Any advice? California vs. New York

[Joyologist]

Hello~ Anyone can give me some advice for choosing grad program among UC Davis, NYU Steinhardt and TC Columbia?

My undergraduate major was psych and above programs are MA Human development and Developmental psych.

Please... it is hard to decide!!

[Mrs. Grad]

Living in Davis (or Sacramento) would save you money. May I ask if your offer is fully funded?

The two schools offer very different lifestyles.

[belleoftheball]

Hello~ Anyone can give me some advice for choosing grad program among UC Davis, NYU Steinhardt and TC Columbia?

My undergraduate major was psych and above programs are MA Human development and Developmental psych.

Please... it is hard to decide!!

I totally understand your dilemma...I'm deciding between Berkeley, NYU and Weill Cornell (Cornell's med school in nyc).

I love love love NYC and have wanted to live there FOREVER!! I've never been to the Columbia main campus. I know its not in the best part of town (but I think its gotten better). NYU is in an amazing location!! But Davis and NYC are polar opposites.

I went to UC Davis for undergrad. I had an amazing time, but its definitely small college town, and after undergrad I was like "I have to get out and live in a city." I don't know if you've been to Davis, but there is an amazing farmers market twice a week where so many people (students, families, etc) come out and theres live bands that play and stuff...lots of fun! You don't need a car to get around davis, everyone bikes and there are school run buses that reach pretty much every part of town and are free. As a grad student, i might suggest a car, so that you can get out and do things on the weekends. There's lots of great things near davis: Tahoe= 2 hr drive, Berkeley and SF= 1-1.5 hr drive, Sacramento (has more things to offer than you think)=20 min drive...and all around Davis is farmland. But Its a great chill place! Also if money/funding is an issue for living, Davis is super cheap for the students. 1 bedroom runs around $500 and there are a variety of apartments and houses that are rented to students. Also think about the undergrad population in this case: there are 25,000 undergrads in a town of 50,000 people....in NYC there undergrads are more diluted by the amount of "real" people. Anyways, Davis is super cute (and yes there are cows!)

NYC, on the other hand is totally opposite!! So much to do there, which may be a blessing and a curse as a grad student! First off, waaaaaaaay more expensive for both housing and just about anything else. For example, a drink at bar in Davis may cost you about $3-4, and in NYC you're looking at least $8-10. You don't have to worry about a car because you'll take the subway or walk anywhere you need to get. I think everything you'd ever need/want to do is somewhere in the 5 boroughs.

Also think about CA weather versus NY weather. If you can't handle snow and cold, don't go to NYC. Davis rains a lot in the winter but gets into the high 90s and low hundreds on a daily basis in the summer. No humidity though and I would gladly take 105 in davis, over 90 in NYC any day!

I think basically, you need to decide if you want a more busy (and possibly tense/stressed) life style in NYC, or a super laid-back, quiet lifestyle in Davis.

[HyacinthMacaw]

It's probably best to more heavily consider how attending these programs will facilitate your pursuit of your academic/professional goals, i.e. what you expect to get out of them. That said, quality of life is an important criterion for promoting your happiness.

I commute to NYU regularly. The area is vibrant but quite expensive. I also volunteered at Columbia; there seemed to be less outlets to divert yourself there, and it is nearly as expensive. Expect overpriced housing and food in New York, i.e. paying a lot for a little. You'll have to get used to negotiating small spaces (shopping carts are smaller, grocery aisles are narrower, etc.) and cramming yourself into a subway car. Expect noise, endless crowds, and strange odors daily. It's really up to you--are you willing to put up with all those urban stressors? Wishing you all the best.

[Joyologist]

Living in Davis (or Sacramento) would save you money. May I ask if your offer is fully funded?

The two schools offer very different lifestyles.

I didn't get any info about funding yet. Can MA students get the full funding?

[Joyologist]

I totally understand your dilemma...I'm deciding between Berkeley, NYU and Weill Cornell (Cornell's med school in nyc).

I love love love NYC and have wanted to live there FOREVER!! I've never been to the Columbia main campus. I know its not in the best part of town (but I think its gotten better). NYU is in an amazing location!! But Davis and NYC are polar opposites.

