My possible college future at Cooper Union, New York City

New and original buildings of Copper Union

I am dreaming again...and I hope this dream comes true! My after-National Service years will hopefully be spent in The Cooper Union For The Advancement Of Science And Arts, and hopefully will be the best times of my life. This private, prestigious university/college, specialising in Architecture, Engineering and Fine Arts, comprises of 6 buildings located in Downtown Manhattan, New York City. See their brochure for more information: http://scientia.cooper.edu/registrar/cat0809_sect1.pdf . But before all that, I am planning to study Singapore Polytechnic's Diploma in Architecture (more likely) or Civil Engineering & Management (as Plan B), then use the Diploma and a recommendation letter from the school to apply to Cooper Union. Honestly, getting in is a challenge, as the college only admits 9% of those who applied. But, using a Diploma for admission, and using college admission tactics in my application letter, I'm sure I'll have a better chance of getting in, but that also means I need to work very hard on my Diploma from 2010 to 2013. Using a Diploma also has an advantage; I can cut down the number of years of studying by 1 or 2 years, meaning I can graduate earlier.

There are many reasons why studying in Cooper Union would be the best times in my life. It is located in the centre of a world city, New York City, halfway across the world from my 2 hometowns of Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. And this world city has many things to do, places to go, cuisines to taste, people to meet, culture to be shocked at, wide shopping/services options to be amazed at and entertainment to enjoy (unlike Singapore now, Been There, Done That, like what people tell me, but the wide variety of food is the only thing that never gets boring, naturally). Even when the weekend break options run out, there are other places to go outside New York City, for example New Jersey, New York State countryside, and if there is time, Boston/New England, Philadelphia, and even Washington, DC. There are books that has recommendations, such as TimeOut's Weekend Breaks from New York, 1000 things to do in New York, and Lonely Planet's New York, Washington DC and Mid-Atlantic trips (unlike Singapore, where you need to go across jammed-packed border crossings, take a slow train, sit on ferries, or fly on planes, all which consume precious time and money). During term breaks or school vacations, I can always fly on Jetblue Airways to anywhere in the USA for a holiday (including visiting my cousins). The college itself has advantages, which includes class starting at 9 a.m., healthy for my sleep, FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP, which releases the majority of my financial burdens, residence hall for 1 year in one of their buildings, which means I can get to and from classes easily, and assistance for part time jobs. 26% of the students there are Asian, and 9% of all students are international, like me, so I don't have to worry about feeling left out. New York City has 4 very distinct seasons, which I want to try out, as here in Singapore it is getting hotter and hotter, and there's no winter to cool down by much. New York is also cheaper to live in than in Singapore, according to a CNN report: while Singapore is the 10th most expensive place in the world to live in, New York is 23rd, and that is the highest in USA. There is also a huge Singaporean community here in New York.

There are also drawbacks, however. As this college is not a full-fledged college, it doesn't seem to have a wide variety of extra courses/modules, and therefore these have to be taken at other universities if required/desired (although they have foreign language courses, but there are only 3 available, mainly for communication to countries that are reknowned in Cooper Union's specialisations). Accomodation in residence hall is only allowed for 1 year, thereafter rental of housing is required, and that can be expensive. Their clubs and activities are probably only limited to sports after research. As for New York itself, recent survey shows that quality of life in New York is in the 40+ position, lower than Singapore and cities in Canada and Europe. Even though New York is the safest large city in USA, some crime still exist, and USA has gun culture, and recently there have been unfortunate incidents of mass shooting in campuses in USA, although those mainly take place in rural universities.

Nevertheless, I will definitely enjoy university life in New York if I get admitted into Cooper Union. If there is a need for backup, University of Toronto will be my close 2nd choice. And Toronto also has its advantages (as well as disadvantages), including higher quality of living, lower cost of living, and as for the university itself, it is located in the middle of Toronto, accomodation is available until you graduate, and it definitely is a full-fledged universities with a wide variety of modules and programs. A major drawback is that there's no such thing as a full-tuition scholarship, though numerous scholarships are available to cover costs one by one.

Right now, it's over 5 years away before I can get a one way boarding pass to New York City, due to the extended time in Singapore, imposed by that cursed National Service, so sometimes I will get depressed, but hopefully, just hopefully, before I know it, I'll finally touch down on American soil.