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Hello everyone-

I'm an alumnus of NYU (class of 2000). I majored in philosophy and minored in history, and currently work in investment banking on Wall St. I had an invaluable experience at NYU and would be interested in answering questions and having discussions with those interested in my alma mater.

I worked in the admissions office my soph. and junior years at NYU, so I do have perspective on how of some of the things discussed here work.

Shoot away with your questions.

Best of luck to all!

By Kb1231 (Kb1231) on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 07:42 pm: Edit

Its great that you are willing to post your insights. What can you tell me about Stern? My daughter is applying ED.

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 03:17 pm: Edit

Kb,

Stern is a great school, I have so many friends who went there and are quite successful now. I personally, graduated from NYU's College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) but I work in I-banking now even though I studied liberal arts and not business in college.

Stern will give your daughter a firm grounding in business principles, and should prepare her well for a wide variety of careers whether they be in finance or not. Stern is also a relatively small school within NYU, so plenty of personal attention from profs. is possible. If your daughter goes to Stern, finance should without a doubt be her, or one of her majors since that is Stern's premier department. Liberal arts in CAS can also be an option for your daughter if she's not so dead set on business and wants more freedom to explore different academic fields...ultimately she can still work on Wall St (I did).

I don't know what kind of stats your daughter has, but if she is applying to Stern, a strong math background and a demonstrated interest in business (be it a investing her b-day $ in the stock market or reading The Economist) will certianly go a long way on the application.

I hope this helped. Let me know if you have more questions.

Good luck to your daughther.

By Kb1231 (Kb1231) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 04:03 pm: Edit

Thank you for giving so much info! Her college counselor says that she should be optimistic but "cautious" simply because of the sheer numbers who apply. She is in the top 20% of her senior class and goes to a very competitive private school. She has 8 varsity letters in athletics, is a senior leader and actually went to a summer leadership conference for business and leadership this past summer. She also has lots of AP courses. Her SATs are slightly weak but in the range of 1300-145O. She hates standardized tests! They are not however 1450!! We have been to schools all over the country and NYU is her top choice still as she loves the diversity and the opportunity it affords.
The major concern in this process other than academics and location has been the social environment of a school. She has shyed away from the schools that have a large frat presence simply because she is not a partier. She is very social and loves her friends but being an athlete for so many years has really influenced her choices for "entertainment". She would rather work, see movies, hang out with friends or SHOP!!
So, here are my questions??
1.We have heard both some positive and negative things about NYU. She has come across message posts where students talk about how "mean and nasty" the Stern Students are.(you excluded , of course!!) Are they "that bad"?
2. Are there enough alternatives if you are not heavily into substance abuse??(only a mother would ask this question)
3. We also have heard they do not put roommates together well, is that true?
4. It peaked my interest about the option in CAS. Is it possible to be in Stern and minor in another discipline? She loves history and would like to pursue that discipline as well. Her only concern is that it is harder to transfer into Stern once you are at NYU but slightly easier to tranfer out once you are there.
Thank you once again for your help as these are the lingering questions we are having as she is filling out her application.

By Spetulla (Spetulla) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 07:07 pm: Edit

Hi, was wondering if you could give an admissions officer's outlook towards me and my unique situation.

1400 SAT.
3.8 or so high school GPA

freshman year at JHU: horrible GPA, it was righta fter my mom died.
sophomore year GPA: about a 3.3 taking few classes and working full time-- getting life back together.
5th semester GPA: 4.0 with 19 units and a seminar. Was a class preceptor -- basically taught the class and held review sessions. Have my 'old' self back and I am kicking *** . I have a lot to say in the essay and some extremely strong teacher recs (including a professor w/ a PHD from NYU). I'm also actively involved on campus and have a lot of EC experience. I basically do not like where I'm at because I'm at the top of my classes (literally) GPA wise--I like a challenge, and the vast majority of the student body here is not sophisticated or engaging. I really want to go to a school with a more sophisticated atmosphere and student body. I have a rich history including the things I've mentioned including other family problems I've fought through. I do not look for sympathy from these, but I can demonstrate the intense strength they've brought me. Hope this all makes sense. OH, also, I just applied to the NYU study abroad program in Paris and hope to attend in the spring.

thoughts?

By Matth (Matth) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 07:27 pm: Edit

Spetulla, I have a friend who is applying to transfer to Stern for next year and here's what he learned from the Admissions bulletin board:

Transfer students may begin their studies at NYU's Stern School of Business in the fall semester only.

