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In my opinion, 50 percent of what you learn in college is from your peers, not your professors. CUNY schools are a great, affordable option if you're already in the city. I'm not sure it's worth moving to the to city to attend a CUNY school. Housing costs are far higher than in Binghamton, for example.
Here's a tip: If you're going to a state school do not go into debt. Even if you automatically qualify government loans, don't use them unless you absolutely have to. They have to be paid back. The goal is to set yourself up so that you have as many options after graduation as possible. It's hard to move to the city right after graduation. It's extremely hard to move to the city with student loans hanging around your neck. It's nearly impossible to do an internship and pay city rent and student loans, etc.
If you don't have a lot of money of family support, I would recommend going to a SUNY school a then looking for a summer internship in the city.
I started at a SUNY and then transferred to a CUNY. It is different in that you will be mingling with the real world too.
Since it sounds like you want the typical college experience, I'd recommend you staying away from any college that doesn't have dorms. Aside from class, dorms are a huge part of your social life in the beginning when you don't know anyone. Take advantage and find yourself some kickbutt internships throughout your stay. Don't underestimate how important internships are.
I am currently a junior in high school in Rochester, NY. I've been looking at colleges recently and since I think that I would like the atmosphere of NYC (lots of people, plenty to do) I was considering going to college there. My only concern is that the college experience will not be quite the same as if I attended say a SUNY school. When i picture the college experience I think of having a roommate, making friends with a whole new social group, and parties, along with the education of course. Are colleges in NYC like the colleges elsewhere? I am under the impression that college in NYC is purely for the education and once classes are over everybody leaves to go their separate ways since many colleges don't have dorm and people just commute from home. How do people ever make friends then? Or is NYC mostly about business and work. I've also heard that living in NYC in college without parental support is extremely expensive. Its my dream to live in the big city, but I was hoping you guys could give me some feedback on what its really like to go to college in NYC. Thanks.
I would agree with you. Columbia, Pace, and NYU have signiticant dorm life, but even these schools have commuter students. If you are looking for a typical undergraduate experience with school spirit, homecoming, pep rallys, rushing for a sorority, you would be better off at a school outside of the city. Just my opinion, but I think that NYC is an excellent enviroment for grad school, depending on the subject to be studied. A compromise could be SUNY-Stonybrook. It wouldn't be the same as attending school in Manhattan, but you would have the affordablity of SUNY tuitition and dorms and be able to visit Manhattan for fun on weekends. However, be advised that even Stonybrook has a significant commuter student population and it is pretty dead there on the weekends.
I also think it depends on what kind of a person you are. At Hunter, where I went, there are some people who have met loads of people from there and will tell you Hunter is a super social school and that NYC is a great place to meet people. Others will swear that it's the exact opposite, myself included, but looking back (and currently), despite my desire for more friends, I've never had a huge social circle, am not outgoing to ask people to hang out, and it explains 100% why I didn't meet a lot of people, you know? The irony really is that I transferred from Sarah Lawerence College, and my best friend still to this day was my roommate there. I hardly have any friends in the city. But that's me! Depends on who you are, really. If you like to party, you'll find them. If you enjoy clubs, you'll find them. If you like to engage others in conversation, you will. But if you don't do any of these things normally, then don't expect that to change at CUNY. Most people jet to the subway or the bus after class. There are some groups of people that hang out in the hallways afterwards. Certain majors have tighter social circles than others (particularly those which have smaller class sizes, such as English, or those that require teamwork, like theatre or dance). That's my view.
I am currently a junior in high school in Rochester, NY. I've been looking at colleges recently and since I think that I would like the atmosphere of NYC (lots of people, plenty to do) I was considering going to college there. My only concern is that the college experience will not be quite the same as if I attended say a SUNY school. When i picture the college experience I think of having a roommate, making friends with a whole new social group, and parties, along with the education of course. Are colleges in NYC like the colleges elsewhere? I am under the impression that college in NYC is purely for the education and once classes are over everybody leaves to go their separate ways since many colleges don't have dorm and people just commute from home. How do people ever make friends then? Or is NYC mostly about business and work. I've also heard that living in NYC in college without parental support is extremely expensive. Its my dream to live in the big city, but I was hoping you guys could give me some feedback on what its really like to go to college in NYC. Thanks.
No it will definitely be nothing like a SUNY experience, especially if you go to a CUNY. I went to Hunter and I can truly say that none of us were there to make friends lol. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful experience, its diverse and I got to meet some interesting people and did make a few friends but it wasn't my priority and I don't think it was anyone else's. One thing you will find however, that I liked, is the sense of drive both in and outside of the classroom. NYC college kids are committed, whether they be a theatre major or premed and the NYC college scene is definitely the right place to be exposed to all different kinds of issues and causes that truly matter. I can't tell you how many Socialists, Christians, feminists, anti-human trafficking men and women I met in just my first year. If you are looking for more social interaction, a school on Long Island might be a better fit; like Stony Brook or Hofstra.
I agree with the above. I went to Hunter, and frankly, there's no real "campus life." People just go to school and then go home. I lived in the dorms for most of my time there, and even they were not as social as dorms at other colleges. That said, that I didn't meet very many people was largely my fault. You can meet people at a school like Hunter, you just have to put some effort into it, unlike at other colleges, where it seems to almost happen by accident.
NYU and Columbia definitely offer more of a "college experience" type life, but they're very expensive, and it's still not like at the upstate schools. If having the "college experience" is your goal, you're a lot more likely to find that outside NYC. Of course, you can still meet people, and learn stuff, and have lots of fun at a college in the city - but it will be a little different.
I go to Marymount Manhattan and we do have dorm life. It's certainly not the normal college experience because all the dorms are so far away from the school, but you can still meet people through your roommates and your classes. It seems most people here party pretty hard.. I don't, so that's probably hindered me a little bit from making a ton of friends. But if you're a big nightlife person you'll love it.
Wow, lots of Hunter students/alumni in this thread......I'm planning to transfer to Hunter in the fall after finishing my A.A degree here at CUNY-BMCC and am somewhat disappointed at hearing that I'll be expecting the same over there: little to no campus life. Perhaps I've been naive but yeah, at all CUNY schools, 2 or 4-year, this appears to be the case. I haven't been fortunate enough to still be in touch will the friends I've made before college, so I've been looking forward to meeting new people, but to no avail. It's partly my fault but yeah, sucks. I consider myself to be too old for the dorming deal (23) too, so that ship's sailed by.
Columbia, NYU, Pace, et al all have chapters of various national fraternities and sororities. Given the urban environments, it's pretty intense. There are lots of college bars, plenty of stuff to do, etc.
But yes, I commuted to college in NYC (NYU) and had a very different experience then my friend who went to a SUNY... I think it's part of the NYC experience. None of the schools have much of a "campus."
You have plenty of time to live in NY.
1st, figure out what you want to get educated in & go to the school that will do that the best.
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