Questions People Ask Me as an NYU Ambassador

My favorite NYU tradition is NYU Flurry. During the fall semester, NYU rents out an ice skating rink in Central Park and students can go and skate for a few hours. The event is held by the Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC) and any NYU student is able to skate. It’s a lot of fun. According to IRHC, the Flurry is “ice-skating with 4,000 of your closest friends.” Indeed, a bunch of my friends went in the past, and they even served snacks, such as hot chocolate, at the event. The NYU shuttle system runs buses between Central Park and NYU’s location in Washington Square Park for students who wish to attend this event. Truly, the Flurry is a unique experience. Especially for someone like me who had never ice-skated in Central Park before. 

Another tradition I love is the All-University Games. This is part of Violet 100, NYU’s Spirit Week. It happens during the spring and it’s filled with competitively fun activities so that students can rack up points for their school. The school with the most points wins! I was on the U-Games team for the Tandon School of Engineering, and our mascot that year was BB-8 from Star Wars (I love Star Wars). Around 20 NYU teams compete in volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, table tennis, air hockey, tug-of-war, stack cups, and limbo for the championship trophy. Finally, the Violet 100 Ball, which the Bobst Library hosts, ends the week. Everyone dresses up in their best for a night of fun and dancing.

Something that I never knew about NYU was the sheer size of the University. There are so many departments all around NYU for different types of administrative needs. As a result, this can make the University feel large and hard to navigate. Fortunately, students always have people who can help them navigate the community and the campus’ complexity. There are resident assistants in residential life, deans within each school, advisers within departments, and cross-school advisers for questions regarding double majors and minors. Additionally, the StudentLink Center at 383 Lafayette is also available for questions relating to study away, class registration, billing, undergraduate admissions, financial aid, and more. 

There are many communities on campus, and the difficulty of involvement depends on which ones you want to join. For example, there are professional-, social-, service-, and cultural-based clubs and they all require varying levels of commitment. 

First, living on campus is a great way to meet new people. The hall councils within each building schedule events throughout the semester focused on building community. Consequentially, your NYU experience is based on personal involvement. First-year students should pick a few clubs and also go to university-wide events! These are great opportunities to meet new faces and make new friends, especially with students from other schools across campus. Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all club on campus. Therefore, it may take some tries to figure out what fits you and your interests best.

Here’s my experience with NYU Housing events.

Take a look at my article about how I found my community.

Additionally, I write about the large South Asian community on campus in this article.

NYU’s Brooklyn location is situated in the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn’s Tech Triangle. Sometimes it can feel like there is a bit of a disconnect between both locations. But with many departments moving to Brooklyn, such as the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, there is less of a gap between “Brooklyn students” and “Manhattan students.” In fact, both Manhattan and Brooklyn students commute to both locations. And many Tandon School of Engineering students join Manhattan-based clubs or work on the main campus. It can make the campus feel much smaller. In addition, some Tisch students involved with Integrated Design and Media and Game Design have classes in Brooklyn.

Finally, here are some things you may not know about Tandon.

Originally, I came to NYU with the hopes of pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Business and Technology Management (BTM), and both majors are at Tandon. I believed this to be the easiest course of action. However, plans changed and I realized computer science wasn’t really what I wanted to pursue. I stayed at Tandon because I really love the BTM program and how it incorporates elements of engineering and technology into the curriculum. Plus, I get to interact with engineers on a daily basis. I know that I want to continue in the tech industry from a business perspective, which I can ultimately better achieve at the Tandon School of Engineering than at the Stern School of Business. 

I talk about my major, Business and Technology Management, here.

According to NYU legend, Washington Square Park had an abundance of the flower known as the “violet” planted all throughout the park. It was this flower that spurred NYU to choose its colors and its mascot! The NYU Violet was the official NYU mascot at that time. However, NYU changed the mascot to the Bobcat, named after the Bobst Library Catalog System. Bob—for Bobst—and Cat—for Catalog. Contrary to popular belief, NYUs colors are violet and white, not purple and white. 

When I was looking for colleges to attend, I knew I wanted to go to a college that would provide me opportunities like no other. I wanted to go where doors opened for me, where the student body was inspiring and motivational and the professors were experts in their field. I wanted to be outside my comfort zone and learn how to adapt on my own. After I came to NYU, I realized I had found what I was looking for and more. I am able to satisfy my dreams of studying away, and my major is unique. NYU provided me with an opportunity to pursue something that is out of the box. All while at a revolutionary place that is constantly evolving and changing with the times.

Here’s an article describing my NYU experience in depth.

I hope I answered some of your questions in this article. If you ever decide to come to New York City, definitely sign up for a campus tour! It is the best way to get a feel of the campus and learn about the NYU experience firsthand.