Life in NYU’s Paulson Center: A Paul-pular First-Year Residence Hall

Walking inside a Paulson room, you be in a common area with a shared closet – some rooms even have sofas! All Paulson rooms come with NYU’s staple private bathroom, and most suites are composed of two doubles and one bathroom. 

Inside the main attraction – the room itself – there are two beds, drawers (two each), closets, and desks for each resident. Although there are also singles and triples, most rooms are doubles. 

But beyond the rooms, Paulson has every resource an NYU student could possibly need in their daily life. Oftentimes on busy weekends, I didn’t even have to leave my dorm building. In both the residential area and classroom areas, there are countless study lounges that facilitate collaboration and studying. Paulson even has a gym, weight room, and swimming pool!  

In my first year, I visited Paulson’s dining halls — Crave and Cafe 181 — nearly every day of the week. NYU requires all first year students living in residence halls to purchase meal plans (dining dollars and meal swipes), and Paulson’s dining halls were the perfect blend of convenience and good tasting food. My favorites were Cafe 181’s acai bowls (purchased using dining dollars), and Crave’s build your own bowls (purchased using meal swipes).

Speaking of food, the Residential College at Paulson hosts exciting events almost every week. These are hosted to help students meet neighbors and make new friends while having fun. They have done everything from Sonny Angel Scavenger Hunt to Brooklyn Botanical Garden trips!

If interested in living in the Residential College at Paulson, incoming first year students can submit an essay explaining what they will contribute to their preferred house(s). My advice for the essay — although generic — is to be yourself and write about what truly interests you. I joined the Global Connections House, and living at Paulson in my first year has elevated my experience to heights I never imagined. At Paulson, when taking the elevator up to your dorm, meeting your classmates in the dining hall, or spending time with your floormates, each split-second interaction is an opportunity to learn more about their unique stories and deepen your own understanding of the world.