CUNY Graduate School and University Center Reviews

"Being the daughter of two immigrant parents, education has always been my number one priority. Attending CUNY was the best decisions I made. CUNY has not only allowed me to grow as a person but as a journalist, a Mexican-American journalist ready to go to work! CUNY and the Journalism Department has such a diversity, it's my home away from home. I'm so thankful for my professors, my classmates, and the university that wants to see their students succeed."

"In my opinion, the greatest benefits of studying at The Graduate Center are: affordable tuition (especially when compared to the astronomical costs of more prestigious universities); professors take mentorship very seriously; and last but not least, being part of the City University of New York system of campuses dispersed throughout The Big Apple, one has the luxury of taking classes at other colleges (the trick is finding the best professors). My experience in graduate school has made me realize that education is what you make of it. This is to say that you don't need to be going to a big name school to get a quality education. By virtue of being in NYC, you will have access to a plethora of opportunities that will enrich your academic experience. You just have to make the effort to seek those opportunities out."

"The CUNY Graduate Center is an excellent place to receive a world class education. Professors are world-class and invested of the success of their students. Campus is all one building, so getting from class to class is easy. The library is fantastic"

"The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism is a great institution and I am happy I made to the choice to attend. In just one semester, I have learned so much and have built a solid network. The workload sometimes feels like a lot to handle but I feel like the professors are preparing us for the real world of journalism, which will also be challenging."

"The Graduate Center's Philosophy program is first rate. Faculty interests are diverse. There is someone working in almost every field of philosophy. Moreover, all the faculty members I have interacted with have been very helpful. The GC's consortial agreement with other doctoral programs in the NYC area allow one to take classes at NYU, Princeton, The New School, Rutguers, Columbia, Fordham and SUNY Stony Brook. The philosophical community both within the GC and in the larger NY area is quite enriching. Funding is good. That said, the GC is solely a graduate school set apart from the other CUNY 4-year schools thus there is not as much of a campus-type community as one might find other places. Although, the GC being set apart attracts top faculty because they only teach graduate courses."

"Students are clearly not the faculty's priority."

"The Graduate School is at the heart of NYC right next to the Empire State Building. I am PhD philosophy student and am able to take classes at various other institutions in NYC such as NYU and Columbia. The faculty at The Graduate Center draw from all CUNY institutions and so there is a wide variety of researchers to work with. Graduate students here also start teaching at affiliate CUNY colleges starting in their second year, which helps them to gain pedagogical experience. Being an educational institution in such a large city has its upsides and its drawbacks. Sometimes the community at The Graduate Center feels less close-knit than other schools even though everyone is generally very kind. It is easy to become anonymous or lost in the shuffle if one doesn't proactively work to maintain relationships with other students and faculty."

"Little to no diversity Great faculty Terrible bureaucratic issues"

"The Urban Ed program uses a cohort model and is a very small department. However, access to professors in the 24 different campuses is possible and very common as well as collaboration with the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium of NYC."

"The CUNY Graduate Center program provides a high emphasis in the resources of academia. Although the workload may be a challenge, it is a rewarding experience for those who seek to gain an enriched education experience while pursuing a graduate degree. Although there is not much financial aid assistance provided for Masters' students, there are a lot of other resources that this school provides (i.e. career fairs, resume workshops, etc.). The campus is very small, but its in an ideal location if people seek to explore the heart of NYC."

"Pros: Being in NYC affords lots of opportunities to network with other schools, there are constantly events and lectures to go to. Cons: It's expensive to live in NYC, faculty are available but you have be motivated to seek them out."

"CUNY is a great place for a philosophy Ph.D. Positives: You are in NYC, one of the best and most exciting cities in the world--where there is always something going on. The faculty is top notch, and one can always take classes and work with students and professors from other universities in the city. Negatives: The funding *was* not as good, but now it's much better for in-coming students. Same goes for workload. Students had to teach much more, now they only have to teach one class a semester."

"This is a great program: the professors are excellent and well-organized. Not everyone is always available and helpful though. The main downside of this program is that not every student gets adequate financial aid to afford living in NYC. Also, students are required to teach one or more classes/semester."

"Biggest con: Trying to get a hold of your profs"

"Pros: The pros to my graduate program is that it is accommodating to working professionals, it is cost effective, and its course work is rigorous and innovating. The academic environment is encouraging and engaging and I enjoy being a part of it. Cons: The Cuny School of Professional Studies is based in New York City, and the cost of living on and off campus is extremely high, which is why I had to rate the affordable living section with 1 star. Most working people are living paycheck to paycheck. With sky rocketing cost of living due to supply and demand finding affordable housing is almost impossible."

"Great program. Academic rigor is very good considering that my program was probably not very selective in admissions and students come from broad spectrum of educational backgrounds. Some great professors and a couple awful ones. Excellent value for the cost. Really warm, kind place with interesting and interested students."

"I am able to take a diversity of courses tailored to my needs and my interests which is great. However, the selection is somewhat limited. Although I've enjoyed most of my classes thus far, some have felt like a waste of time on my part, like I was repeating a course I had taken and the discussions were far too theoretical for my liking. Otherwise, it's a gorgeous building, amazing Midtown NYC location, great social life, easily accessible and some of the professors are REAL gems, unfortunately, very few have Graduate Center appointments which is super disappointing as I was looking for a Thesis Advisor."

"The Graduate Center is a much better option now that they have raised their funding packages/financial aid. Housing/Affordable housing and Social Life are the biggest weaknesses. The faculty are stellar, just make sure that the program is a good fit for what you want to do, and who want to work with."

"Location is fantastic, but don't expect support from either the school or profs."

"The pros are that the program is high ranking and has a lot of well known professors. There is a rigorous academic environment which straddles being fun and exciting and being overwhelming and intimidating. Many of the professors are too busy to be nurturing. Many are also not the warmest of people. I think I would have chosen another school had I to do it again. I chose this one mainly because I felt the high ranking would help my job prospects, but I've been relatively dissatisfied here. This is a good place for those who are very confident and need relatively little direction. It is not a good place if you want to form friendly, personal relationships with your professors."