I will get straight to the point. I was born and raised in NYC. I am a big city girl. I applied to many colleges. Was accepted to almost all. Like Syracuse and Bing. NYU was the most pressuring one. They offered to pay my entire tuition (full scholarship), dorm, meal plans, 2k refund every semester, and study abroad for all 4 years. They also gave me a deadline. They said I would not be able to be offered this financial aid again if I was to say NO and if I was to transfer out. I thought of how amazing their name brand is, their education is, their study abroad sites are, their diversity statistics are, and their seemingly "lit" social scene. So I accepted. And I was happy. That is, until the first week of school. Right now, I am finishing up my first week of school here. I am happy with the quality of education (it is difficult but it is what I signed up for in most of my colleges). But I couldn't be more disappointed with the social scene. There is barely anything here...in the sense that there is nothing new for me to see and that there aren't as many parties as I was expecting. Not really anything new for me to experience since I've been here before. On top of that, there aren't even many to any real college parties (thus far). I know it has been just a week but I have seen many Syracuse and Binghamton friends having the time of their lives in this mere one week on snapchat. Hence, I am disappointed. I am super discouraged. I am saddened that it is less than I expected and that I am not having fun. I had such high hopes. And to be completely honest, I feel deeply that I am constantly feeling disappointed and discouraged because I always wanted that typical college experience. The real campus, you know, the ones with grass and hills and fields and open spaces and football games and dorms that look like houses...not buildings. I always wanted the frat parties and sorority parties and house parties but there are no houses to do that here and only 7% Greek life. Instead, we have to go to clubs nearby to party to super annoying house music and for that we need an ID or a fake. On top that, we also need the money to pay for the drinks which is like triple the amount I would need to get liquor in a house party in a college upstate. Annoying. Onto another thing: NYU students don't often move out into apartments near the campus their junior year as college kids often do because they are too expensive. While in Syracuse and Bing, I could get a bigger house or apartment for way cheaper. *Sighs* I just find so many reasons... My heart wants me to follow my gut but my mind knows better. I know NYU has a better name (and this shouldn't matter but it does) and I know it is only the first week (yet many people are having fun already in those colleges I mentioned). So I feel torn. I feel deeply about the college experience that I yearn for but taken back to Earth by NYU's high name and harsh policies. I don't know what to do. I tell myself to suck if up and complete the 4 years for the basically free degree. But is that really what you should tell yourself? I just worry that if I transfer and find the social life to be too "white people jumping to house music only" for my hispanic taste then I'm going to want to transfer (back but I can't). Or if I find the immense cold horrible (as I do already), or the grass fields become boring, or if I cannot find that mix of colored folk that I am of to hang with.. Then I don't know. Then I'd feel better about being back here, back home. It's just my biggest concern: that at the end of the 4 years, I'll regret staying. I'll regret that I didn't have the college experience that we only get once. And I deeply do not want that to be me.
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