Me, as a first year student on my way to one of my first acting classes!

Me, as a first year student on my way to one of my first acting classes!

I remember my first class registration day as an incoming first year student like it was yesterday. The stress, the confusion, the daunting class numbers – I had no idea what it all meant. I heard words like “credits” and “humanities” and had nothing but question marks flood my brain.

A huge reason why I chose NYU was because it was one of the only musical theater programs I was able to accompany with a Psychology minor. Just based off of my research prior to applying to NYU, I could tell how holistic the curriculum was, regardless of the program you were in. Now, in my last year, I am now halfway through completing my final class required for my Psychology minor. My dream to graduate having studied both theater and psychology is coming true!

Of course, going into my first year I knew I wanted to be on a Theater and Psychology track – but I had no clue how much of it would consist of enriching, meaningful and impactful conversations I would have with professors, fellow colleagues/classmates that  and academic advisor, Jessica-Brittany Smith.

With this article, I hope to sharpen the blurriness you may have with NYU’s class requirements and the course registration process. I hope through my experiences, advice and an insightful interview with my academic advisor, you’ll start understanding what to expect in your course schedule and especially how incredible of a resource your professors and academic advisor are!

My first year acting class with our professor! We were the first class he ever taught!
My first year acting class with our professor! We were the first class he ever taught!

What is NYU's Core Curriculum?

So, let’s start with the basics. Since NYU is a liberal arts institution, this entails that each school has its own core curriculum students are required to complete to graduate. This core curriculum consists of four components: expository writing, foundations of science inquiry, foundations of contemporary culture and a foreign language. I will go through each component, define them, explain how their role serves the overall curriculum and my own experience with their courses.

Within each component, students are free to pursue their interests through their choice of classes. The College of Arts and Science, Liberal Studies, Global Liberal Studies and Gallatin School of Individualized Study all have a particularly strong liberal arts focus. They will follow the core curriculum pretty strictly, while for example, Tisch School of the Arts students are not required to fulfill the foreign language component.

Saara, a fellow ambassador with her Intro to Song Analysis professor, Taylor Haven Holt! They just happened to bump into each other at a show in London!
Saara, a fellow ambassador with her Intro to Song Analysis professor, Taylor Haven Holt! They just happened to bump into each other at a show in London!
Vyo, a fellow Ambassador with her Opera in Florence class in NYU Florence this past summer!Vyo, a fellow Ambassador with her Opera in Florence class in NYU Florence this past summer!
Vyo, a fellow Ambassador with her Opera in Florence class in NYU Florence this past summer!
Expository Writing

The expository writing component is a class entitled “Writing the Essay”. This is a class where you learn how to write a standard, well-structured college essay. Regardless of your program of study, you will analyze different forms of art and translate your analyses into a compelling college essay.

This is a seminar style class, meaning your class size ranges from 15-20 students and is a discussions based class. You will meet twice a week for 75 minutes each but you are encouraged to attend office hours with your professor throughout the semester. You will also have mandatory check-in’s with your professor twice a semester. This is a year long course and will typically be taken your very first year at NYU so your class will be made up of fellow first year students also a part of your field of study.

 

Using my intimacy coordinating skills to choreograph a Shakespeare scene as a second year!
Using my intimacy coordinating skills to choreograph a Shakespeare scene as a second year!

I had an incredible experience my first semester taking this course. I was free to explore any topic of interest within the field of arts. I was of course drawn to the performing arts/film world as a Drama student. I ended up falling down a fun, deep rabbit hole that led me to the budding world of intimacy directing. I had never heard about it before and felt both motivated and saddened that intimacy coordinators have just recently found their way onto film sets. I was encouraged by my professor, Amanda Capelli, to dive deeper into the topic for my final essay – and she did not need to tell me twice.

I enjoyed learning and writing about the topic so much I completely forgot it was for a class. After reading my work, my professor told me about an NYU anthology called: Mercer Street, an annual online database collecting the best student essays written for the Expository Writing program. I submitted my essay to be considered, but was sadly not met with an approval. Nonetheless, I found a new found love for intimacy directing and began browsing the course search engine: NYU Albert for any classes about intimacy directing.

Sure enough, a course called: “Intimacy in Theater” taught by Judi Lewis-Ockler caught my eye. This marked the beginning of what is now a long, long list entitled “Classes at NYU I MUST take before graduation.” And yes! I did end up taking the course my third year. Absolutely incredible!

