New York University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Film & Television in the Tisch School of the Arts
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Straight Male
Summary
I’m on an improv comedy team.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Private school in Los Angeles, CA with a graduating class of about 210 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Film & Television in the Tisch School of the Arts
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m on an improv comedy team.
What impact has the improv comedy team had on your experience so far?
It’s just a good way of getting more involved in NYU and meeting people with similar interests.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
It varies from year to year. Freshman and Sophomore year, it’s pretty much mandatory to take five classes and everyone’s doing the same thing. You have screenings and you’re making films and projects that are to understand the fundamentals of filmmaking. You’re also in history of film and film criticism courses, so you’re writing papers and doing critical study along with learning the fundamentals of sound and composition. By sophomore year, you’re making short films without sound or color, so you’re focusing on composition and visual storytelling. Your final projects sophomore year are full films which are the culmination of those fundamental skills that you learn throughout.
By junior and senior year, people branch off into what they’re more interested in. There are some people taking cinematography courses and really focusing on photography and the visual side, there are also sound design classes, set design courses, and writing courses. Personally, I’m more focused on writing, so most of my course load now is writing pages for scripts and reading other people’s scripts. It’s not too overwhelming because you’re taking four courses a semester now because you’ve already completed the requirements for the degree. People take around two to three writing courses.
Is there anything that you feel the Film department does especially well or poorly?
The professors are very invested in your success. At least from the classes I’ve taken, they are very keen on making sure you are understanding the material and are very receptive to meeting outside of class and helping you get to where you want to go with whatever project you’re working on.
In terms of poorly – this is not the track I’m on – but if you’re making short films throughout your time at NYU, I think it’s a tough situation because there is this implicit understanding that you’re going to be spending money out of your own pocket to do your films and make them the caliber that NYU is willing to reward. NYU does give an allotment for the intermediate and advanced classes, but it’s very plainly not enough. It’s understood that the students who are wealthier and have the means to get the big budgets can create films that look better than the people who can’t do that. There is a lot of crowdsourcing and people making GoFundMe pages, but it’s clear that there’s a divide there.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It can be both. The competitiveness will always be there because it’s a place that has a reputation for being an elite place. People come in and are sometimes afraid of that reputation and that they don’t meet that reputation, so that can lead to some weirdness between people, especially when you don’t know each other. There’s competition in that people want to be making the best stuff. Everybody here is looking to go into a career in film, so there is a pre-professionalism that is pretty flagrant and can get in the way of collaboration.
Once you meet people who you befriend in class, there is definitely collaboration between students at that level. From personal experience, some of what I’ve enjoyed the most is meeting people in class and then becoming friends with them and organizing things outside of school. Like, another film student and I wrote some one-act plays, got some actors from Tisch and musicians from Clive Davis we performed at a play festival not too long ago. It’s also very easy to reserve a theater in Tisch and do all of that. You have to go out of your way to make it a collaborative environment and if you don’t put in any work it can be standoffish between students.
How accessible are your professors?
Very accessible. Most are pretty good about checking their emails and a lot of the time they’ll reach out to you to meet outside of class and talk about your stuff.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose Film & Television because I like film, television, and entertainment. Personally, I always wanted to be a writer, so it seemed like the most accessible and possible way to do that as a career. I’m happy with my choice.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s definitely a good choice for people who want to go to school in the city and have that sort of independence and freedom to do what you want to do.
2) If you’re interested in the arts it’s ideal because there is so much art to go see and experience, as well as there are a lot of places for you to express and show your art. There are also huge communities dedicated to that.
3) The faculty are very good across the board. There are a lot of classes in very diverse subjects.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) NYU doesn’t have the typical college feel to it. There isn’t that hominess and safe enclosed space dedicated to college students.
2) It’s more difficult to be social and meet new people consistently because we’re spread throughout the city. That’s something you have to work towards.
3) The campus is huge. It can take 20-25 minutes to walk from one class to another.
4) If you’re looking for a place with school spirit, that’s not here at all.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Third Avenue North with one roommate in my room and five other people in my suite. We shared two bathrooms, a kitchen area, and there were two other bedrooms.
Sophomore: Greenwich Hall with two other people.
Junior: Off-campus apartment in Alphabet City with one roommate. It’s pretty difficult to stay on campus your third year.
What has been your favorite living situation?
Definitely living in the apartment. It’s much better to have my own bedroom, which isn’t feasible in the dorms, and I think it’s really important for your mental health to have your own space.