I went to UC Davis for undergrad. I had an amazing time, but its definitely small college town, and after undergrad I was like "I have to get out and live in a city." I don't know if you've been to Davis, but there is an amazing farmers market twice a week where so many people (students, families, etc) come out and theres live bands that play and stuff...lots of fun! You don't need a car to get around davis, everyone bikes and there are school run buses that reach pretty much every part of town and are free. As a grad student, i might suggest a car, so that you can get out and do things on the weekends. There's lots of great things near davis: Tahoe= 2 hr drive, Berkeley and SF= 1-1.5 hr drive, Sacramento (has more things to offer than you think)=20 min drive...and all around Davis is farmland. But Its a great chill place! Also if money/funding is an issue for living, Davis is super cheap for the students. 1 bedroom runs around $500 and there are a variety of apartments and houses that are rented to students. Also think about the undergrad population in this case: there are 25,000 undergrads in a town of 50,000 people....in NYC there undergrads are more diluted by the amount of "real" people. Anyways, Davis is super cute (and yes there are cows!)

NYC, on the other hand is totally opposite!! So much to do there, which may be a blessing and a curse as a grad student! First off, waaaaaaaay more expensive for both housing and just about anything else. For example, a drink at bar in Davis may cost you about $3-4, and in NYC you're looking at least $8-10. You don't have to worry about a car because you'll take the subway or walk anywhere you need to get. I think everything you'd ever need/want to do is somewhere in the 5 boroughs.

Also think about CA weather versus NY weather. If you can't handle snow and cold, don't go to NYC. Davis rains a lot in the winter but gets into the high 90s and low hundreds on a daily basis in the summer. No humidity though and I would gladly take 105 in davis, over 90 in NYC any day!

I think basically, you need to decide if you want a more busy (and possibly tense/stressed) life style in NYC, or a super laid-back, quiet lifestyle in Davis.

Thank you for your comment!!

I've been Davis and it seems to me good to live!! Well, it's perfect place for grad students

Every each side of Davis is way better than NYC, but I am worrying to die with bored at Davis. OMG!!! It's hard decision

[belleoftheball]

Thank you for your comment!!

I've been Davis and it seems to me good to live!! Well, it's perfect place for grad students

Every each side of Davis is way better than NYC, but I am worrying to die with bored at Davis. OMG!!! It's hard decision

I don't think you'll die of boredom in Davis. If you get a car, you can easily get out and go to Napa, or the bay or Six Flags or anything like that. But honestly, I was so busy just hanging out with my friends (and doing school work) that sometimes it would occur to me that I hadn't left Davis in months, and I wasn't bored! Davis also has college sports team. We're division one (even though that doesn't mean we're good!), but football and basketball games are lots of fun to go to! Also intramural sports go on year round there. There is no lack of things to do in Davis and the surrounding area, it just doesn't sound as exciting as NYC. If you find a good group of friends to do things with, you'll have a blast!

[Mrs. Grad]

Every each side of Davis is way better than NYC, but I am worrying to die with bored at Davis. OMG!!! It's hard decision

You won't be bored. There are too many great cities around.

Let me know if you need help starting a social group. My husband and I are moving there, as well!

[patricknyc]

I've never been to Davis, but I live in New York now so I can comment on that. New York is absolutely amazing - always something to do, great neighborhoods and great restaurants. At the same time, I find it to be kind of exhausting because it's crowded, dirty, and kind of aggressive. I wouldn't trade my experience of living here for anything, but I'm excited to move on in the fall when I go grad school in Minnesota or California.

As for NYU specifically, the area around NYU is one of my favorite parts of the city, but unless you're living in NYU housing (and I don't think there's much for grad students), you're probably paying $1,500 or $2,000 per month for your part of the rent with roommates. Commuting to NYU by subway from other parts of the city is really easy since most of the trains pass through the area, so you can definitely live somewhere decent and pay $800 or $900 if you have roommates, though that's still very expensive compared to most places. If you're living alone, you'll be hard pressed to find somewhere for much less than $1,100. Groceries are also more expensive and eating out and going to bars will set you back more here than most other cities. I guess all of this goes to say that New York is very expensive and it might be hard to enjoy it to its fullest while you're living on a grad school budget. If you really want to establish yourself in the Northeast, it might be worth it, but otherwise I think it's a city probably better suited to life between or after school.