New York University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Business with concentrations in Computing and Data Science and Finance
Minor: Computer Science
Student Self Identifies as: East Asian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m in the Undergraduate Stern Women in Business and I play the piano.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: East Asian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Irvine, CA with a graduating class of about 550 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Business with concentrations in Computing and Data Science and Finance
Minor: Computer Science
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in the Undergraduate Stern Women in Business and I play the piano.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
For the Stern Women in Business club, I was a study abroad liaison so I created a blog about my study abroad experience and they showed it to all of NYU. That was something people recognized that was fun.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
For my Finance classes, there’s a problem set every two or three works. For my Data Science class, I’ve only had two problem sets this semester so far, so about one every four weeks. Our course load is pretty light, we’re more so just preparing for exams. Our exams are weighted really heavily, for my Finance class especially. For one of my Finance classes, the midterm is 40% of my grade and the final is 50% of my grade.
Is there anything you feel your concentration’s departments do especially well or poorly?
The Finance department is really well-established at NYU so they bring in a lot of really and well-known professors. However, it’s kind of the opposite from the Data Science concentration since that’s relatively new. They’ve been bringing in a lot of adjunct faculty who don’t have much teaching experience.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
Specifically at NYU Stern, it’s very competitive just because there is a curve in every class. A lot of students don’t want to help each other because they’re afraid they would make it harder to get a good grade. I don’t study with other people very often, even if I wanted to. A lot of people don’t like to talk about how they’re studying, what jobs they’re applying to, or how they’re preparing for interviews. Most conversation is purely social. Being friends with people in classes is really hard because you feel like you’re competing against each other.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re pretty accessible. I mainly contact them through email or go to office hours depending on the professor.
What has been your favorite class you’ve taken in the undergraduate business school?
Information Technology in Business. The professor taught everything really well and it was applicable to current events. He made it really entertaining as well.
Why did you choose your concentrations? Are you happy with your choice?
In high school, I actually wanted to become a doctor until I realized I don’t really like school that much. I felt like going to an undergraduate business school would help expedite my higher education learning so I could get into working and work in almost any kind of field. I specifically chose Data Science because I’m interested in technology and business and I felt like Data Science is a tangible skill you can show to employers. I chose Finance mainly because Stern is known for their Finance program and it’s really easy to double concentrate. It’s also something good to have on your resume.
Reasons to Attend
1) You’re going to have a lot of career choices here in basically every industry. You don’t have to be afraid of possibly not finding something. Also, you can just stay in New York after graduation.
2) The faculty is really renowned. Tisch will bring in famous artists, like they brought in Pharrell Williams. We also have Nobel Prize winners at Stern.
3) You meet a lot of different people here. Through my job on campus, I’ve met dramatic writing students in the Tisch School of Arts and it’s been really cool to hear their perspectives that I wouldn’t have as a business student.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) The tuition and cost of living. People underestimate the cost of living in New York City. It’s insane compared to anywhere else.
2) The lack of social culture at NYU. It’s all spread out and people don’t stay on campus, so there’s not campus culture. That’s also because we lack good sports teams to rally around.
3) It’s going to be really hard to get out of the city. Sometimes I want to be somewhere that’s a little calmer and has more nature, but it’s hard to get out and it’s expensive to do so.
4) There are people here who are really, really well off and it can make you feel like you’re dirt poor even if you’re not. [Socioeconomically, about 11% of students come from the top 1% and 1.7% of students come from the top 0.1%.]
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Founders Hall with one roommate and we shared the bathroom with two other suitemates.
Sophomore: I lived in an apartment in a dorm called Gramercy Green.
Junior: Off-campus apartment in the East Village with one other girl. It’s a two-bedroom apartment.
What has been your favorite living situation?
Probably Founders because my roommate ended up becoming one of my really good friends and we ended up living together the next year as well. We still hang out and talk to each other. It was also a really big room and had an awesome view of downtown.
How was transitioning from Irvine, CA to Manhattan, NY?