The application deadline is April 1. Your application must be in our office and complete by April 1 to ensure full consideration for admission. Students whose applications are received or completed after the deadline are at a disadvantage in the admissions process.

We make every effort to notify students of our decision within 90 days of the deadline.

To be considered for transfer admission to the Stern School of Business a student must have completed (or be in the process of completing) one year and 30-32 semester hours at their current college or university. This does not include credit awarded by examination or credit earned at other schools. Students who do not meet this requirement are not eligible to transfer.

The admission process is highly selective. Our acceptance rate for the 2004 academic year was approximately 30%. Successful applicants usually present a very strong academic record on both the undergraduate and secondary school level. While there is no minimum g.p.a. needed to apply for admission, competitive applicants usually have a strong B+ or A average for their college work and would have been strong candidates for admission as a freshman based on their secondary school records.

We recommend that students take a solid liberal arts program at their current school.

Applicants for admission should have completed (or be in the process of completing) the following courses in order to receive serious consideration for admission:

Introductory Macroeconomics
Introductory Microeconomics
Calculus
Expository Writing
Introductory Accounting (a combination of Managerial Acct. and Financial Acct. totaling at least 6 semester hours)

In general the credit from courses that are roughly equivalent to those offered at NYU will transfer. A maximum of 64 semester hours will transfer to the Stern School of Business (128 credits are required for graduation). We do not evaluate courses or transfer credit for students until an offer of admission is made.

Students who have taken the SAT I or ACT should submit scores when they apply. Scores must be sent to NYU directly from the testing agency.

Please note that the Leonard N. Stern School of Business will not consider for transfer admission students who enter NYU via transfer into another NYU school or college

By Spetulla (Spetulla) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 07:54 pm: Edit

I forgot to mention, I'm applying CAS for fall '05

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 10:05 pm: Edit

Hi Kb,

Your daugther seems like she'd be the NYU type. To answer your questions--

1. I was a CAS student (not a Stern one) who just turned into a Wall Streeter after college. But I seriously don't know who you have heard this from...the people who claimed students were "mean and nasty"..were they NYU students/alums, pretending to be, or just basing it on what they heard?? I think you should visit NYU and see for yourself (if you haven't already done so). From my perspective (and I know many people from Stern), really nobody was cutthoroat, or mean and nasty. Are there some jerks out there?...I'm certain there are, but that can be said for any college. Overall, I'd say NYU had a very friendly student body, Stern included.

2. Though NYU is a hard partying school due to the combination of NY's entertainment offerings and a wealthy student body, one can still have a good time without being a substance abuser. The city itself offers a plethora of cultural/entertainment offerings, and NYU has student clubs to suit just about every hobby and taste.

3. I lived in the dorms with the same roommates for 3 years..and these were friends I made freshmen yr, so I can't complain. My freshmen yr. roommate was the only one I was assigned at random and we got along. I would have roomed with my frosh year bunkmate again, but he was a trust fund kid who decided to take a year off to live in the French Riveria. Being assigned random roommates basically is a matter of luck of the draw it seems to me. I don't think the school is bad at assigning roommates at all; there are bound to be some bad matches since its hard to tell whether a pair will get along just by looking at their profiles on a piece of paper.

4. I think Stern students can minor in liberal arts areas..BUT don't quote me and check with the school. Transferring into Stern from another school is hard (though not impossible..I know people who've done it from CAS) since Stern is very small school with a limited number of seats. If one transfers out of Stern into CAS, an important consideration is the MAP requirements (NYU liberal arts core cirriculam). Someone who transfers into Stern might be behind on things like a foreign language and science requirement..which Stern doesn't have. Also CAS majors tend to require more courses than Stern ones. Thus, a transfer from Stern might impair academic freedom to take electives, neccesiate extra course load, delay graduation, etc. I say your daughter should apply to the school she truly wants to attend. Remember, even if she wants to work on Wall St., she can still study liberal arts type stuff at NYU and do that, so to avoid the hassels of transferring, I'd say make sure Stern is her absolute primary interest before applying.

Regards,
John

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 10:13 pm: Edit

Spetulla,

You seem like you have a good chance. You have some experiences that you can make a great essay out of. You are def. in the running since you have a strong hs. and college record, and the other factors may tip the scale in your favor. Just don't blow off any one factor like essay, recs, which it seems like you won't anyway, and you should have a good chance. The only thing to consider really is that sometimes the school's transfer needs may vary since transfer admissions is based on the availability of spots.

Also, I thought NYU required you to do at least 4 semesters with them, so check with the school about how much credit you will get for that 5th semester.

