NYU vs. CUNY

[DanielR]

Hi all!

I recently found out that I was accepted into both NYU's "Reporting New York" program and into CUNY's J-School and I have the task of figuring out which shool to choose. Fortunately I don't have to consider a third school -- Columbia -- which flat out rejected me.

Both schools seem to offer up-to-date and nimble programs and both are involved with hyperlocal projects with the NY Times. CUNY students and faculty run much of the "The Local: Fort Greene" blog and NYU is doing the same with an upcoming Local blog on the East Village.

I've got some small scholarships at both schools, but that still leavs NYU's tuition literally twice as much as the alternative. I'm really reluctant to take on too many student loans, especially considering I can't count on making much (or any? ) money out of the gate. Plus, CUNY pays a $3,000 grant to all students during their summer internship, which is really cool.

On NYU's side, it does carry with it some name-recognition, though I really feel like it's your clips and experience that really counts when pitching yourself to editors....One person I've asked said that editors never even ask where they went to school.

Does anyone have experience with either program, or just some piece of advice on which school might be a better option?

Thanks!

[Dith Vader]

Big students loans are a bad idea, especially if you do journalism which will not pay back as much as, say, law or medicine. That said, NYU does carry more name recognition than CUNY, although both will give you equal opportunities to build your portfolio. Plus, CUNY gets you to intern and pays you for it!

All in all, the only thing that stands out from NYU, imo, is the name, and that doesn't count as much as experience does.

As a note, I'm going to CUNY

[DanielR]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I'm heavily leaning toward CUNY for those reasons!

[Dith Vader]

Let me know when you've finalized your decision! It'd be great to know someone on campus before I even arrive

[LookingAroundTheWorld]

Hi there,

I don't know if either of you are still following this thread, but I'm currently trying to make the same decision: reporting NY at NYU or going with CUNY. Financially it looks like scholarships will make costs more or less equal either way. Did both of you end up at CUNY? Any thoughts or one-year-later reflections on the topic?

Thanks!

Kevin

[marmotilla]

I already turned down NYU. I'm trying to decide between UC Berkeley and CUNY.

[LookingAroundTheWorld]

That's a tough call - I really liked the look of the Berkeley program but didn't apply because I got the impression they only wanted people with legit professional experience (which I don't have). Why did you choose to turn down NYU? It seems like within their Reporting NY program I can put together a pretty flexible and comprehensive education with great professors. Then again, I just went to the CUNY admitted students weekend and was amazed by their facilities and organization, and it seems like a fantastic faculty too. I think I've decided that I don't want to go into debt for Columbia or Medill, despite the names...

[marmotilla]

Yeah, apparently Berkeley wants people with experience...

I didn't apply to the Reporting NY program at NYU, but some people told me it wasn't as good as they expected. It was a hard decision though. It looks great.