New York University Top Questions

Most of my classes are small because I am in a small school (social work). This is really nice and the people in my classes tend to become very close because of the subject matter we are dealing with all of the time in our classes. A unique class that I'm taking now, which is outside of the School of Social Work, is called the Meaning of Leadership, and it's all about examining leadership styles from Socrates to today and what is most effective. I really like it!

The only professors that knew my name were in the Spanish department. Small classes, easier to connect, just happened that way. Many classes are huge halls, broken into sections taught by a TA, who didn't care to know you anyway. NYU kids are pretty cool. So diverse. Definitely intellectual, although I was surprised by how many dumb/annoying/non-wisdom seeking individuals who got in. I wish i met up with my professors outside of class. I wasn't one to really engage with my professors during office hours and whatnot, unfortunately. NYU education is certainly for learning's sake, but if you want it to be used to get a job, it's easily utilized that way.

Most professors do not know my name. The classes were large and I never stayed after class to chit chat or go to office hours. In small classes, with a maximum of 15 people, the professor knew my name eventually. The academics were fairly rigorous. There are some classes that are really easy, those that are part of the core requirement (MORSE academic plan, but within my majors, chemistry and economics, most classes required a lot of studying and intense individual reading and learning. I've had some wonderful professors and some not so wonderful ones. My least favorite was a professor for linear algebra. He walked in saying that he found out 10 minutes before class that he had to teach this class. NYU's math department is in need of some restructuring. The best professors I have had were in the departments of French and Chemistry and these ended up being my favorite classes. There is competitiveness within some groups, such as Stern and pre-med students but it's important to not let that get to your head. I feel like learning for learning's sake is more satisfying than beating out someone else's score by one point. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't feel this way. I feel that Stern really prepared the students to get internships and jobs throughout the school year, preparing them for work after. However, in other schools the education at NYU didn't really prepare students for a job. You would have to actively seek it out yourself. Class participation is often a requirement mentioned, but I rarely participated and it didnt seem to affect my final grades. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class, whether regarding the news or what was learned in class.

Many students will complain about the MAP curriculum, which is NYU's core courses. I agree, some of them are not a lot of fun. But I think you will find, especially in the case of the liberal arts core courses, that they help expand your horizons and knowledge base. My best advice is to talk to other students and get their opinion about professors and classes. At NYU it is really important to research your classes before registering. For the first two years most (but not all) of your classes will be large lectures anywhere from 300-70 students with a discussion group that meets once a week (this will also depend on you school and major). The last two years you will have an opportunity to form deeper relationships with your professors and take smaller and more specialized courses. One of the things I love about academics at NYU is that there are so many options. Because it is such a big university you can take almost anything you can imagine, even if it is outside your major. And if the major you want to study doesn't exist, transfer to Gallitin and make your own.

Went to Stern Undergrad for marketing and international business. Perks: -reputable business school -great access to internships at big companies -free food from club meetings (if you’re smart about it you can skip the actual meetings) Blas: -students aren't the most cut-throat but too many only think/talk about business and their careers -Stern degree leaves little room for classes outside of Stern, making it hard to pursue non-business interests Tip: Hang out with some non-Sternies so that Stern doesn't become your life.

One thing I found hilarious was when I was studying abroad in London. The London program partners with a few other schools, so I was studying for an exam with one other NYU student and two students from the University of Virginia. The other NYU student and I kept cracking jokes and couldn't stay on task to save our lives. The UVA students more or less stared in horror at our complete disregard for the material. I think that situation speaks for most of my time at school.

No. My favorite class so far was Drawing. It was a small class so we got individual attention, and I enjoy drawing. I'm also really enjoying Modern South Asian Literature because it's also a fairly small class and there's a lot of discussion and room for students to speak and I like the fact that there's not too much lecturing. My Least favorite classes were Perception (in the psychology department) and Early Modern Architecture. The Perception teacher was unorganized, hard to understand, and just in general didn't teach well, and on Top of that he was a hard grader. The only person who knew what they were doing in that class was the TA and he's the only reason I passed. The early modern architecture teacher was a Terrible teacher. She was boring and didn't explain things well. She was way too old to be teaching, I don't even think she's teaching this semester or anymore after this last semester. She knew her subject but had no idea how to teach it. Any interest I had in the subject was sapped out of me through her teaching. I do think NYU students have some intellectual conversations outside of class. Students are definitely competitive, more so in some departments than others. My department (Urban Design and Architecture- in the Art History Department) is really small and I don't really like it. The biggest pain is that we have a "Fine Arts Library" where you have to go and read some of the homework your teachers assign you, but you can't, check out the books, or photocopy pages and take them out, nothing like that. You have to sit there and read you homework. AND the hours are bad for it too, so if you have a heavy course load then it's really hard to get in there to actually do your homework. Also there's NO DESIGN really involved in my major...it's mostly architectural history...and I'm most interested in the design aspect... so it kind of sucks overall. No, I don't spend time with professors outside of class. NYU's academic requirements are okay, I think it's good to have people try out every field of interest. The only thng I don't like is the fact that we have to take 2 sciences. The education is geared toward getting a job in some schools, but being a CAS student I don't think there's much help there unless you VERY actively seek out help at the career center. Learning for it's own sake doesn't happen unless you pursue your subjects like that.

