February 19, 2003 - 02:18 am: Edit

My dream school is Cornell because it has a beautiful campus, great intellectual people, large size with lotsa diversity, great all around school with exceptional programs in engineering and business, what can else can be said?

By hopeful on Thursday, February 20, 2003 - 12:05 am: Edit

Brown is my first choice. The students are known for being happy, interesting, and intellectual. It's diverse, there are no distribution requirements, the university is focused on undergraduates, and they have a good International Relations program.

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Friday, February 21, 2003 - 07:47 pm: Edit

Princeton...Close to family, beautiful campus, intellectual young adult students, excellent engineering program (I wanna be chemical), good size (not too big, not too small), great location, not a million kids on campus, and excellent professors: in other words, everything I could ever ask for.

By r on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 11:25 am: Edit

hey leia
what did you do during the admission process to get in? i mean like during the summers and stuff
what does NYu really look for

By thinking on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 02:31 pm: Edit

Is it really good to be CrAzY about a school? I feeel u miss a lot of finer points if u look that way. Its almost like saying love is blind.

By your local mayor on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 05:11 pm: Edit

nope, think again...

By viv on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 11:54 pm: Edit

hey, back on NYU, Leia, I'd like to use you as correspondence for this school if it's all right. You seem to know a lot about the school. Which school did you get into, and what's the process for applying to academic-based scholarship? Thanks.

By Majinjou1 (Majinjou1) on Sunday, February 23, 2003 - 07:37 pm: Edit

Cu, you're funny. Good one with Cooper Union being cheap.

By ufff on Sunday, February 23, 2003 - 11:11 pm: Edit

UF all the way!!!!
Go Gators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Leia (Leia) on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 07:16 am: Edit

>

r:

Hm, i don't want to put words in the NYU admission officer's mouth but i assume they look for a solid transcript, high GPA, and that you are taking the most rigorous courses available at your school. I sent my application in early decision which *really helps* so if NYU is your top choice and you're certain you want to go there, i suggest applying by November 15th, ED. I definitely feel that it helped my acceptance. My essay was personal, and a little different. It was about my intense love for Star Wars, how it changed my perspective on life, etc. I guess that might have helped. I also sent in a sheet with my picture and ec's, honors, and awards listed on it. *shrug* Might help you stand out a little bit as well.

During the summers? Heh. I loafed around half-attempting to look for a job. Seriously. I enjoyed myself... set up my telescope, star gazed, went to the beach, swam in lakes, slept till 12, stayed out till 1 at the movies, ate lots of junk food, played football in the sand, watched horror flicks at 3am, wasted time online looking at www.homestarrunner.com....fun stuff! I enjoyed myself! To me, that's the most important part of everything - if you don't enjoy something, well, why should you torture yourself?

For the first half of senior year, i took an extra college course (Public Speaking) so you might want to look into an after-school course if it's not too heavy on your work load. But take into account your fun - factor. Never let that part of you die. That little spark of life, if you don't let school and work and everything squeeze it out of you, *will* reflect on your application. Have fun, don't stress, and hope this helped a little. :-)

By Leia (Leia) on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 12:12 pm: Edit

>

Viv:

Sure, although my knowledge of NYU is limited to my visits, what my boyfriend tells me, and online research. I got into CAS, the liberal arts college. The process for applying to academic-based scholarships is simple...just apply to NYU and they'll automatically consider you with the information you provide in your application. Of course, you need to apply for the FAFSA by Feb. ..15th i believe it is, so make sure you make that deadline as well. Other than that, i don't think you need any extra applications to be considered for NYU's academic scholarships.

By Dree (Dree) on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 03:12 pm: Edit

My dream school is MIT and that's where I'm going!!! Class of 007.

By Blushingclover (Blushingclover) on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 - 12:37 am: Edit

If I had a choice and some magic fairy granted me admission anywhere, I'd choose the Huntsman Program @ Wharton School of Business any day. That, and gave me 40 grand a year ... heehee ... It's the undeniably the best undergrad business school in the nation and its international business program is awesome too.

By Congocross (Congocross) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 05:51 pm: Edit

Without a doubt my dream school is University of Notre Dame! It is a place where I can strengthen my spiritually (I have not been a religious person all my life) and the enviorment is heavenly. Wish me luck.......