I knew people who did NYU in Paris...great program..you'll have a lot of fun.

Best of luck.

By Spetulla (Spetulla) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 10:21 pm: Edit

Thanks for the kind words, it means a lot to me. I expect to do at least 4 semesters if I get into NYU; I love college and can't get enough!

By Kb1231 (Kb1231) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 09:30 am: Edit

JW,
You were great help and I do agree that NYU is a good fit for her. I took her to visit and sat in on an ifo session in the spring and then both my husband and I took her after Labor Day. Actually, while there the second time, our family was approached by a newsreporter asking us what we thought about the suicides and if it would deter her from applying!!My husband thought the school was a perfect fit for her. She especially loved the diversity of people.
Is Goddard a good dorm? I think she wants something slightly more traditional and quiet, although it may not exist. Thanks again for the answers... you were truly a great help. She appreciated your answers as well!

By Yongsunkwon (Yongsunkwon) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 10:31 am: Edit

hi i was wondering which area nyu focuses more of it's emphasis on. Is it test scores or the gpa? Also, if there is an high upward trend but a mediocre cumulative gpa because of low performance during freshmen year, can the high test scores kinda make up for it? Thank you.

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 10:55 am: Edit

KB,

I'm so glad to hear I could be of help.

Out of the freshmen dorms, Goddard is one of the smaller and quieter ones I'd say, so if thats what your daughter is looking for, it would be a good match for her. I lived in Hayden my freshmen year, which along with Weinstein is known as a very social freshmen dorm. So it all depends on what one is looking for. Also, your daughter may want to check out Brittany..its another freshmen dorm that is known to house the studious type and tends to be tame as far as partying is concerned..at least thats what its rep. was when I was at NYU.

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:01 am: Edit

Yong,

I'd say NYU focuses on both GPA and SAT scores...the importance of each is hard to quantify as each applicant's record is viewed uniquely.

An upward trend of grades would certainly be a very good thing indeed. High test scores will certainly help, but I don't think they would compensate for an overall poor record and rarely, if ever is someone admitted because of high test scores alone. I think the combo of your improving grades and high test scores shows you have potential, and you'll want to find ways to emphasize that to the adm. cmte.

Good luck.

By Matth (Matth) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:31 am: Edit

Kb, just a comment about the NYU dorms. The 'quietness' factor changes year by year depending on who's on the floor. I'm a freshman and I know when I visited last year with friends who were already at NYU, Hayden seemed really quiet. This year most floors I've been on have been crazily noisy. My floor on Weinstein is pretty mild most of the time but others are noisy 24/7. One thing you should know is that you cannot choose a particular dorm unless you apply Early Decision. That's one of the perqs of getting in Early. Otherwise, you can only specify traditional vs. apartment style.

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:57 am: Edit

It is accurate to say personality types in dorms changes year by year...I was just basing my characterizations on the general reputation the dorms have built up over the years. I'm actually a little disappointed to hear of mildness in Weinstein...I had some wild times there...haha.

Also, for a freshmen year, I would certainly pick a traditional style freshmen dorm (e.g. Goddard, Weinstien, Hayden, etc.) as these are where the bulk of first years live and make it much easier to meet people and make friends.

By Kb1231 (Kb1231) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 12:53 pm: Edit

Thanks Matt for your insight as well. She is applying ED for sure. She is finalizing her application and taking a final round of SAT's tomorrow. Matt, do you know if you can be in Stern and also minor in another discipline such as history?? Are you in Stern or CAS? JW thought you could but wasn't quite sure.
Thanks and enjoy your weekend!

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 01:03 pm: Edit

Kb,

I hung out with a college friend of mine this weekend, he is currently a bond trader that graduated from Stern undergrad...and he had a CAS minor in anthropology. So unless the rules have changed since I was there (I graduated in 2000, my friend I speak of graduated in '01), I think a minor in CAS is very much an option.

Best regards,
-J.

By Matth (Matth) on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 02:39 pm: Edit

Kb, I'm in CAS. I know, through friends, that Stern does offer some unrestricted credit for students to use at their discretion but I'm not sure that it's enough for a minor. They're certainly able to take SOME classes outside Stern but how many would have to be confirmed with the Stern rep at the Admissions office.

By Jwblue (Jwblue) on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 07:07 pm: Edit

Kb,

Looks like my initial hunch was correct. It seems like the CAS minors are still possible.

I found this on the NYU site (I'll assume its still valid and doesn't speak of old policy).

Check out this link (FAQ #10):


http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/Ug/nyuadvising.cfm?doc_id=37

Hope this helps.