NYU livability on program funding

[adornianjazz]

As I, like several others, might find myself facing a choice between NYU and programs in other—far cheaper—cities, I am hoping that there might be a current NYU student or two hanging around that could share their experiences living in New York on the NYU English program funding. I know the finding package is robust, but I am worried about, among other considerations, rent and the cost of food. Grateful for any insight anyone can provide!

[trytostay]

I currently live in NYC! Whenever someone talks to me about the cost of NYC, I always like to point out that it's the most populous city in America for a reason! Millions of people live here every day, and not all of them are making above 50k. It's VERY possible to live here.

The difference between NYC and other cities is that your primary expense will be rent and you will almost assuredly not have the luxury of living alone. However, it isn't this completely unlivable place. It simply requires you to adjust your way of life if you want to reside here: living with roommates, having a long commute...AKA a 3 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with two other people, essentially. It's doable. It just might not be everyone's idea of fun or how you want to spend the next 6 years. 

NYU's stipend is very livable in my opinion. Columbia's stipend is significantly less than NYU's, and I'd also consider it livable. 

Edited April 9, 2019 by trytostay

[adornianjazz]

43 minutes ago, trytostay said:

your primary expense will be rent

Very much my experience with Los Angeles, haha, but I feel like with NYC one gets more for that financial sacrifice, yes? Thank you for your very helpful perspective!

[ExileFromAFutureTime]

Also on the NYU waitlist and hoping to hear something positive by the end of this week! My partner and I would love to be in the city because we absolutely hate the idea of having to get a car and organize our lives around driving. We currently live in a city and are finding it difficult to imagine the next five or six years in a college town. 

A question in a similar vein: how is NYU healthcare? 

[MetaphysicalDrama]

I declined an offer from a New York school because of the cost of living in NYC.  That school wasn't NYU, and my wife and I may have arrived at a different decision if it were.  The only way we would have been able to make it work would have been to live in a surrounding area like Stamford or Newark and commute.  My wife works as well, so that would solve the roommate scenario.  From all I've heard about healthcare in the Northeast, it can be hard to take advantage of your healthcare package.  That's not because it provides insufficient coverage, but because doctor's refuse to take it.  NYC has a lot to offer, but there's a reason why they say, "if you can make it here, then you can make it anywhere."  If you really want to make NYU work, then its doable.  I certainly wouldn't decline an NYU offer to go to a much lesser school or a "rural" city.  However, there are some good metro=area universities that can give NYU a run for their money with a considerably lower cost of living. 

Also worth considering: it's way easier to go to NYU if you're already rooted in the Northeast.  Making a move their from another region is considerably more difficult. 

Edited April 9, 2019 by MetaphysicalDrama

[feralgrad]

15 hours ago, trytostay said:

The difference between NYC and other cities is that your primary expense will be rent and you will almost assuredly not have the luxury of living alone. However, it isn't this completely unlivable place.

MFA lurker, but as someone who lives in an expensive city I'd like to offer my two cents. As trytostay says, you can make it work with sacrifices, but you should consider if those sacrifices are viable long-term. If rent is your primary expense and you have little to no savings, will you be able to weather an unexpected expense? Can you rely on your family to throw you $500 for an unplanned hospital stay or a vet bill? This, in my opinion, is the difference between surviving and floundering for many young people in expensive cities.

Edited April 9, 2019 by feralgrad

[carpth]

Former NYU grad here (Partially funded MA). As everyone said already, NYC is of course expensive, but livable if you can cobble together something that works for you. I worked two part-time jobs during my MA and lived with my partner in a below-market value apartment. As far as apartment-searching: start looking at places now to familiarize yourself with how much rent is in certain neighborhoods. Most of my student friends are beginning to live in Queens over Brooklyn, so check those areas out as well.

Regarding health insurance and healthcare: the NYU Health Center was a relatively decent place for primary care, so I used that for physical health. Mental health is a whole different beast in NYC: most doctors can be extremely selective in what they take as insurance, if anything. If access to mental healthcare is important to you, you’ll find a lot of fantastic doctors based in the NYC area, but their affordability varies. I have run across quite a few doctors who have student rates, however.

Edited April 9, 2019 by carpth

[isabelj]

This discussion really hits home for those who hoped to enter academia as a means to live ethically and avoid exploitative/coercive marketplace practices.