[2018.05.18] Congratulations baby brother!!! āŖā„ā¬ Hereās to new and greater chapter in your life. It hasnāt been the smoothest journey, but I am so incredibly proud. ā #NYUClassof2018 #Stern2018 (at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden)
[#WWcontests14]: ONGOING CONTEST: Take a pic w/ your postcard š #NYU #NYUwelcomeweek #NYUclassof2018 #flipagram ā« Music: DJ Snake & Lil Jon - Turn Down For What
So on Sunday, April 13th, I went to New York University's accepted students day, Weekend on the Square. This is an overview of my experience!
Beauty. Perfection. That's how I would describe the campus. I didn't go on one of the offered campus tours for a few reasons: 1. my feet hurt, 2. my parents were tired, and 3. I already know the campus pretty well.
The first place we went was to 1 Washington Place for the Gallatin School of Individualized Study Presentation. We got free Gallatin tote bags that had several pamphlets inside telling us about Gallatin and the schedule for Weekend on the Square (including a campus map). We were there pretty early, so we sat in the lobby until they let us into the theatre. Which was actually more like a black box, but it was so adorable. There was a free breakfast there, but I didn't eat any of it because I already ate. The Gallatin presentation was long, but very insightful and really explained what Gallatin is all about. Gallatin is all about teaching you "how to think, not what to think," so I think I'll really fit in well.
After the presentation, the students walked up 10 flights of stairs (ughhhh) to a student Q&A. They mostly talked about common sense stuff - don't drink too much, go to class, go to office hours, make good relationships with your professors - but it was fun and I laughed a lot. I know NYU itself has a reputation for being stingy, but these students talked about NYU funding trips they're doing and it really makes it seem like Gallatin in particular loves throwing money to excursions all over the world.Ā
After the student presentation, we were herded over to Cole's Sports Center for the University Welcome. This is where I got a free t-shirt, holla. They decorated the gym sososo nicely, and there was a stage and moving lights and a slideshow playing that had facts about NYU on it. The bobcat was there, but I didn't want to take a picture with him, so my mom just took a picture of him. I wanted to cry during the presentation because I could not believe that I was actually there. Shawn Abbot, the Dean of Admissions, said that there were over 54,000 applicants and I was just so overwhelmed.
I felt like I was finally making my 11-year-old self proud. We watched a video or two about NYU, and if I was not in public, I would have SOBBED. I was holding in my tears the whole time. We watched some performances by NYU students, and then we were on our way.
My parents and I decided that we really had to talk to someone about financial aid, so we went to the individual session. The waiting room for financial aid was in a separate building, so we sat in a theatre-looking place (Maybe it was used as a classroom/lecture hall?)? Anyway, they had a pamphlet about what financial aid is, and there were bowls with little candies in them, and we watched Frozen while waiting for our names to be called. When it was our turn, an NYU student led us over to another building and we sat to talk to a financial aid counselor.
HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS: I WAS OFFERED $44,160 PER YEAR. I thought that they would take away some of what they offered me, but NOPE, they really are offering that much, and as long as I keep my grades up and our family's income remains about the same, it's renewable!! NYU really is a reality, and I will definitely be starting there this fall. :) After talking with the financial aid woman, my parents and I went to my favorite Thai restaurant right around the corner from Weinstein on the NYU campus, Cafetasia. I got my usual because I'm predictable, and then we went to visit some dorms.
We went to Rubin and Goddard because those were in my top three (my #1 Brittany was not available for viewing). I liked Rubin. The low-cost triple actually seemed pretty spacious, and since I want to save as much money as I can, and Rubin is the cheapest option, I would definitely be fine with staying there. It's not as close to campus as I would like, but it's not super far either. The lobby was much nicer than Goddard's, but the elevator was much smaller.
I would be okay with staying in Goddard as well. It's right in the middle of campus, and apparently the community is really tight-knit. If you're lucky, you can get a great view of Washington Square Park, which is definitely a bonus. I think the way the room was decorated was making me unsure about Goddard because the room seemed really bare, but you get air conditioningĀ andĀ your own closet, which is nice. Neither dorms have dining halls, but that's a good thing because that forces me to leave my dorm every day.
We also went to the NYU bookstore and bought a lot of things. :) I got another NYU t-shirt, an NYU zip-up thing, an NYU windbreaker, NYU waterbottle, NYU keychain, an NYU license plate frame, and an Abraham Lincoln.
I'm sorry this was so long, and if you're still reading, thanks :) Overall, I fell even more in love with NYU, and I know that I will be where I belong in 4 and 1/2 months.
