Four Spring Starts, Four Stories: How NYU Students Used Their Gap Semester

1.⁠ ⁠Give a short introduction about yourself 

My name is Nivedita Malu, I am a junior at New York University majoring in Applied Psychology at Steinhardt and Economics at CAS, alongside a minor in Math. I started my journey at NYU in January 2024. I am involved in NYU through clubs at Stern and CAS, as well as in the APUG community at Steinhardt through my role as Peer mentor and my involvement in various research labs. 

2.⁠ ⁠What was your initial reaction to being admitted as a Spring Start student? 

It was bittersweet! While I was really excited to be admitted to my dream school and have the opportunity to study in New York City, it was nerve-racking to be pushed behind by a semester. I was uncomfortable with the idea that everyone would make friends and get ahead of the curve, whereas I would be stuck exactly where I was.

3.⁠ ⁠What did you do during your fall semester before starting at NYU, and what did you learn about yourself during that time? 

Luckily, I was able to snap out of this misconception of falling behind, and I realized that this opportunity would give me 6 months to invest in and get something out of. Being a co-founder of 2 NGOs in high-school, I wanted to gain professional experience in a well reputed service organizations and learn what the corporate side of such looked like: sponsorships, organizing events, marketing for the events, and so on. This pushed me to intern at Habitat for Humanity, where I was able to dedicate time longer than a regular internship, and see projects execute start from finish. Through this experience, I learned more about how to work with other people, how I work with other people, as well as the ability to do things myself. From being constantly surrounded by people, I learnt to enjoy my own company and to not be scared of being “alone”. 

4.⁠ ⁠How did that experience help you clarify your academic interests or prepare for your program?

Working on the corporate side of a service organization, it clarified my interest in marketing and consumer behavior. I knew I wanted to be in a consumer-facing role where I could utilize creativity and strategy to deliver a product that was good for both sides. Being admitted as an Applied Psychology major in Steinhardt, it gave me clarity on how I could pair it up with Economics, to truly gain insight in behavioral economics and market behavior. I also was able to see the love I had for data and analysis as we worked on analyzing past trends, where I was able to set goals of joining research labs early on in my NYU career.

1.⁠ ⁠Introduction 

My name is Luke Cheung, and I’m a senior studying Sports Management at NYU’s School of Professional Studies with a double minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology from Stern and a Real Estate Minor from the Schack School of Real Estate. I was born in Hong Kong and had the opportunity to grow up all around the world in places like Lagos Nigeria and Shanghai China, all of which has helped me see the world as a third culture kid. 

2.⁠ Initial Reaction to Spring Start 

My initial reaction to being admitted as a Spring Start was a whirlwind of excitement and uncertainty. On the one hand, I knew I was headed exactly where I wanted to be in New York. At the same time, I also quickly realized  that I needed to be intentional with how I used that extra time without falling into complacent habits.

3. Fall Semester Experience 

Before starting at NYU, I moved to New York prematurely due to the COVID pandemic in Shanghai to live in Westchester with my aunt and uncle. Beyond seeing extended family and hanging out with my nieces and nephew, I also came into the city every week to crash at my cousin’s apartment and work as a barista in Chelsea. The balance of working and exploring New York gave me a real sense of independence and helped me adjust to the pace of the city extremely fast. 

4. How It Prepared You 

The time before school ultimately gave me clarity on how I wanted to approach my four years at NYU-getting off to as good of a start not only academically in the classroom but being just as immersed outside it as well. Learning how to navigate the city early on helped me land professional internships quickly and built momentum for my years after my first semester. It proved to me that if I could adjust and handle the demands of New York, I could make the most out of my NYU experience as soon as I stepped foot on campus.

1.⁠ ⁠Give a short introduction about yourself

Hi! I’m Stuti Rawat, currently a Junior at CAS majoring in Economics with minors in Business and Psychology. I’m from Bangkok, Thailand and I love exploring new places in NYC, hitting the gym or a pilates class and trying out new restaurants with friends.

2.⁠ ⁠What was your initial reaction to being admitted as a Spring Start student? 

Initially, I was excited to be admitted but also a little surprised because I didn’t know much about the process of being a spring start student. NYU had always been one of my dream schools so after some consideration and talking to a few people who had also started in the spring, I realized it would be a great opportunity to be able to take advantage of a gap semester before I started in the spring.

3.⁠ ⁠What did you do during your fall semester before starting at NYU, and what did you learn about yourself during that time?

Before starting in the spring semester, I tried to make the most of my gap semester by gaining some work experience but also spending time and traveling with my family and friends back home. I think this time was super valuable because it gave me the space to grow personally and professionally, and helped me figure out how I wanted to approach college (like my potential majors/minors, clubs I wanted to join etc.), since this was something I hadn’t felt fully certain about straight out of high school.

4.⁠ ⁠How did that experience help you clarify your academic interests or prepare for your program? 

Through my internship and conversations with friends who had started in the fall, I was able to pinpoint my academic interests and arrive at NYU with a much clearer sense of direction. Having real workplace exposure also motivated me to think intentionally about how I could connect what I learn in the classroom to future opportunities, and to choose courses that would help me do exactly that. Lastly, even as a spring start, I was still able to study abroad and that has been one of my favorite experiences since being at NYU!

1.⁠ A short introduction about yourself (2 lines)

I’m Marc Andre Lam, a junior studying Integrated Design & Media at Tandon. I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. My major is project-based, so you can often find me working on graphic design, videography, or web development projects.

2. Your initial reaction to being admitted as a Spring Start student (2 lines)

I was mainly very excited as I wasn’t expecting to get into NYU! However, it did take me a bit of reading and discussion with family to get oriented to the idea of starting school in the spring. 

3. What you did during your fall semester before starting at NYU, and what you learned about yourself during that time (2-3 lines)

I had a very busy senior year of high school, so during the fall I was able to scale back my commitments and enjoy time with family at home. I worked a part-time job scooping ice cream and was a part-time student at my community college to get credits for NYU. I also was able to invest more time into my hobbies, mainly cooking, reading, fitness, and graphic design. 

4. How that experience helped clarify your academic interests or prepare you for your program (2-3 lines)
The gap semester in the fall gave me space to ask big questions about my life and really assess how I wanted to go about the next four years. What gives me energy? What work do I like doing? What gives me a sense of purpose or accomplishment? I felt that I could ask these questions and try things during my gap semester, all in a very low-stakes environment that helped me enormously once I did get to New York.