The Challenges of My Year at NYU Florence: What I Learned Along the Way

While everything about NYU Florence objectively sounds amazing—and it truly was—there were two parts of the experience that felt like a double-edged sword. First, the cohort was fewer than 100 students, which sometimes made it feel a bit like high school. You end up knowing everyone because you’re all living next to each other, taking the same classes and walking the same small campus every day. You won’t meet as many people as you would in New York City. However, the friendships you do make tend to be incredibly close. In fact, three of my friends from NYU Florence are coming all the way to India to visit me this winter break!

Second, Florence itself is not a very large city. It has everything you need, such as great food, beautiful places to explore, and amazing shopping, but it is on the smaller side. That is why traveling on the weekends becomes one of the best parts of the experience.

Of course, not everything can be picture-perfect (although the city of Florence comes pretty close). I felt quite isolated during the fall semester after having a bit of a falling out with the first few friends I made. It was the first time I had to do things completely on my own, like eating meals or exploring the city. One mistake I made early on was constantly comparing my college experience to friends in the United States who were having more “typical” college experiences and posting their new friend groups on social media. It took a while, but eventually I learned not to trust everything I saw online.

I also struggled to find people to travel with because I felt like time was moving so quickly and I wanted to see as many places as possible. Soon, I realized that you don’t need a big group. All you really need is one friend who shares your mindset. For me, that was my friend Taylor. We spent some of my best days swimming and napping on the beaches of Amalfi and Cinque Terre together.

Additionally, NYU Florence was the first time I was surrounded almost entirely by people who were not Indian, as there was only one other girl from India in the cohort. Although it wasn’t as difficult as I expected, it still pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I definitely felt homesick at times. To navigate that, I occasionally ordered food from the restaurant Crown of India and stayed connected with my parents and younger sister through frequent video calls. NYU Florence also celebrated Diwali and Holi on campus, which made me feel much more at home and connected to my culture.

Lastly, moving to New York City once the year ended was a little rocky, especially during my first two months. I was lucky to have my NYU Florence friends with me, and I still see them almost every day. Still, being in a completely new city meant adjusting all over again. This time, though, I felt much more prepared. One thing that helped me a lot was joining clubs, especially my dance team, NYU Nasha. It gave me an immediate community to be part of.