Ana, a fellow Ambassador with her Physics I professor, Gaston Giribet
Ana, a fellow Ambassador with her Physics I professor, Gaston Giribet
Kayla and her Greek Drama professor at NYU Athens, Olga Taxidou
Kayla and her Greek Drama professor at NYU Athens, Olga Taxidou
Foundations of Scientific Inquiry

Now, I know this one sounds complicated – it isn’t. It is simply a fancy way of saying you need a humanities and science credit. Courses that fall under this component are meant to provide you with a set of skills for a broad range of professional fields such as business, education, psychology and more. This component helps you gain a solid liberal arts foundation and in some cases, a hands-on professional experience. Many of these credits are often completed at NYU campus centers around the world.

As I mentioned earlier, I am pursuing a minor in Psychology which has helped me fulfill many of my humanities and science credits. But, I know many students, specifically arts students who have found creative ways to fulfill this credit without straying far from their field of interest. Many of my friends in Tisch have taken Children of Divorce, Science of Movement, The Art & Science of Parenting, Science of Happiness, Social Neuroscience and more! These classes all fall under the humanities and science component, but they also deeply inform your program of interest no matter what you’re studying.

Each school determines what specific science/humanities classes count towards the foundations of science inquiry component as it does depend on your program of study. As a Tisch student we are able to take classes at almost every NYU school, that all offer a range of courses that count towards either an elective or fulfill one of the four components we need.

Yohann, a fellow Ambassador with his Acting Class and acting professor, Tim Crouse!
Yohann, a fellow Ambassador with his Acting Class and acting professor, Tim Crouse!
Foundations of Contemporary Culture

This is the arts, humanities and social sciences component of the core curriculum. The structure of this component ensures that you gain a common core of skills and experiences in the liberal arts. Foundations of Contemporary Culture is made up of four different categories of classes all ranging in what parts of the contemporary culture are emphasized. The categories are as follows: texts and ideas, cultures and contexts, societies and the social sciences and expressive culture.

The expressive culture category falls under the sorts of classes I would be taking as a theater student. In drama we would call these kinds of classes theater studies courses. We are required to take five different theater studies classes all different in the type of content being taught. You are able to pick and choose from an array of theater studies classes which ones interest you the most.

I highly recommend taking any class with the professor, Gwendolyn Alker. I took her class Feminism and Theater last semester which fulfilled my final theater studies requirement. The class material, my classmates and Gwen completely changed the way I see the world and my role in it. She has immense love and care for her students that has exceeded my highest expectations for a professor. I know I will be referencing her class and teachings for the rest of my life.

Me and NYU Athens Greek Cinema professor, Eleftheria Astrinaki!
Me and NYU Athens Greek Cinema professor, Eleftheria Astrinaki!
Phoebe studying away in NYU London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art! This is her pictured with Vivian Munn, the head of RADA.
Phoebe studying away in NYU London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art! This is her pictured with Vivian Munn, the head of RADA.
Foreign Language

Finally, we have foreign language. This is an intergral part of a liberal arts education. It fosters an awareness of the diversity of human culture and gives you a unique skill set when entering careers that require high levels of communication. To fulfill this component, students must show or sustain proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate level. This is typically completed in two years, but can be completed in one year in an intensive course.

If you find yourself falling in love with your language of choice and you’d like to be immersed more, the option to study away can enhance your experience of immersion even more.

Though a foreign language requirement is not a apart of my curriculum as a Tisch student, I still decided to enroll in a Spanish class my second year. I pondered with the idea of pursuing a Spanish minor, but it became to be too much of a workload with my Psychology minor already in the works. Even though I didn’t end up pursuing the Spanish minor, the sole Spanish class I took counted towards a Humanities credit I needed to fulfill. Even though I was not required to take a foreign language, I didn’t let that hinder the possibility of still taking one anyway!

The rules of the curriculum are of course there to guide you to graduation, but don’t be afraid to think a bit out of the box of what is required of you!

Hi!! I am Jordan, but please call me Jo! I am one of the many lovely Digital Ambassadors for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. I am in my last year studying Drama in NYU’s Tisch School of Arts and minoring in Psychology in the College of Arts and Science. I enjoy singing, dancing, reading, cooking and connecting with new people!