I'm born & raised and though I'm Yale affiliated, I can honestly say that there's still plenty of community spaces and scenes outside of the Yale bubble that make New Haven a great place to live.

The indie live music scene is something we have a lot of pride in and have cool, small music events from time to time. Obviously, pizza and way better soul food than you'll find in nyc. Check out some bars, Elm City Sounds, Atticus, Lower form vintage, Plush96 orange skate shop and the general downtown area to get a sense of new haven for younger people.

Southern Connecticut State has great programs I've heard and translate well to the CUNY system should you choose to transfer. One of my friends did undergrad and grad there and had excellent professors and internships etc.