Ready, Set, Learn! Fall Precollege Courses at NYU

When it comes to learning a new language, NYU faculty teach you so much more than just words—they offer you insight into the cultures where it’s spoken. And Shuichiro Takeda’s Elementary Japanese I is no exception. In addition to learning the Japanese language, Takeda helps students pick up real-world communication skills and dive into the intricacies of the Japanese writing system.

“In foreign language courses, class sizes are small,” says Jeesun Park, a faculty member at NYU College of Arts and Science. “Because of this, students often develop informal and friendly relationships with professors and university students. And that offers a more personal, authentic glimpse into college life.”

Additionally, World Cultures precollege courses help students better understand and appreciate the world around them. This fall, explore Africa with Professor Sayida Self or the Middle East with Professor Ozan Aksoy. Both interdisciplinary courses use history, anthropology, and social sciences to examine the traditions, social structures, and economic issues of the regions’ respective cultures.

Curious about living the writer’s life in New York City? Journalism as Lit: Storied New York might be the class for you. Students in this course read across genres before creating works of their own. New York City has entranced generations of writers, and in Professor Suketu Mehta’s course, you’ll learn why.

Interested in how money, markets, and decisions shape the world? Pierre Lacour’s Introduction to Macroeconomics explores big-picture topics like inflation, unemployment, and government policies. Meanwhile, Pamela Warren’s Introduction to Microeconomics focuses on everyday financial decisions. Similarly, in Principles of Accounting, taught by Rohita Land, you learn how to track money, analyze finances, and understand budgets. And in Linda Dukette’s Business Organization and Management, you get a peek into how companies operate.

Do you want to dive deeper into questions about human behavior and cognition? That’s exactly what you do in courses like Larry Menna’s Critical Thinking, Berfu Aygenc Akman’s Introduction to Sociology, and Sanford Zenker’s Introduction to Psychology. Finally, in Erik Wang’s Political and Economic Development in Comparative Perspective course, students learn how governments grow and change around the world.

“The NYU Precollege program is designed to empower high school students. It gives them early exposure to high-demand skills,” adds Hawryluk. “NYU precollege courses foster curiosity and build technical confidence through practical projects, real-world scenarios, and collaborative learning. Our alumni have gone on to pursue degrees at top universities. And they credit this program as a launching pad for their academic and career goals.”

Regardless of which courses you take, NYU Precollege is college. And when it comes time for you to apply to college, admissions counselors take the additional course experience seriously. So not only are NYU precollege courses a great way for you to earn college credit and experience life as a college student, they also prove that you can rise to the challenge of university-level academics. Ready to get started? Check out our fall 2025 courses today!

“Through NYU Precollege, students learn as much outside the classroom as inside it,” says Kristin Balicki, director of university programs. “They develop independence and time management skills that come with being an undergraduate student on campus and in the city.”