By Jeffjefferson (Jeffjefferson) on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 10:31 pm: Edit

alabama. hot chics, good communications program

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 08:17 am: Edit

This is for Marcie....from another parent...
I have been reading your posts on this thread about your daughter's ambitions and auditions for musical theater programs, especially NYU Tisch. It caught my eye as I have a daughter who is just a freshman in high school but she has wanted to go into musical theater her entire life and is quite immersed in that field. She has many older friends from her summer theater program who now are at Tisch and/or who just got in ED this past fall for next year. Because she has been exposed to so many friends who are going there, even though she is still quite young, I think she has her sights on going there in four years herself! So, I am interested, if you are willing, to hear you share of your daughter's audition experience there this past week and whereever else she tried out. It has to be nerve wracking as it is so hard to get in. I know a little about it from her friends who go there and went through it all. Your daughter's song choices are interesting...she must have a very good range or versatility cause Til There was You is a rather soprano song and Everything's Coming Up Roses is more alto and belting. Good for her for being able to show such variation! I'd love to hear how it went if you wish to share it.
Susan

By Marcie (Marcie) on Sunday, March 16, 2003 - 04:36 pm: Edit

Hi Susan, I enjoyed your information on the summer musical theatre camp on the musical theatre thread. I will answer this post on the musical theatre thread, because I think it will be more valuable there, OK? I do have audition info to share.
Marcie

By Optimystic (Optimystic) on Sunday, April 06, 2003 - 08:35 pm: Edit

Leia,

Wow, Just reading the info you provided on NYU gave us a lot of insight. My African American daughter was accepted into NYU and we were distraught that we did not receive any financial aid. I have another daughter at Vanderbilt majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology (pre-Med. My NYU accepted daughter received about $12,500 or so per year and was appointed as a University Scholar. This means additional responsibility and domestic and international travel. We assumed that when we called Financial Aid to ask for a review of our aid that we would get some consideration and we got a quick and dirty "NO"! Take it or leave it response. Some of her stats are:
1430 SAT (Perfect 800 Writing)
Top % in her class at a parochial school in Arkansas
All AP/IB Classes
Excellent Recommendations from both school and music professors
Tons of extra curriculars and community service,
Church Musician and Choir Director and also plays at all of her school choral functions and activities (Catholic Masses) She is a (classically trained pianist studying since age 4) with hours and hours of daily practice as she got older and has won many numerous piano competitions throughout several states. Plays at charity events, theatre productions, fundraisers, etc. etc. She had an awesome audition at NYU and played her heart out. She wants to be a film scorer. I guess we should be happy to get what we got which we still feel was not much!

She got a full tuition scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis and got about the same amount $13,000 at Boston University and full-rides at lesser known universities.

Film Scoring is so risky, I'm thinking she should play it safe and get a "real" major like my older daughter so that she can have opportunites. I need to know more about NYU before I commit to going into that much debt. Please comment!

Signed (Undecided Mom)

By Leia (Leia) on Friday, April 11, 2003 - 11:33 pm: Edit

Wow, congrats on your daughter's wonderful accomplishments! She certainly has taken advantange of all of her high school's opportunities and sounds like a very talented, gifted student.

To be honest, $12,500 is a *lot* of money from NYU (and they really are renowned for being extremely stubborn when it comes to financial aid) - and i've actually never heard of such money given out before, save a young man i know in the Med program who got a 1600 on his SATs, all that jazz, graduated from Stuyvesant. Other than that...mostly everyone i know who qualifies for NYU's more generous scholarships gets around $8,000. I got a $2,000 scholarship(per year) and i was kind of surprised. I didn't think i'd get anything at all, as my SATs are far below your daughter's. Eeek! NYU's response to your very understandable question is just plain rude.. but i guess i shouldn't be surprised. Do you think it would be possible to let them know about her other offers, and request that they at least match something? Boston University is basically NYU's equivalent, so they should at least match that (though i'm partial to NYU). It sounds like the Financial Aid office is *really* difficult to deal with, though, (and living up to..perhaps outdoing.. its reputation); did they even look up your daughter's information in their computers when you spoke to them?

Make sure you applied for FAFSA, as you may qualify for additional aid from the government...Unfortunately, my family doesn't, but who knows! It's worth the try.

Yeah..University Scholars are required to study abroad, but i believe if this is not possible or the student really does not want to, something can be worked out (I've also heard study abroad can be a little less costly because of cheaper dorm prices overseas, but i'm sure that doesn't apply to everyone, and may even be a myth played up by the school).

