By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
GREENWICH VILLAGE — Thomas Jefferson must be rolling in his grave — hipsters flocking to the city in droves to attend NYU have upended the traditional college education paradigm.
NYU announced this week that it has received the most applications for freshman admission in the university's 179-year history. Roughly, 38,037 men and women applied for spots in NYU’s class of 2014, exceeding last year’s total by nearly 1,000.
“The Jeffersonian model of education as a college in the woods has been, if not totally surpassed, challenged by the city,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said.
“Students like the diversity and energy of Manhattan.”
Beckman added that Greenwich Village was also a prime spot for its proximity to the Financial District and arts hubs, with a majority of applicants expressing interests in the performing arts and business.
“When you go to NYU, you become a New Yorker,” Beckman said. "New York is a huge part of college experience."
In 1991, there were fewer than 18,000 applications to NYU.
Beckman added that the city’s crime rate drop in recent years has also contributed to the spike.
The school’s admissions office accepts only 25 percent of applicants, who will be notified by April 1.
NYU is currently the largest private university in the country.
