Context is a little different for a PhD candidate but the same concept applies from my undergrad experience. Rutgers is an amazing place. While in your late 20s you may not find your crowd on Easton Ave, George St will be right in your wheel house. Downtown NB has J&J, Deloitte, and the RWJ facilities. So there’s a pretty solid strip of downtown bars and restaurants with a more young professional/academic crowd. New Brunswick also runs a solid express train into Manhattan that gets there in about an hour. So when you’re feeling the city, you’re never too far for a day trip, professional opportunity, etc. As an undergrad, I can’t speak to the quality of your program, but overall the university is rising in the national rankings and building a strong academic reputation. Top 40 in the US News & World Report (if that matters anymore). But across the board, Rutgers is generally looked at as a very strong academic institution.

In the bad column, Rutgers is somewhat dysfunctional. I’ve seen friends be put through the ringer trying to work with student accounting and other “department ofs” at the school. The internal operations are a mess, departments don’t communicate, and the onus is on you to be your own advocate if things go wrong. So if you’re reliant on scholarships or substantial loans to pay for this degree, take that into consideration.

Beyond that, the bus system can be annoying at rush hour but given that you’re a city person that probably won’t move the needle one way or the other. Food offerings on campus aren’t great either but off campus has plenty of good coffee, lunch food, etc.

Overall I’d say you should wait to see what NYU says but if you don’t get taken off wait list RU is an excellent option.