It was completely different because I’m from a suburb where everyone has to drive around. Coming here was kind of weird because I had to walk everywhere and all of the sights and sounds of New York City. But, transitioning was relatively okay. NYU had a lot of events during Welcome Week where freshmen could explore the city. Like, they would pay for Broadway tickets and you’d go with people from your hall and it was really fun. It was a good way to learn how to navigate the city as well.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I have never felt threatened safety-wise. Since New York never sleeps, I always feel like there are people around so I never feel afraid walking on the street by myself at night.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in at NYU?
Going to a bar or a nightclub or just going out to eat with friends, which is what most NYU students do. Clubbing is a big thing since there are not that many parties at NYU. I usually go out either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night because I don’t have class at all on Friday night. Other than that, I try not to go out too often because I have to get work done before the week starts. Sunday is just a day to wake up late and work.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Personally, I feel like it’s not that big at NYU. I know it’s been growing here, but party-wise and nightlife-wise, they don’t really have a space for themselves so they can’t host big parties or anything like that.
How happy are you with the nightlife at NYU? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m really happy with it because I have so many options in the city. I don’t have to rely on being with NYU students the entire time.
Do you like going out and mixing with Manhattanites?
Yeah. I feel like you mature a lot because you have to meet all these adults and work with them and around them.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
My closest friend is my freshman year roommate. My other friends I actually met working an on-campus job. We are always sitting there and talking to each other during work. The rest of my friends I met through mutual friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at NYU?
It’s very distinctive from each other. The people you hang out with are the people you will be invited to parties with. Being someone in the business school, I know that there are parties in the art school, but I don’t know anyone in that school so I don’t mingle with those kinds of people. The schools separate everyone. Also, who you meet freshman and sophomore year are who you stick with because by junior year it’s almost too late to find new friends. It’s weird, but you’re kind of stuck in the same group. That also happens because we’re in the city and there are people living all the way uptown or downtown. I mainly bump into the people who also live in the East Village.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I would say it’s pretty mixed at NYU. Sexual orientations mixing isn’t a problem here, but I feel like the Asian and Jewish people hang out with each other. It’s not racist or selective against someone else, it’s just that they want to be around similar people culturally. All of my girlfriends are East Asian girls and my guy friends are a mix.
How would you describe the Asian community? How strong is it?
It’s really strong. I feel like a lot of the Asians know each other. You meet a lot of new people through that and that starts the cyclical nature of us hanging out with each other. Everyone goes to parties together, go to Asian nightclubs, and eat Asian food together. It’s a very strong community.
Do you ever feel like you are more so a resident of New York than a student at NYU?
I would say I’m more of a resident of New York than a student just because I only stay on campus for classes and then right after that I go home. I also am surrounded by mostly New York residents and not NYU students now that I live off-campus.
How would you describe the student body in the business school?
The student body in the business school is really finance and banking focused. They place value on where you’re interning and how well you do in class. It’s very social but there’s also kind of a networking vibe to it, so sometimes there can be a question of whether or not they’re socializing with you or networking with you. Everyone’s really focused on what job they’re getting and are pretty academically-driven, and somehow balance it all.
How do you like the size of NYU in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [There are about 29,000 undergraduates.]
It’s way too big in my opinion. Given that NYU already has a problem of not being a really social school, you have to find your friends yourself. NYU Stern is a lot better because there are 600 students per class, so it’s kind of like high school again where you get to meet a lot of people throughout the years because you’re in the same classes, in the same building together, and you know similar people. I don’t know anyone else in the other schools.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
With NYU Stern specifically, I’ve bumped into alumni at almost all of the interviews I’ve had and they always have alumni come in for recruiting events. If they’re from the undergraduate school or even the graduate school, it’s a good way to connect over something.
To what extent have you used the career office? How helpful are they?
NYU Stern has its own recruiting and career center and NYU as a whole has a career center. Obviously, the Stern career center is more business-focused and there are fewer competitors for attention since there are only 600 students per grade. It’s really easy to get to know people from a company specifically and most of the interviews are held in the NYU career center, so it’s really convenient to just walk to Union Square and do the interview there.
Have you learned any computer programs or languages through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
I’ve learned Python, Java, Sequel, and R. They’re all very tangible skills and are a great way to prove to employers that you know and can use something that lots of companies use these days. I’ve used Excel in one or two finance classes, but I learned Sequel and R in my Data Science classes at Stern, so that was pretty helpful in data visualization and learning how to store data.