How was transitioning from your hometown in Los Angeles to Manhattan?
It wasn’t that jarring. Freshman year was a bit jarring, but they’re both cities so it’s not too different. I walk pretty much everywhere and take the train if I need to go far. The main difference is it feels more cramped here and there are older, taller buildings, but nothing you can’t adjust to over time.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I find it incredibly safe. I’ve never felt threatened at all. It definitely changes based on your gender because I know some of my female friends get catcalled sometimes.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Alphabet City is pretty nice, that’s where I live now and being in this area is pretty good. It’s a nice place to walk around and spend time in.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
Personally, I spend a lot of time just going to comedy shows or performing because that’s the scene I’m most affiliated with here. Other than that, I like to go over to my friends’ apartments and listen to music and do whatever. People have parties and have people over every now and then. There are a lot of cool independent movie theaters to go to. Museums are also good to go to during the day. I generally do stuff on Friday and Saturdays.
Where do you like to go see comedy shows?
I see a lot of NYU comedy because there are a lot of teams here. There’s also the PIT and the Comedy Cellar, but those places tend to have incredibly long lines. There’s also UCB.
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
Thursday is a big night, and then Friday and Saturday night are the standard nights to go out. If you want to go out on any day of the week, you can definitely find something [because you’re in New York].
How happy are you with the nightlife at NYU? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I think it’s fine for me. Some people definitely do more and go to clubs and that whole thing, which is very possible here. Your level of engagement with the nightlife on weekends depends on what kind of person you are, but it’s possible to have any range of involvement. I don’t think I would change anything.
What have been some of your favorite times at NYU?
Junior year has been the best experience I’ve had so far overall. It’s the time where I’ve felt cemented in the city because I’m comfortable in it and know a lot of people. I also got a certain comfortability with trying new things, setting up events, and things like that.
Campus Culture
Do you ever feel that you are more so a resident of New York City than a student at NYU?
Yeah, that’s definitely part of the NYU experience. There is the fact that we don’t have a campus and it’s a good school if you want to get a head start on adulthood and the lifestyle of living on your own. NYU doesn’t have the feeling of being in the intermediate stage between childhood and adulthood. There is no bubble feeling, you just feel like an inhabitant of the city that goes to classes.
How did you meet your closest friends?
A lot of my friends I knew beforehand from high school or before and we all ended up here, which I think is a bit anomalous. If you’re coming from L.A., there will be a lot of people who you know here. I’ve also met people through clubs.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
The social scene is a bit fractured. There’s not a unified sense of being friends with other NYU students because you’re an NYU student. The easiest way to be more social and feel like you’re meeting more people is through clubs and specific scenes. Like, if you’re in the music scene, you’ll be friends with a lot of musicians and meeting people through shows and playing with other musicians. The same goes for comedy. There are a lot of different places to meet people, so it depends on your involvement. Especially at Tisch, some parts of it are broken down into groups because you’re in studios together, so you already have friends from people who you spend lots of time with in class.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There’s a lot of mixing. It’s a really diverse school in a really diverse city. Again, I think it boils down to what you’re interested in and that’s how people are meeting each other irrespective of gender, race, etc. There are probably exceptions, like, there are a lot of international students from Asia who can at times not necessarily interact with other people in the school, but much in the same way people from Los Angeles meet each other and hang out with each other. There are also communities of people of the same race because there are clubs dedicated to that.
How would you describe the student body at Tisch?
It’s pretty diverse. There’s a large demographic of students who are gay or not straight. People are definitely career-focused and have that in the back of their mind. There are definitely people who see other people as competition, but there are also people who are very open and friendly.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of NYU by senior year?
I think people who don’t love NYU and are not super satisfied with it generally leave. Something that happens a lot at NYU is people transfer to different schools within it because, generally, the people who go to NYU like living in New York because it’s a very specific choice of school. I haven’t met many people who are really upset with living in New York, but a lot of my friends have transferred within the schools at NYU. It’s pretty common for people to transfer into Gallatin because it’s such an open school and you can take classes in whatever you’re interested in.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not yet, but I have not attempted to go through them for that.
Have you used the career office at all?
I have not yet.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be helpful to you professionally?
I think they’re very good about teaching us different software and a lot of what we learn here is the industry standard. Freshman year you learn Avid, which is a general editing software and you learn Pro Tools for audio. Premier is the main software people use for a lot of different things. Then, once you get more specific, you learn different stuff. For example, I took an animation class and we learned a ton of animation software.