Rochester to New York City

[speXedy]

Hey there. I just registered and the site looks great. I was just wondering if I could have some advice from fellow NYCers.
I live in Rochester, NY at the moment, and I HATE it here. I visited NYC when I was 16 years old, and got to be alone in NYC for about 3 hours and I LOVED IT. IT was the coolest feeling ever. I miss it so much. I have always wanted to live in NYC so now that I am getting older I would really love to move there.
Here are my life dilemmas though.
I never graduated High school, and I didn't get my GED. I took some classes at a Community College (Monroe Community College), but my last semester wasn't that great, and my GPA sucks. So yea I’m kind of at a point in my life where I’m like ugh I don’t know what to do.
Being in Rochester is so depressing so if it would be at all possible to get out of here I'd be so much happier.
I'm a hard worker when I am doing something I love, and two things in my life I do best are Photography, and Acting.
So at age 20 with not much education how would someone go about moving to NYC?
Any advice would be great.

[milleniumcab]

I never graduated High school, and I didn't get my GED. I took some classes at a Community College (Monroe Community College), but my last semester wasn't that great, and my GPA sucks.

I did not know that the Community Colleges in NY allowed someone to register for courses without a GED..:confused:

[speXedy]

I had to test into the college, i'm not stupid i just kinda got lazy in my high school years, and had some difficult times during schooling. I am thinking about taking my GED exam this summer though. If i would have stayed at MCC and compleated 24 credits they would have just given me my GED. So that's how that worked.

Again if anyone has any info or help or pointers as to what I should do, I'd be very greatful. I made a website about moveing to nyc lol

www.movetonyc.com (http://www.movetonyc.com)

[capoeta cypher]

In my opinion I think you would do pretty well. It all depends on what kind of job you would like to get. If you want to become a photographer, then money might roll in slower as I wouldn't consider it a excellent paid job(or maybe it is, who knows). Manhattan can be VERY costly, so I'd sugest you go into near by boroughs like Queens or Brooklyn.

[Schadenfrau]

Honestly, I'd suggest getting your GED and some college before you arrive here. It's a competitive place, and the first this most employers look at is education and relevant experience.

[speXedy]

Honestly, I'd suggest getting your GED and some college before you arrive here. It's a competitive place, and the first this most employers look at is education and relevant experience.

I think your right, what I am going to try to do is get my degree in photo at my community college, and then go to NYU and get a degree there and stay in a dorm maybe? that way i'll be in NYC, yet i won't have to worry about a house just yet, but when i get out of NYU i'll have a degree and hofully a high paying job. its goin to take 2-3 years to move to NYC for NYU ... but i can visit every now and again ...

i am planning a trip for Auguest of this summer .... i want a cheep yet safe hotel. any sujestions?

[antinimby]

Check NYU entrance requirements first.
It's a very selective school as well as expensive.
You don't want to graduate from CC only to find out you won't qualify to enter into NYU. Things they may look at is cum. GPA, honors, extra-curricular activities, etc.

[rknarr]

Rochester isn't that bad its a nice little city that has a lot to do. I love it here but NYC is my calling.

[ryan]

If you want to go to NYU - or any other school for that matter - the most important thing to focus on is grades. Get a 4.0 for a year and you'll have lots of options.

[lofter1]

Some NYU admissions INFO (http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/06profiles/stern1.htm) :

CLASS TRAITS: MOST RECENT ENTERING CLASS

33,725 people applied to undergraduate programs for the 2005 academic year.
The school accepted 29.60% (selectivity) of those applicants, and 36.30% of admitted applicants (yield) enrolled.

Required standardized tests

SAT, ACT SAT Scores for full-time entering business students

Average 1422
Median 1430
Range (Middle 80%) From 1320 to 1520
Minimum SAT Score N/A

ACT Scores for full-time entering business students

Average 30.8
Median 31 Range
(Middle 80%) From 29 to 33
Minimum ACT Score N/A
Minimum High School GPA N/A
Does the school require an entrance exam? No

[speXedy]

My cousin lives in Brooklyn and he is letting me stay with him in Auguest for 4 or 5 days! So I get to come to the big apple for a mini vacation and don't have to worry about hotel costs! :) I'm VERY exited. There is so much stuff I want to do. Thanks for the info about NYU, that's what I am going to do. Work my ass off at my communtiy college, and get a stupid associaets degree. Then try to get into NYU, if I don't get accepted, I still have a degree in SOMETHING and my chances of making it in NYC are better, so I still might come ya know?

[speXedy]

Any other suggestions to what we should do when we go?

Empire State Building Observation Deck
Central Park & Carriage Ride
Ground Zero
Kat’z Deli
Rent or Wicked on Broadway (maybe if we can afford it)
Time Square
NYU/Acting College Visit

there is our un-offical list lol

[milleniumcab]

www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3101

Have fun ...

[Hof]

SpeXedy--
Your dilemma is precisely the one I was confronted with,back in the day.I,too,am from Rochester,and I too attended MCC--at the original campus on Goodman St.My Student Number was 1562.I got my AA through them and finished at the U of R.I was (am) also a photography nut and later opened a photo studio.

The winter after I got my degre I grew so fed up with Rochester and it's depressing weather that I would have moved ANYWHERE,just to put it behind me.Instead,I moved to NYC where the weather was still crummy but the surroundings were much more interesting.

NY was a place I had visited dozens of times.I had relatives and a bunch of friends there,so I was somewhat familiar with the City and I got my bearings--and a good job--quickly,courtesy of those friends and other connections.I took up residence in a 6th-floor walkup,a Rent-Controlled 2-room sublet at Thompson and Spring St,and I melded into Village Culture for the next six years.

I worked for RCA,and my office was in the Barclay-Vessey/Verizon Building,overlooking the foundation pit for the World Trade Center.I watched daily as workers erected the Tallest Buildings in The World outside my window.
I earned the princely sum of $250/week then (1967),and it was barely enough to cover my $350/mo rent,so I worked a second,nightime job as a waiter (at The Hip Bagel and/or The Buffalo Road House,both on 6th Ave in The Village) and sometimes a third job as a painter to make ends meet.That is the one persistent memory I have of my time in The City--always working,trying to cover the Nut.NY was expensive back then,relative to a working guy's paycheck,maybe even more so than it is today.

Shortly after moving to the City,my car,an MGB,was stolen,so I abandoned the Car Culture temporarily and became a Mass Transit Patron.It was probably for the best,because finding a parking spot anywhere in the Village was always a quest,and moving it from side-to-side every day was a curse.Plus,parking costs often ate up a paycheck.But then my bicycle got stolen too,so thieves became NY's curse.Sometimes,I'd look upon people who had a car with undisguised envy.Mostly,I suffered the Subway,feeling cursed.

But I will never regret my time in NY.It's probably the best place on the Continent for a young guy to spend part of his life.It's a lot like doing time or being a Marine--it stays with you forever.It WILL mold you and change you,make you into a different man,and if your aspirations succeed in NY,everyplace else will become Podunk to you.

My advice,Rochesterian?
Follow the path.It leads directly to Manhattan.Thank the Higher Power for situating you so close to NYC that if things go badly,Rochester is just a few hours away.
Bring money--you'll find an immediate need for it.
Sell your car,so you have enough Key Money to get a roof over your head (you'll discover how useless a car is in The City in time,believe me) and add living in New York to your life's resume.
You will never regret it.