#choosingnyu

[steinhardtorientation]

Choosing NYU

Before coming to NYU, I was having trouble deciding between schools and decided that I would visit my top 3 one more time and decide where I felt most at home. I am a very indecisive person, so going based on feeling seemed like it wouldn’t work. Yet, when I came to Weekend on the Square, I just KNEW that NYU was the place for me. I felt a sense of community that I didn’t feel at other colleges. Everyone I met was so open and welcoming, and I quickly made friends with some people who are still my friends to this day. 

That same feeling was reaffirmed during Welcome Week. Once I went to the Dean’s Welcome, I knew I had made the right decision. Welcome Week helped me make new friends, get accustomed to the campus, explore NYC, and just feel comfortable in my decision! I wouldn’t trade the experiences I had during welcome week for anything!

-OL, Juliana

[steinhardtorientation]

Choosing NYU

When I first applied to NYU, I wanted to apply early decision - something about living in the heart of New York City just felt right to me. My parents, however, had different feelings. They believed that because I hadn’t visited the school that I shouldn’t apply early decision and bind myself to a school I hadn’t even seen. So instead, I applied early decision to Washington University in St. Louis, which I had visited, and liked okay. I got rejected from WashU (which I am thankful for every day!) and began a college tour of all the other schools I applied to. NYU was first; my grandfather and I took the train up from Baltimore, MD and went to an information session and tour on campus. During the information session, when the guide was talking about how NYU and NYC are intertwined and how you can’t go to NYU without being a part of NYC, my grandfather leaned over to me and whispered, “It’s too bad we didn’t do this before you applied here - you could’ve written this stuff in your ‘Why NYU?’ essay!” I looked at him, smiled, and whispered back, “But I did!” In that moment, I knew NYU was the right choice for me. 

-Ellie, OL

[steinhardtorientation]

Choosing NYU: Taking a Chance

I was in a weird place during my senior year of high school. The truth is, I wasn’t sure what I wanted from my college experience. I didn’t know what size school I wanted to go to, I didn’t know what resources I needed, I wasn’t sure what environment I could thrive in. If I could put it all in a short phrase, I was scared. The only thing I was pretty sure of was that I wanted to be an English teacher, so my main filter for choosing schools was whether or not it had an undergraduate program for teaching English. After sifting through New York schools and discussing options with my parents, NYU just seemed to be the best choice.

I know this isn’t a spectacular story. At the end of the day, it doesn’t have to be. What matters is that despite being scared, I took a chance and landed on my feet. Somehow, for some reason, I ended up in a place that feels right. I’m doing well. I like my advisors. I like the people in my major. I like the communities I’m a part of. Taking that chance taught me that whatever I choose to do, there’s only going forward, and that I’ll figure it out as I go along. Even if, for some reason, NYU becomes a place that doesn’t feel right, I trust that I’ll act upon it, and ultimately make a decision that will keep me moving along. I’m not scared anymore.

- Marco, OL

[steinhardtorientation]

Choosing NYU: The City

I chose NYU because not only was it my dream school but I also really wanted the experience of living in NYC and so far, I love it. I’ve had such great experiences and I’ve met some really awesome people since being here, so I don't regret my decision at all, and I’m really happy to be here. I’ve also discovered some really awesome coffee shops and have tried to pretty amazing coffee so I’m pretty happy about that too. :)

~ Tim, OL

[steinhardtorientation]

Choosing NYU: Because Why Not?

In high school, I always thought that I would end up attending a small liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere - a place where I would know all of my classmates and teachers, and they would know me. How different my life turned out to be! I had actually already committed to a school of this type - however, I was randomly accepted to NYU the day after! I remember fretting over what the “right” decision would be and attending a tour at NYU as I struggled to make up my mind. My tour guide ended her tour with the reason she chose NYU, which is what ultimately inspired me to take the leap and choose a school that I had not seriously considered previously. All of the schools I thought I would end up at were places that I was comfortable being at. However, college is not a time to be “comfortable” ; it is a time to not only step out of your comfort zone, but also to lean into the discomfort and reach peace with it. Attending NYU definitely has its ups and downs -- one minute I run into my favorite Broadway star on the street, and the next I’m cat-called by a homeless man, which all leads to a roller coaster of emotions. But, I’ve grown to appreciate this myriad of feelings and realize that it’s life, a fact that you might never discover at a traditional campus school. 

-Mehak, OL

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Choosing NYU: Change of Perspective

I have always been very involved musically, playing many instruments, singing, attending a conservatory... But I never really considered Music as a major. The decision came after I stopped learning music formally for a year or so. I decided that, perhaps, the best way to learn music was to do it from a different perspective, to learn about new musical experiences in a more open-minded way. Music Technology seemed like a great way to newly explore music, and New York University was one of the best/only universities that offered this or a similar major.

The change of perspective for me was double because I also moved from Spain to the USA for the first time in my life. I had never been in New York City before, and I basically went for it, without knowing whether I would like it or not. Moving to a completely new and different place, such a diverse city, with such an intense cultural environment was the best decisions—the best ways to make a fresh start with music and start a new chapter of my life.

[steinhardtorientation]

Choosing NYU: My Dream School

My NYU decision was a decision I had long dreamt about having. Growing up in Brooklyn, my father drove meat trucks around the city on the weekends while both my parents worked in Manhattan. They had always visited Washington Square with me and told me all about NYU and how great of a school it is. When I was five years old, I decided that would be the school for me. Fast forward to 18 years old, and I decided I wanted to be in Communications. I had done all the research on schools, and had found that NYU’s Media Culture and Communication major matched what I wanted best. Paired with NYU’s location in Manhattan, it became my first choice. Unfortunately, I applied Early Decision and was denied. I was devastated, but, after speaking with my guidance counselor, decided to enroll in a local community college so I could bring up my GPA and strengthen my application.

I worked very hard at my community college, worked two jobs in school, became a Phi Theta Kappan (honor society), and had the highest GPA I had ever had. I applied to NYU again, and other colleges. I was accepted to all the other colleges, but NYU had placed me on a waitlist. I waited and waited until I received any information from Admissions before I made my final decision. When I received my acceptance, I was at work and I ran to my boss and we jumped in excitement, and so did my co-workers! 

I’m glad it happened the way it did, because everything fell into place: my going to community college made me eligible for the CCTOP program, which meant I received a scholarship that made NYU affordable for me. I have not looked back since, and am a proud Violet! 

- Dani, OL