Finding My Community at NYU

Prior to my first year on campus, I applied to a summer program at NYU called Project OutReach. The program requires incoming NYU first-year students to arrive on campus a weekend early. Then, we go around the city learning about volunteer opportunities. The experience was eye-opening, and it was nice to know a lot of the students at NYU prior to classes starting. I am super grateful for the program. I learned the subway system, and I met students from the Class of 2023. Additionally, I received great advice from upper-level students about classes, the city, and NYU as a whole.

I still talk to my OutReach friends, and it is wonderful to know that there is a community of super passionate students who want to volunteer.

First, I made friends at my own school, the Tandon School of Engineering. First-year students normally go through an orientation with their “cohort,” or group of students they meet with the first week of school every day to make friends.

Gradually, these faces became familiar to me, especially since a lot of us had the same classes. Chemistry, mathematics, physics, and engineering forum were just a few of the classes I made friends in. In fact, knowing more people at Tandon made the school feel smaller, and it helped me find my community.

During my first year, I discovered an incredible opportunity. Iʼd always wanted to join the Admissions Ambassador community, and I realized they were hiring. There was a flyer for an information session to learn about the job. I was super excited to apply and interview. I learned so much from the application process since it was my first group interview ever. In addition, I met some really cool people from NYU. We were able to get to know one another in a professional setting, and even though the interview was intimidating at first, it was a cool experience.

Through this opportunity, I met many students around NYU, and some from Tandon too! Additionally, I was able to grow my professional network through the ambassador community. The best part about the community is the people and getting to know what theyʼre passionate about. Iʼve learned about interesting minors, cool art projects, and even students who have done such fascinating research abroad!

During my sophomore year, I rushed a multicultural sorority called Delta Kappa Delta (DKD). It is a South Asian interest, not exclusive, sorority at NYU, and I was able to meet a lot of South Asian girls who I am close to. DKD is a service-based sorority, which means we spend a lot of our time volunteering for our philanthropic focus, child abuse prevention and awareness.

The rushing process for Delta Kappa Delta was a very social experience. I met a lot of the sisters, played games, volunteered virtually, and took weekly quizzes. Overall, it was a lot of fun, and I made a lot of memories with my associate class. As a sorority, weʼve had socials and watched movies and TV shows together. Also, weʼve gotten to know each other over time, even if Zoom has become our daily routine. Overall, it is a great way to hold study sessions and to de-stress from classes.

Being a part of a sorority is a fun experience. I always have someone who is willing to hang out or go to a park for fun. Although planning large socials takes some time, itʼs definitely worth it!