City University (CUNY): New York City Education on a Budget

I graduated junior high from Queens College's then-named Colden Center surrounded by two impressed parents. To them, the auditorium and campus exemplified what every college should look like, and although I was about to start high school they suggested I apply to college at that very place. I still remember my reaction, a combination of shock and disgust, telling them that there was "no way!" I'd attend a City University (CUNY) school.

The next time I was in a cap and gown I joked to my friends that I didn't have to go far to attend college, since my high school was located on the outskirts of the Queens College campus. I had applied and was accepted to other colleges, but over the course of four years was compelled by the school's good reputation and testimonials from family friends that went there. Queens College was so wonderful that after graduating with my B.A. and working for a year, I decided to attend another top CUNY college for graduate school, Brooklyn College.

Why do I say that Queens and Brooklyn College's are top schools? U.S. News and World Report have included both in their rankings. Queens College has also been named "One of the 25 Hottest Schools in America" and Brooklyn College has been given the honor of "Most Beautiful Campus" by Princeton Review. Also included in the list are Hunter College and Baruch College, two other CUNY colleges that I've witnessed producing tailored professionals. I'm going to outline each colleges and what makes them a special inclusion to the City University system.

Queens College
When I attended Queens College I took a major in English and a minor in Cultural Anthropology, because my initial motivation was to go into either publishing or writing for a magazine like National Geographic. My anxieties upon starting as a freshman were alleviated by the school's Freshman Year Initiative program, a collaborative effort that provides first semester students with blocks of classes and on-going mentoring by older students and the faculty. It's actually quite a nice group of professors and administrators, and they hold office hours throughout the day. During my freshman year and my three years as a mentor, I hung out in the FYI room and worked on my assignments with my friends there.
Some of the well-known majors students attend Queens College for:
1. Education
2. Computer Science
3. Psychology
4. English
5. Music

Although Queens College didn't lead me directly to my career, it was an important stepping stone. There is one thing I regret about my experience there, and that is that I did not take advantage of any internships. My friend Danielle did an internship in publishing her senior year and now has a great job with a publishing house in White Plains.

Speaking of internships, Baruch College is an excellent institution if you want to get into the business world. My best friend had a concentration in Marketing, and spent her senior year finishing up classes and interning at People Magazine and Lehman Brothers. After graduation, Lehman Brothers, one of the top investment banks in the world, offered her an entry level position. Since then, the company has flown her to England to train two employees in their London office and given her two promotions. I often joke with her that admission to Baruch guarantees you a job the week after you graduate, but obviously it takes a lot of hard work and discipline to create an impressive resume and win over an interview.
The business relevance extends itself with the following well-known studies:
1. Accounting
2. Marketing
3. Computer Information Services
4. Real Estate

It's also important to add that Baruch has one of the top MBA programs in the nation, and I personally worked with someone who was a part-time student in it. I can only see him at the top of the business world someday soon.

Hunter College is another City University with an impressive record. The college is located on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, so it's easy to see why it's a popular destination for students who live Uptown. While it has strong studies in the Humanities, everyone that knows Hunter speaks of its Nursing program. The classes prepare nursing students exceptionally well, as evinced by one of my old friends who passed the difficult NCLEX examination the first time she took it. My sister even transferred to Hunter after spending a miserable semester at private Fordham University, and is glad she made that choice.
Here are some of the well-known programs Hunter has to offer:
1. Nursing
2. Anthropology
3. Creative Writing (including an MFA program)
4. Education

Lastly, Brooklyn College, the university I currently call my school, houses so many programs it's impossible to acknowledge it as the school for any particular field. While the Film program is a popular choice for prospective Scorcese's and Tarantino's, it is also known for it's School of Education, Performing Arts and Social Science programs. I chose to attend Brooklyn for two reasons: I wanted a campus experience separate from Queens College, and I heard that the School of Education was an excellent teacher preparation program. A progressive program, one of my professors who also teaches at a high school took his students on a trip to Sing Sing prison, I feel it sufficiently prepares its students for teaching in New York City schools and beyond. At the start of my graduate study I'd never felt so frustrated, inspired, motivated or provoked by a single class discussion before.
Brooklyn College's fame knows no limits:
1. Education
2. Film
3. Sociology
4. English (including a large population of Master's students in the discipline)

I'm not trying to dissuade any college-bound students from applying to either private colleges or other schools, but rather kill the myth that City University schools are for those rejected by other colleges and unable to afford "anything better." This article outlined what makes each school famous, the successes that came of them and their public acknowledgement in U.S. News.

Queens College named Hottest
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/webzine/news_hottest_schools.html

Brooklyn College named Most Beautiful
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/spotlite/news/082202.htm