Was she accepted into Tisch(a little more expensive than CAS)?

As for her major, that's an incredibly difficult decision. I would say, go for what you love..but i understand your concern. Perhaps she can double major/minor? Perhaps major in what she truly enjoys, and as a safety measure, get a teaching degree as well? I too, am actually facing almost the exact same problem, except my loves are singing, performing, and writing, and i'm just not sure what to do with these traditionally "unstable" majors, and will probably major in English Lit and Philosophy, with a teaching degree..perhaps singing on the side(*sigh* doubtful though..)

Keep in mind Tisch is one of the best out there, though (if that's where your daughter applied). A Tisch student recently landed the lead role in The Graduate on Broadway, and is taking over Jason Biggs' part, which i think is just really cool (matter of fact, i saw the play last August and it was excellent - almost as good as the movie except that Dustin Hoffman is irreplacable - and we got to meet Turner and Silverstone! :-). What a dream come true though! So NYU definitely offers opportunities for music/performing arts/films majors, but as you said, it is "risky". Is she your youngest daughter?


And does she like John Williams? :-)


I'm sorry i couldn't help more, and it's very fortunate that your daughter has so many options. I would think the biggest opportunities for your daughter's major would exist in New York, but NYU is, of course, "hells expensive," as i like to say.

Do you know if you got any state/fed aid yet?

Hoping this helped a little,
~Leia

P.S. Your daughter and i are really alike! :-) What caught my eye is the Choir Director/Musician for Mass EC. I do the same thing at my Church as a cantor, except it's with a guitar because i can't read music to save my life. ;-)

By Optimystic (Optimystic) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 06:17 pm: Edit

Leia,

Thanks for responding. I haven't had a chance to talk to my daughter yet. She is away at a piano competition as we speak. Isn't that weird? I can hardly believe that you are saying that $12,500 is a lot of merit aid from NYU. We are totally shocked!! Now, they probably think we were crazy when I called and asked the Financial Aid office to re-consider her application for financial aid. Maybe we should count our blessings and be happy with what we received. I do know that she was a Natinal Merit Finalist and National Achievement Finalist also. I dunno...

Leia, you are not going to believe this, but I received a call from Boston University. They want us to hold off on her decision to NYU and give them some consideration. It sounds promising. What an emotional roller coaster.

We did complete all of the FAFSA papers etc. and that didn't help our situation. I am going to have my daughter send you a message. It sounds like you both have similar interests. Thanks again for your time!

By Ndhawk (Ndhawk) on Saturday, April 12, 2003 - 06:28 pm: Edit

Brown PLME easily, in second and third are Northwestern HPME and Harvard.

By Hash (Hash) on Sunday, April 13, 2003 - 02:13 pm: Edit

Is this a NYU thread????????

By Jagorev (Jagorev) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 06:02 pm: Edit

Williams College

By Leia (Leia) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 11:26 pm: Edit

lol, no Hash, this isn't necessarily an NYU thread...but one might think so. :-) What's your school of choice?

By Leia (Leia) on Saturday, May 03, 2003 - 01:20 pm: Edit

Just curious, Optimystic, how did it all turn out? Did BU make another offer?

~Leia

A working class hero is something to be..

By Poutingminotaur (Poutingminotaur) on Saturday, May 03, 2003 - 04:35 pm: Edit

MIT!
because it is the best in engineering. even though lotsa people say its an ugly campus and things like that, i LOVE the campus!! it feels very right to me, and the atmosphere is awesome. also, i love boston! and also....... im going there next year!!! MIT '07 woohoo!

By Julia (Julia) on Sunday, May 04, 2003 - 08:07 pm: Edit

COOPER UNION is tiny school (the entire school has a total of about 850 people) and is therefore really selective, and THEREfore has amazing art, architecture and engineering programs. Although its not exactly "cheap" (housing is up there$$) Tuition is free and in most schools you'd have to pay that expensive housing PLUS tuition. And you can always apply for schoalrships and hope for the best.

I got into Engineering class of 2007 this yr (anyone who hasnt seen my posts yet and also got in contact me AIM: SprnklsChem email: julias830@hotmail.com) and I think so far i have applied for like, 30 scholarships. I've heard back from just two so far and already got one of them. If you have the stuff to get into cooper chances are you will get a few scholarships, no? And if you dont get anything, like i said before, cooper is still a better deal than anywhere else. You can argue that a good state school may be cheaper, but you wont get the amazing education cooper provides. its ranked #3 and for art, i dunno probably #1. congrats to all of you (mainly those i already talk to, who got in ) I guess this message is for next yr's applicants.

