Experience First Year Away at NYU Washington, DC

NYU Washington, DC’s academic center provides a base for the study of an array of subjects.  The Liberal Studies Core curriculum is among the areas of study students can pursue there. “All of the facilities were designed with convenience and comfort in mind,” says Beijing, China, native YoYo Shang. “The classrooms were modern and fitted with rolling tables and chairs to match the instructor’s needs.”

Class sizes are small, which means each student receives individualized attention. “Academically, I feel like I improved tremendously when I was in DC,” says Kaylie Barreda, who comes from Texas. “I think it had to do with how small our classes were. It definitely put me in a position where I had to be prepared at all times,” she says. “Being able to develop relationships with my professors helped me academically,” says Brianna Rose, who hails from Philadelphia.

First Year Away students take Core curriculum courses in writing, arts and cultures, and global works and society. Students at NYU Washington, DC also have the opportunity to engage in carefully selected and academically supervised internships. Students have interned with elected officials, government agencies, international organizations, NGOs, museums, media, and other institutions.

YoYo says, “I think the FYA curriculum does a nice job to prepare students for college-level reading and writing. We were given room to interact with reading and were pushed to lay down our thoughts clearly on paper. The broad range of material that was covered helped to offer a sampling of the academic possibilities ahead.”

“I worked on the Hill as a congressional intern,” says Ethan. “During the fall semester, I also worked on the executive board of the student-led discussion series DC-Dialogues. Both were great experiences.”

Students at NYU Washington, DC live and attend class at the Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center.  The center features apartment-style living quarters with kitchens, seminar rooms, an auditorium, a reading room, and student lounges. “I was really happy with the residential facilities at the site,” says Ethan Liu, a Los Angeles native. “Most freshmen don’t have the privilege of being able to live in an apartment their first year. Being able to have a kitchen was really great for me, because I love to cook.”

Kaylie Barreda also had good things to say about the residence hall. “All of our amenities were in the same building,” she says. “It was pretty great to be able to wake up for class 30 minutes before it started.”

The center is just a few blocks from the White House, the World Bank, and many monuments and memorials. The Smithsonian museums, and the cultural attractions on DC’s 14th Street corridor are a short walk away. Briana says, “Living right by the White House was really a ‘classic DC’ experience.”

“Living in downtown DC is a very different experience than living in the suburbs. Everything is literally at your fingertips,” says YoYo Shang. “Throughout my year, I explored the city with the NYUDC bike share program and on my runs. The bike share allowed me to go many places that I would never have otherwise visited. For example, Hains Point and the basilica at the Catholic University of America are amazing DC sites.