Alum: Wow, I loved it there! The academics were top notch, and several of my peers are already successful in their careers; the degree as a label has traction in the job market.
As a Veteran who grew up in Minnesota, the weather was mild for me, but those from the South will find the winter challenging.
I found myself very absorbed by my studies at that time, and so did most of the other students. That can make it extremely easy to meet people in an intellectual sense but somewhat difficult to meet in a social sense. My advice is if you want to date, you should learn how to meet people at NYU.
Financial aid is difficult to obtain, but I was a Veteran, and the government paid my tuition, so that was not my struggle.