Not Just a First-Year Thing: A Case for Living on Campus as an Upperclass Student

The most obvious pro of NYU residence halls is their location. During my first year of school, I lived in Lipton Hall, a first-year residence hall right on Washington Square Park. It would have been a huge adjustment to move to another neighborhood where I had to make a long walk or take the subway to class.

Luckily, I lived in Coral Tower, one of our upperclass residence halls. There, I had a straightforward 15-minute commute. This year, I live in Carlyle Court, which is located even closer and is a 10-minute walk straight down University Place. The convenience of being able to get to class, work, and other commitments so easily is truly priceless.

A big fear I had when I first moved to NYC was apartment hunting. I’ve heard my fair share of horror stories and plenty of words I didn’t understand the meaning of. Fortunately, with NYU housing, I’ve never had to bother with this complicated process. NYU housing registration is extremely straightforward. It’s different from first-year registration in the sense that you can select a group of roommates and pick your residence hall and room.

Additionally, I love taking advantage of all the facilities within our residence halls. The Resource Center is so helpful when it comes to receiving packages and mail. For some of my friends in apartments, packages are just left at their door or even sometimes on the street. If they’re not home, they just have to hope that the package is delivered correctly and ends up in the right hands. The RC makes collecting mail extremely easy and avoids any risk of theft.

Having laundry facilities in every residence hall is also a huge advantage. Many off-campus apartments lack laundry facilities, and students have to drag laundry multiple blocks and pay for a laundromat. While living on campus, I know that laundry facilities will always be accessible and only $2 per load. Finally, I’ve also found the facilities portal very helpful for solving maintenance issues. It’s no secret that landlords, especially in NYC, can be unreliable. I love that there is always a dedicated facilities team at NYU who can address any residence hall issues in a matter of hours.

One reason that many students choose to live off-campus is due to costs. Even though apartments can be cheaper, you are often sacrificing at least one of these major perks. I personally feel that with all of the facilities as well as proximity to campus, a slightly higher cost is 100% worth it. Additionally, what you’re not paying in rent may be made up in other fees such as security deposits, laundromat visits, and transportation costs.

Another huge advantage of living on campus at NYU is safety. Just as first-year residence halls have a Resident Assistant on duty overnight and a campus security officer at the front desk 24/7, upperclass residence halls do, too. The same policy applies where any non-NYU guest or off-campus guest must be signed in by a resident. People like to say that our CSOs are like doormen, which are very coveted in NYC apartments. This gives me significant peace of mind as I know that everyone inside my building is always supposed to be there.

The relationship I have with my Resident Assistant as a junior is certainly different because they are often my age as opposed to older students. However, I appreciate that they are experts on all things housing and always there to answer any questions. Also, having an RA on duty is extremely helpful for help with lockouts. Admittedly, I am a pretty forgetful person, and there’s been many times that I’ve lost my keys or locked myself out of my room. If I lived in an apartment, I’d likely have to wait for my landlord and/or pay for a locksmith. Here, I just have to go down to the resource center and ask for assistance, and they are always very helpful.

I also greatly appreciate being able to take NYU SafeRide directly to my residence hall. While SafeRide does include a small off-campus range, many students live outside of this. After a late night at Bobst (an all-too-regular occurrence for me), it’s extremely convenient to have a free car ride straight home.

The community within NYU Residence Halls is the aspect I am most thankful for in my time living on campus. Like many students, my first-year residence hall is where I made many of my first connections here. However, I’ve continued making new friends all throughout my time in NYU Housing. The vibe is certainly different in upperclass residence halls than first-year ones, but it’s a huge misconception that they lack community.

First, I just love the principle of knowing that I’m living only with other students and faculty and constantly seeing people I know. Even though most people in my residence hall are strangers to me, it makes me feel much more connected to the school. I always love when I can make a small connection by striking up a conversation with someone in the elevator or laundry room.

Living with roommates can be a con for some people, but for me, it’s a huge pro. I have lived with the same roommate for all 3 years at NYU, and sharing the space has brought us super close. Walking into my room and seeing someone that I love and that I can talk to about anything is truly an unbeatable feeling.

Additionally, I enjoy taking advantage of the community events that our residence halls have. It gives you the chance to meet new people, connect with RAs and faculty members, and do a lot of cool things around NYC for free. For example, last semester, my friend and I were able to see Smile 2 for free with one of the Carlyle Faculty Fellows in Residence. This was a great experience to get to know my FFIR as well as save around $35 on the movie.

Finally, I’ll discuss what really motivated me to write this article: my best friends. This year, I was debating on getting an apartment or living on campus with my current roommate. I am so glad I chose to live on campus because I truly met my people through living in Carlyle. I found out that an acquaintance of mine was also living there and decided to message her about it. We grew close super quickly and formed a group with other friends we’d made, many of whom also live in Carlyle. Had I not lived in NYU housing as a junior, I never would have met some of the most important people in my life. Staying in housing gives you the opportunity to make those unexpected connections that college is all about.

Many returning students elect to become Resident Assistants, with the main perk being that you can continue to live in NYU Housing at no cost. However, this is certainly not the only advantage of becoming an RA. I served as an RA in Lafayette Hall, another upperclass residence hall, during summer 2024. It was a super rewarding experience to give back to other students the way that my RAs had helped me. It also gave me a great opportunity to bond with other RAs and make new friends, and it made me feel even more connected to NYU.