New York University

Students speak highly of the opportunities to be found at New York University, where “there are no limits to what kind of career you can pursue.” From career fairs to tech panels, industry nights, and corporate visits, undergrads are always building toward tangible goals, sometimes literally so, as with the school’s Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs)—“the exact answer to the demands of experiential learning outside of the classroom”—one of which had students working as a team to build a steel bridge capable of supporting 2,500 pounds. Even the most standard lectures often benefit from “new media tech being integrated into classrooms” and there are plenty of “mandatory labs that allow for more hands-on learning,” as well as “some sort of out-of-classroom element [like] trips to the [Metropolitan Museum of Art], viewing apartment listings as part of a Financial Engineering course, and so on!” Additionally, “there are various seminars that are constantly held where students can see the important work their professors are doing in engineering, medicine, science, and much more. For example, I have a professor who conducts research testing out different nanotechnology to assist in the process of drug delivery.”

Undergrads gush that “professors for the most part are top notch and seem to genuinely care about their students.” They also tend to be “very well-educated” and “experts in their field,” with “real work experiences in the content that they teach that significantly improves the classroom discussions and interactions.” Assignments are “challenging yet manageable,” and students feel their professors are “making sure that everyone has the opportunity to do well in their classes.”

Like the city it calls home, the university is “a real mixing pot of cultures of people from different backgrounds…both socially and geographically.” With over twenty percent of students coming from international backgrounds, it’s not unusual to report that “more of my friends are from outside of the country than from the U.S.” Of course, while they might have grown up under vastly different circumstances, one thing that unites them is that they’re “very career and passion oriented; the student community isn’t afraid to say what their dreams are.” Indeed, “it’s rare to meet so many academically driven students who are genuinely special and unique in their creative ambitions, which is what sets the NYU student body apart from most other top universities.” Undergrads also applaud their peers for being “incredibly curious about how the world works,” emphasizing that “they’re always looking for ways to improve and connect the community.” Some students feel that NYU is “more disconnected than other universities” and find themselves looking for more of an athletic presence beyond the standard NCAA Division III offerings, but others note that “there are so many opportunities to make friends through [school] events” that it doesn’t matter. As one puts it, “NYU students are all welcoming and are friendly to anyone.”

NYU students recognize that “our campus is [New York City,] so there is always something to keep us busy.” For instance, “We can go to fashion or literary related events, attend demonstrations for justice…or just relax in one of the many parks.” The university itself also manages to captivate undergrads with exciting extracurricular options that allow respondents to compete or “connect with students outside of my major and have great fun.” From K-pop dance groups to snowboarding clubs and a space exploration society, there are also numerous “volunteer clubs, including one that delivers leftover food from the NYU dining halls to homeless shelters.” Given all that, “Greek life exists, but it’s not big on campus.” One undergrad elaborates, “There are not a lot of frat parties, but people like to have parties in their apartments or go out to bars in the city.” And of course, nothing beats simply “sitting in Washington Square Park on a nice day and just people watching.”