By Midnightdanzer (Midnightdanzer) on Sunday, May 04, 2003 - 10:54 pm: Edit

I'm a sophomore in high school, but i already have an idea of which collegs are my fave/dream schools:

Georgetown (great international relations program), USC (i just have always had this attachment to the school, i live in so-cal and love it, and it is a very well-rounded school), Stanford (amazing school, great campus, condoleeza rice (one of my biggest role models) is very involved there, Harvard (famous, kennedy school of government is very prestigious), UNC Chapel Hill (i just like it), UT Austin (i like texas), University of Virginia (near DC, really good on the subjects i want to focus on), and UCLA (cool place!), UC Santa Barbara (Nothing beats being by the ocean!)

I want to study Politics & International Relations, and minor in something like theater

By Bbalin (Bbalin) on Monday, May 05, 2003 - 05:32 pm: Edit

hey- if youre interested in International Relations and theater, you might want to look at Johns Hopkins. They have a top-rated IR program and a strong theatre program.

By Midnightdanzer (Midnightdanzer) on Monday, May 05, 2003 - 09:38 pm: Edit

Thanks for the tip, I will definetly keep it in mind !

By Cru (Cru) on Monday, May 05, 2003 - 09:47 pm: Edit

University of Illinois at urbana-champaign because that's the only school I can go at this moment

By Hash (Hash) on Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 03:05 pm: Edit

Hey Leia !

I really wanted to go to Wash U , U chic , !

U chic cause it has the best Econ Dept in the whole world i guess for Undergrad !

Wash U , i love the school (cause i go there ;) ) cause of its laid back atmosphere , excellent academics and chill out atmosphere it seems !

By Brown_Man (Brown_Man) on Tuesday, May 13, 2003 - 06:50 pm: Edit

Brown. I like the attention they give to undergraduates...

By Optimystic (Optimystic) on Tuesday, May 13, 2003 - 07:04 pm: Edit

Leia,

I have been away for a while so I apologize for the late response. How kind of you to ask about my daughter. Anyway, my daughter decided on NYU after all. She ended up with a $13,500 per year academic scholarship after it was all said and done. They awarded all National Merit Finalists who named NYU as their first choice an additional $1,000. She is also a University Scholar which is a great perk.

Yes, Boston University gave her a full music scholarship but she really had her heart set on NYU. BU really wanted her and they were so nice. I awakened last night with a panic attack thinking how could my daugher turn down a full ride to Washington University. I can only hope that we made the right decision and that NYU is worth it. I hope that things are going well with you. When will you graduate?

By Leia (Leia) on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 01:02 pm: Edit

That was definitely a tough, tough decision. But, wow! She got awesome offers from all of the schools you mentioned... i hope she enjoys NYU. Perhaps i'll see her there next year - i graduate from high school on June 23rd and i don't think i can wait another nanosecond. I think your daughter and i are the same age, so maybe i'll even see her in some classes. Did you guys go to the NYU University Day on April ..13th?

Congrats on your final decision, and see you 'round the City. :-)

~Leia

A working class hero is something to be..

By Good_Gal (Good_Gal) on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 01:24 pm: Edit

University of Rochester - great location (near the niagara falls), pretty near new york city,
5 yr Masters Degree in Human Development, pretty near my boyfriend.

By O71394658 (O71394658) on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 06:40 pm: Edit

Cornell. I want to major in Microbiology, and their the only top caliber school that offers it outside of Harvard, and I can't get into Harvard...

By Girlinbraids (Girlinbraids) on Wednesday, May 14, 2003 - 08:38 pm: Edit

Either Middlebury, Brown, or Yale, and not necessarily in that order. I figure, when April rolls around next year, the colleges will make that decision for me, so I'm not worrying about it. =)

By Andymcgav (Andymcgav) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 07:50 pm: Edit

YALE

By Chiangkaishrek (Chiangkaishrek) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 04:29 am: Edit

PENN!!! Yeah, go Quakers!

I love the campus (despite its location in W Philly)...great athletic program (despite being in the Ivy League...in fact shouldn't be).

Also the chics at PENN are the best out of all the Ivy schools.

