At a place like NYU, if you dont have a HYS offer or a full ride at a top school, itll be difficult. Itd be like going into a Bently dealer and saying "yeah, but I can get a Benz for $100,000 less!" Theyd just say, ok, you go do that. But if you could say "Im also considering a Rolls Royce in Cambridge/a free Benz in Durham", theyd probably come down a bit. Im looking to do it the other way around - "I really like your $80,000 dollar Benz, but theres a really nice BMW up the road for $100,000, and I figure as long as Im spending money that I dont have..."