A Day in the Life of an NYU Student

Situated in New York City, New York University is one of the largest private research universities in the United States, with an undergraduate study body of approximately 24,985 students. NYU’s main campus is located in the heart of the eclectic Greenwich Village, along with a satellite engineering campus in downtown Brooklyn.

The largest school within NYU is the College of Arts and Science (CAS). CAS’s Core Curriculum provides general education to its underclassmen, giving students a foundation to pursue one or more than 66 possible majors. Other NYU schools that offer undergraduate degrees include the College of Dentistry; College of Nursing; Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences; Gallatin School of Individualized Study; Leonard N. Stern School of Business; Tandon School of Engineering; Silver School of Social Work; School of Professional Studies; Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; and the Tisch School of the Arts.

Are you interested in attending NYU? Read on to learn about a typical day as a student on campus. Also be sure to check out CollegeVine’s post How to Write New York University’s 2016-2017 Essays to find out more about the college, admissions requirements, and application.

A Typical Day at NYU

Morning

As a student, you wake up in one of NYU’s on-campus dorm rooms. All freshman dorms have residence advisers (RAs) and house faculty advisers as well.

Residence halls that house freshmen (sometimes with upperclassmen as well) include:

• Brittany Hall (East Village): provides themed “Explorations” floors, a large lounge and performance space, recreation room, music room, dance room, Penthouse Study Lounge, and laundry room, among other amenities.

• Founders Hall (Union Square/East Village): features a large outdoor courtyard, two TV lounges, one study lounge with computers, wi-fi access throughout the lobby and lounges, recycling/trash rooms on every floor, a laundry room, and energy and sustainability focused features. In addition to Residence Advisors, the building has a Writing Affiliate to help freshmen learn and improve their writing skills.

• Goddard Hall (Washington Square Park area): organized around the theme of citizen engagement; students affiliate with one of six themed “streams,” which range from social justice issues to “Poverty & Affluence” to affinity-based streams devoted to “Writing New York” or “All the World’s a Stage.”

• Greenwich Residence (West Village): air-conditioned, apartment-style residence hall with bath, kitchen, and dining area in each unit; also includes a newly renovated lower lounge with a study room, practice rooms, dance room, pool table, and television. Residents are mostly sophomores and upperclassmen, but some freshmen may live there as well.

• Lipton Hall (Washington Square Park area): amenities include wi-fi throughout the building, a large common room with a community kitchen, a game room, and multiple group and quiet study lounges. The basement contains music rooms, a dance practice room, and a new commuter lounge. A dining hall is located within the building.

• Rubin Hall (5th Avenue – intersection of East and West Villages): offers large air-conditioned lounge on second floor, a black box theatre, a study lounge, a dance room, a piano room, a ping pong room, and a billiards room. Rubin also has a water bottle-filling station on the second floor.

• Third Avenue North (East Village/Union Square): amenities include Courtyard Café Dining Hall, a mini-theater, dance studio, music practice rooms, game room, laundry rooms, TV lounge, many study lounges throughout the building, a computer lab, and an outdoor courtyard. The building also includes a substance-free floor.

• University Hall (Union Square): known as Uhall; includes a TV lounge, a music practice room with a piano, a small conference room with a printing station, and a study lounge. Also includes Burger Studio and a branch of the University Learning Center, NYU’s peer tutoring center.

• Weinstein Hall (Union Square): offers a big screen TV, foosball, ping pong, and pool tables and is used as both a study lounge and a space for the RAs to hold events and activities. In the sub-cellar there are music practice rooms with pianos, a laundry room, and three classrooms, which can also double as study lounges. Includes many dining options.

Learn more about NYU’s residence halls via the Office of Housing and Dining website.

Next, walk to campus or take NYU’s student bus. Have breakfast at one of 16 on-campus dining facilities, which include Dunkin Donuts, Argo Tea, Starbucks, and Peet’s Coffee, or dine at a local coffee shop. Do some reading for one of your courses, such as a Core Curriculum requirement like Cultures and Contexts, where you’ll learn about the history of a particular culture.

Take a stroll around campus and experience New York’s Greenwich Village. Catch up with a friend by the fountain in Washington Square Park before you head over to your first class of the day.

Afternoon

Have lunch at an on-campus eatery. Chat with friends and make plans to attend an upcoming arts or cultural event. One of the benefits of attending college in an urban setting like New York is that there are plenty of opportunities to see world-renowned speakers or take advantage of new experiences both and on- and off-campus.

Attend your afternoon class, which could be the “Freshman Seminar Wiseguys, Spies, and Private Eyes: Heroes and Villains in American Culture, Film, and Literature,” where you’ll learn about American archetypes and themes.

Head over to your work-study, off-campus, or volunteer job. NYU CareerNet helps you find positions (both federal and non-federal work-study), off-campus jobs, and internship opportunities.

Meet with extracurricular group at Kimmel Center for University Life. NYU boasts more than 300 active student clubs and organizations, from Cheese Club to the Joss Whedon Appreciation Society, along with many school-specific organizations. NYU also has an active Greek Life and both varsity and club athletic teams.

Evening

Have dinner at a local restaurant. New York, and especially the Village, is home to a wide range of cuisines, with many cheaper options and discounts available for college students.

Catch an on-campus event. Events include renowned speakers, art exhibitions, sporting events, performances, concerts, and other cultural experiences. Or head to the famous Elmer Holmes Bobst Library (known as “Bobst”), one of the largest academic libraries in the United States, to get some studying done, do some reading, or spend time with friends.

For More Help With Applying to NYU

To learn more about NYU and find tips for applying, check out How to Write New York University’s 2016-2017 Essays.

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!