Professors don't usually know your name, at least in intro courses where there are over 100 students. My favorite class was International Politics. It was taught by a really great professor who was interesting and knew the subject matter really well. He was also very good at conveying it and teaching it so that everyone understood it. My least favorite class was World Cultures: Empires and Political Imagination because the professors were very disorganized and weren't very good at communicating with their TAs, so that the TAs could help us in recitation. They also wrote the course pack and then read it during class, but tried to say that they were different even though they weren't. Students study a lot. It doesn't seem like it when it's not midterm or final seasons, but students do study a lot during those times. Class participation is very common. NYU students have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students are very competitive. The most unique class I've taken is Conversations of the West: Antiquity and the 19th Century. It was an English, history and sociology class all in one. It was an interesting combination that came together very nicely and it was very interesting. My majors are politics and math with pre-law advising. All of these departments are very helpful and really try to connect to the students. I do not spend time with my professors outside of class. Some of NYU's academic requirements are a little ridiculous and not worthwhile, such as Expressive Cultures and the language placement exams are not representative of students' knowledge at all. The education at NYU is geared toward learning and research. However, they are very helpful when it comes to jobs, career planning and internships. There's a whole center just for helping students with that and they have a lot of fairs throughout the year that give students more information about those things.

Yes some do and they can be helpful.

Yes my professors know my name. My favorite class is the Writing The Essay plenary with Pay Hoy because its an interesting class that opened my mind in an artistic sense. Student study really hard, especially the Stern & Tisch people. The most unique class I've taken is Performance Strategies recitation.

Professors: I have loved nearly every professor I have had...most are happy to teach and have done interesting research...I often find myself googling my professors and swooning over their accomplishments Favorite Class: Medical Anthropology Study time: every major/school has different amounts of study depending on what you are doing...but in general NYU students are driven and passionate and want to do well-so yes studying happen a lot. Also, students are keenly aware of how much their education is costing them and don't want to waste the money by doing poorly. Most unique class: Art and Sculpture in NY-we don't use a textbook, instead we study art history based on the paintings/sculptures in museums in the city. My department: Anthropology...every professors is unique, wonderfully charismatic and passionate about their own specific research. They all enjoy teaching-I love the anthro department. Ever

Close relationships were developed with all of my professors in the Steinhardt studio art program. I feel i grew as an artist and intellectual in all of the classes as appropriate readings and trips were included in the curriculum. The only thing I was very surprised at was the lack of technical training in a lot of the classes. I transferred from a community college that was very career oriented. Fine tuning technical skills was really emphasized there. I enjoyed the new conceptual trend at NYU, but couldn't help notice there were a lot of people in my advanced classes with great ideas but novice technical skills. Had I not received my foundation at community college I might not have had the knowledge to express my ideas the ways that I do. The professors I had were all knowledgeable in their fields and answered and easily technical questions I asked but it was not part of the curriculum. YES! The students are very competitive and very critical. All I can say is it builds character.

Stern is really, really hard. It requires alot of dedication to get A's in it. The other schools (all of which I have taken classes in) were a piece of cake in comparision. If you want to excel at Stern, be prepared to do nothing but school work. I don't get nearly as good of grades as I did at my first school (I am a transfer from UCSB where I had a 4.0) because, to me, it's not worth giving up everything, my social life, extracurriculars, etc., just to get an A. The professors are incredibly smart and experienced in their field. If you make an effort to talk to them and go to office hours, they will listen but they are not going to seek you out. It's college, not freakn' elementary school people. Handholding is reserved for romantic relationships only here.

Many professors are only adjunct because they are practicing professionals, which adds a very realistic air to your learning. I've had many of my senior seminars in the conference rooms of my professors offices. My favorite classes were those where I got to roam the city -- it was a very hands on experience. Class participation is more common in smaller classes, which are commonly those of upper classmen. Large lectures have small T.A. taught, required classes, where class participation is more common. NYU is an amazing education experience, but alumnis joke that its not helpful in procuring a job. While NYU students have amazing internships, and opportunities and experiences as undergraduates, they become "over qualified," and are passed over for many jobs. Unless you are going to Stern School of Business, or plan on going to graduate school, your successes at NYU don't make it easier to get a job. While most students study (you have to be smart to go to NYU afterall), some study more than others. As a premed student, my best friends were my textbooks. I'd work/study hard, and play hard. My roommate, a jazz composition major, would be "studying" all the time too, by practicing constantly (a different type of study), but my other roommate, a Gallatin Graduate, would rarely study, and rarely had exams or finals...which made me awfully jealous.