By Saera (Saera) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 08:29 am: Edit

My dream school would have to be MIT. It might not be the best for everyone...but everything about it just makes it seem like a perfect school for me. It's in Cambridge, and I just love the Cambridge/Boston area...it's ON a river...and I love living near water. I'd be surrounded by some of the most intelligent and interesting people in the world. MIT has archery, something I've noted alot of my other choices are lacking, and something I would love to be involved in. Also, in your junior year you can study abroad at the University of Cambridge in England...and I'd love to be in England for a year. There's alot of little stuff too that just makes it seem wonderful for me but wouldn't be deciding points on their own or anything, such as they have an anime club (I really love anime) and stuff like that. I visited the campus and while it wasn't beautiful or anything, the atmosphere was very nice. Everything overall about MIT has just made me feel like it's perfect for me...so that's why it's my dream school.

By Gianscolere (Gianscolere) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 12:32 pm: Edit

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. The intellectual atmosphere there is unique. I witnessed this when I researched at its library. Beautiful campus near CHICAGO obviously.

By Greenmoo04 (Greenmoo04) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 12:58 pm: Edit

Wow Leia, you're full of so much great NYU info. I have several questions for you, if you don't mind.
First, NYU is my dream school. Ever since I was...eight and drove past it on those double decker buses, I've wanted to go there. I love the city, etc. However, I'm getting seconds thoughts as to applying there. The biggest one is getting in. Then THE COST.
Here's my stats:
SATI: 1080, 1210 (will raise)
SATII: Math 620, Writing 550, World History 530 (will raise)
GPA: 3.6 unweighted, 4.2 weighted
AP: 3 World History

Classes- (by the time apply- taken all AP/Honors class offered)
Senior-
AP Govt
AP Econ
AP English
AP Calculus
Academic Decathalon
Physics (cant stand science APs!)

Junior-
AP/Honors Chem
AP US History
AP Spanish
Trig H
English 3 H
Academic Decathalon

Extra Cirricular:
FBLA (Reporter), JSA (Founder, President), Conflict Resolution (Treasurer), Amnesty International, Torrance Youth Council, Youth and Govt, CSF, Key Club, work

Awards/Honors:
1st Place Reflections Literature (School, District), 3rd in So Cal area, School Achvievement Award (History), School-Wide Achievement Award, selected to go on Sacramento Safari, Student of the Month National Honor Roll (I heard this was a scam..?), nominated for NYLC, Presidential Classroom,

(Sorry if it's long, just wanted to give u a full picture:D)
Major: International Business, or Relations, or Philosophy, Writing, English, etc. (I'm not very decisive, thank god NYU offers all these majors).
So first, if by some miracle, I get in, (Stern), how would even begin to pay for it? I have an older sister at UCI who my parents are paying for. My parents are upper-middle class, but apparently, because of the stock market, they have enough money for me to go to community college or Cal State Long Beach. I was hoping on getting aid from NYU, but I guess it's not very likely. I'm desperately searching for scholarships, but I only got $1000! I don't want to get in a whole lot of debt in undergrad, because I'm planning on going to NYU for grad school too. PLEASE HELP!!! (and thanks so much for your time!:D)

By Leia (Leia) on Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 12:48 am: Edit

Hey,

Your chances of getting into NYU look as good as anyone - NYU acceptance predictions are pretty impossible to make given the strange mood swings of the admissions officers. I know people with 1190's who have been accepted, and people with perfect SATs... so it varies. Heavily. You've obviously taken/are taking the most rigorous courses available at your highschool, and you clearly put time into extracurricular activities. All i can say is make your essay count. Think about it, perfect it, make it knock-your-socks-off good.

The cost is problematic, and i fully sympathize. What year of high school are you going into next year? I'm assuming senior - in which case, apply to all the scholarships you can now, even if they are 1,000 dollars each. Little scholarships like that still chip away at the grand(infamous?) 40,000/yr. total. And keep applying to them well into senior year. They're always out there, especially those local scholarships of which nobody takes advantage - those are the ones you'll want to focus on as you'll have the best chance at winning them (if you're a part of a Church or work for a company, for instance, you might be eligible for some additional financial assistance).

