Some students at NYU and Columbia are tickled over the idea that they could be hanging with the first daughter on their campuses next year.
Malia Obama is considering the Greenwich Village school and Barnard College among her picks for college, which also include Yale, Princeton, UC Berkeley and Stanford, according to reports. Although the 17-year-old probably won’t receive acceptance letters until the spring, some current students at both campuses say they’re hyped with the prospect of her move to New York.
“I think that’s awesome,” said Margo Miller, 21, an NYU junior who’s majoring in applied psychology. “The president’s daughter aspires to go there and be a part of that environment, I think that says a lot and shows its value.”
Representatives for Barnard and NYU didn’t return messages for comment Monday. President Barack Obama attended Columbia College in the ’80s and last year indicated he would like to return to the Big Apple after he finishes his second term in 2017.
Malia is no stranger to the big city either. She accompanied her father on a few trips and worked as an intern last summer on the HBO show “Girls.” Michelle Obama has indicated that her eldest daughter has interest in pursuing a career in the film industry.
Jeremy Burns, 21, a Columbia University junior who majors in gender studies, said her presence would be a bit distracting at first but she’d blend in fine in an urban campus setting.
“People would get over it, there are other famous people at these schools,” he said.
Rishire Akabidavis, 22, a music business major at NYU’s Steinhart School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, however pondered how it could pose a logistics problem for other students.
“It doesn’t affect me … but I feel like it may pose a problem for students with the frenzy that I’m sure will follow her to campus,” she said.
