New York University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Math Education
Minor: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Female
Summary
[I'm in] Greek life
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Maryland with 600 people in the graduating class. There was a prominent culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Math Education
Minor: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies
Extracurricular Activities: Greek life
How has Greek Life impacted your experience so far?
It has impacted my experience so much. At NYU, I feel like it’s hard to meet people if you’re not part of something. Last year my best friend transferred, so I needed to put myself out there. It’s changed my life and I’m loving it.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your Math Education major?
The Education Major combines math and education studies. There are a lot of problem sets each week for my math courses and a lot of readings for the general education courses.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
What’s unique about the Education Major is they have specific classes that teach you how to teach specific topics or subjects, such as proofs or geometry.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s pretty collaborative. Especially as future educators, we have a similar mindset that school should not be stressful to the point where it doesn’t make you want to learn. Classes are very discussion-based where we build off each other’s ideas.
How accessible have your professors been?
They will respond to your emails within a few hours. They will also have office hours two or three times a week.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
Since I was in the 1st grade I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I’ve always liked math, which is not the case for a lot of people. One of my goals is to change this for students and allow them to enjoy the subject. I want to be the teacher that stands out to kids.
Reasons to Attend
1) NYC is a magical place.
2) Everyone here really cares about their academics and people encourage studying.
3) The diverse student body is something everyone should be exposed to.
4) The professors know we want to learn so they are very understanding if you need to ask for an extension.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) It can be lonely and hard to meet people.
2) It’s not big enough for the number of students.
3) The professors do expect a lot from you, so the workload is kind of insane.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: University Hall with 1 roommate and 2 suitemates
Sophomore: Gramercy Green with 1 roommate and 2 suitemates
How was transitioning from your hometown in Maryland to Manhattan, NY?
It was definitely a lot. Moving into a huge city can be overwhelming, but I feel like I got used to it pretty quickly, and now I love it.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I always feel really safe. It is New York City so there are crazy people, but I’ve never felt unsafe or had an issue.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Either the Hudson River or the East River. They are very accessible so I’ll go to clear my head.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in at NYU?
I go to frat parties, bars, and clubs. On occasion, I’ll go out for dinner and see a movie. I usually go out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Things will also happen on Monday and Tuesday, but I don’t usually go.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s huge for me. If you are affiliated with a Greek organization, then your nightlife pretty much stays within the Greek life community. [Greek recruitment takes place during Fall and Spring]. I was pretty involved in Greek life even when I wasn’t in a sorority. It’s just harder to find out about the parties. I go out more often this year because while being in the sorority, it’s just the thing to do. We live in New York City, so there are tons of bars or clubs that also allow you to do your own thing.
How happy are you with the nightlife at NYU? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m really happy with it. We are much more social and actually talk. It’s fun to be able to see different clubs [around town] to change up the scenery.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Last year [my closest friend] was my suitemate. This year, I’ve met a ton through my sorority.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s good to be part of [an organization] to form your group. In classes I don’t hear much talk about topics other than school, but everyone is pretty social and friendly overall.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s not very diverse in Greek life. The sororities seem to be a lot of straight White girls. It feels like the frats are more diverse regarding race, but not sexuality. Outside of Greek life, I have so many friends of both different races and sexualities.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s extremely diverse. It’s cool because everyone is so unique and different, but we are all here for the same thing. Everyone is kind of weird has a quirk to them, which could be hard to find at other schools. [The Class of 2022’s student population was 9% Black, 21% White, 16% Asian, and 18% Hispanic.]
How has the size of your school influenced your social experience?
It doesn’t feel as big as it is, which is probably because the campus is pretty small. [There are about 29,000 undergraduate students.] It does feel big when I try to find a seat in the library because it’s always crowded and the buildings are almost too small for the number of students. I also didn’t have a good sense of community last year, but this changed after joining my sorority.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I went through the career office to find an internship that I’ll be doing for credit.