But i am sure you're well aware of all this. You may also want to try to beg your teachers to help you out. For instance, the majority of the kids in my school are attending state colleges, and are therefore getting multiple discounts of various sizes, types, etc. As an out of "state-er," my teachers realize it's going to cost a heck of a lot to even attempt to afford NYU. So they keep on the lookout for any scholarships they can nominate me for, and so it goes. It's quite nice, and i've got 3,000 thus far just from their help and loving support. So, appeal to them if necessary. No doubt the younger teachers are still paying off their college debts, and will understand.

Don't be afraid to get on your knees. Humility is a virtue.

Anyway {sg}. Other ideas...if you can raise your SAT scores, you have a much better shot at getting financial aid(well, that's pretty obvious i suppose {sg}). Generally, PSAT semi-finalists are nicely rewarded as well, although you may have taken them for your junior year already.

What else...oh! If your test scores are not ample bragging material (mine certainly were not), you may want to highlight your community service/extracurricular gamut on a separate sheet of computer paper with your picture on it, or something like that. Typically called a "brag sheet," i think, this may help you stand out a little bit, or at least present your achievements, goals, interests, GPA, and ec's in a nice, professional, summarized format(plus a face to the name is always nice, especially since NYU does not interview). Sort of like a resume with that high school pizazz we have all (hopefully) retained. Hopefully.

Also..on the NYU application, they ask for a brief explanation of your reasons for applying, or whatever. Pretty standard. But think about that answer - or at least suck up a whole lot and kiss their rear-ends profusely. Might help. ;-)

Summer classes are always a plus. I took two summer classes online during my freshman and sophomore years in high school, and they were great fun (and easily do-able even with a summer job - check out www.islas.org for more info). I also took a public speaking class from the local county college in the 1st semester of my senior year. Extra classes are certainly not a requirement for acceptance or anything, but if you feel that your application may be lacking in some areas, and you can find a class that interests you, it might be worth it.

One last warning: Keep in mind Stern is a business school. If you're planning on majoring in Philosophy, English, Creative Writing (well, that's a minor i believe), or anything in the liberal arts-type area, you'd be better off applying to the College of Arts and Science (CAS). Business, international relations, etc, definitely try for Stern (though it is harder to get into than CAS), however carefully consider which part of NYU you apply to, as internal transfers (esp. from CAS/anyofthecolleges to Stern) can be really difficult. Gallatin is pretty cool, and one of the "easier" ones to get into (so i hear, by "word of mouth" etc) as you get to mix and match and basically make up your own major. Pretty eccentric. :-)

I hope this helped a bit. If i can do anything else for you, just give a shout.

Best of luck!

~Leia
________________________________________
This magic moment...

By Leia (Leia) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 01:15 am: Edit

I forgot something else that might help. If NYU is definitely your first choice school - that is, absolutely, positively, "absitively, posolutely" - applying Early Decision may increase your chances of getting accepted. I think it helped out a lot with my own acceptance, since they do know you're definitely committed when you apply ED. Just a thought.

By Sunshine916 (Sunshine916) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 03:20 am: Edit

CORNELL!!!

i've been in love with it since i was 11, the first time i went to ithace

ivy-league top tier school, beautiful campus, great academics, great food, AND im a New Yorker at heart. i moved to Ohio from NY when i was 8. boo hoo...

By Cru (Cru) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 03:57 am: Edit

oh... man...
yet, another person mentions Cornell...
I'm all jealous

By Cornellian07 (Cornellian07) on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 04:19 pm: Edit

Well, Cornell is the place to be.

By Brown_Man (Brown_Man) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 02:25 am: Edit

Brown!!!!!!! the providence people hypnotized me!!!

By Brookef (Brookef) on Monday, June 23, 2003 - 08:54 pm: Edit

I am trying to decide on an industrial engineering school. However, my first year of college was more like a vaction and I am paying for it now with my grades. So colleges like Cornell and GT are probably not an option for me since I managed to pull my GPA up to a 3.3-3.4. I was recently accepted into engineering programs at Auburn University and UT Knoxville. Neither were ranked on the USNews ranking but I was wondering if there is a better choice between the two. Also, if there is another school in the south I should apply to - I would prefer to stay in the south but it is not necessary. Last, is industrial engineering going to give me several good career options. Listening to what some have written, I might need to think about changing.

By Gameguy56 (Gameguy56) on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 02:24 am: Edit

University of Michigan ALL THE WAY!
#1 Most Recruited Engineering School (Take THAT MIT)

Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
the leaders and best
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan,
the champions of the West!

GO BLUE
or--at least I hope I can get in