One of the best things about NYU and the film department in particular, is the class sizes. Most of my classes have fifteen people or less, which makes for a very comfortable environment where everyone can get to know each other quickly and students feel like their attendance and participation matters. Students here are extremely competitive. Especially in the upper level core production courses, because students must complete for the allotment and for a lot of students, if you don't get an allotment you can't afford to make your film, and if you don't make a senior film you have no calling card when you leave school. As far as I've seen, the film departments goal is to teach students the ins and outs of film making and to make students as prepared as possible for the real world. They want students to learn as much as possible, but also be able to function in the film business.

One of the great things about GSP is that my professors know my name. I feel comfortable going up to the teacher and asking them questions about why I received this grade on a paper or a test and how I can improve. My favorite class is probably my Writing class. The theme is 'Youth Culture' and we've been watching 80s teen movies, such as "Heathers" and "The Breakfast Club" and analyzing how and why teenagers behave the way they do. I'm sure this isn't true for everyone, but my friends and I have intellectual conversations outside of class. I'm not a fan of NYU's MAP requirements. MAP classes are the core classes that mostly everyone has to take and I have yet to hear anyone say good things about them.

Professors do NOT know your name. My favorite class is my psychology course because the professor is hilarious. He's about 90 years old but so full of life, extremely passionate. You find many of those professors here, and many who are not passionate at all. My least favorite class was an honors seminar taught by an outside professor who was biased and made personal interjections on students' behaviors (social and academic). NYU hires a lot of outside authors and experts to teach these honors seminars but they mostly behave as though they are celebrities and their word is gold. Class participation is nearly non-existent. NYU students are ALWAYS having intellectual conversations outside of the classroom. Students are ridiculously competetive. Most unique course has been my genetics course taught by a genetics researcher specializing on circadian rhythms in mice. He brought together real experience with the course material, allowing for us to choose the syllabus of topics. The neuroscience major is an extremely competetive and difficult one. It's very small, but as a freshman I still don't know much about it. No time with professors outside of class. Academic requirements are rigorous and in some cases pointless (ie Writing the Essay teaching you how to write "on the edge" aka "emo" when I want to be a doctor and will never have to write in that manner). NYU education is sometimes geared towards learning but mostly towards finding a job, especially in the pre-medicine track.

Classes are large in the general level classes; it is hard to get small classes early on, especially if you haven't chosen a major. Even the recitations are larger than I had expected, over 30 people. I have had some really good professors, however, who really care about the students and reach out, sometimes to the point that it is overbearing, but it is nice to know that you can get help. The freshmen honors seminars were hyped up to be the best thing at NYU, but mine was a disappointment, and so were most others. Most of them met for two and a half hours at a time, which is way too long for anybody to be sitting still listening to a professor. The topics probably could have been interesting had they been presented well, but the seminars just did not carry out its original ideals. The environment at NYU isn't quite academic, outside of class. People do know when to study, however. It is a work hard, play hard environment. Outside of class, people don't think much about school; they are mostly focused on doing things - participating in clubs, entertainment, exploring New York neighborhoods, and many other choices. Nobody ever stays still; people go out and enjoy what is available to them. Many students here seem to have their life planned out and most came into college with a major defined. Especially in Stern, the students are focused on getting a high paying job and making it big, although classes seem to be towards learning for its own sake. The classes I have taken so far provide more theoretical and abstract knowledge that I'll have to figure out on my own how to apply to a job, but I prefer it that way instead of a more practical training. NYU's academic requirements consist of a core curriculum called MAP. Some classes in MAP, such as Natural Science, allow you to use AP credits to place out, but there is no way to get around Writing the Essay, Conversations of the West, and World Cultures. These classes are generally torturous and annoying, and provide more work than is necessary. They are very narrow in what they teach, and it is frustrating to have to deal with them when you could be in classes you actually like. The only MAP requirement I like is the language requirement.

Like an other school academics at NYU has been a mix. People tend to make fun of it by I loved the General Studies Program (GSP). Pretty much all my classes for the first two years of school were small seminar classes, where the professors did know my name. I especially had this one amazing professor for Cultural Foundations, who also happened to be my adviser in GSP. When doing my transfer to CAS, there are more lectures involved, which then requires a recitation class. However with my majors, a lot of my classes tend to be seminar style. My Italian classes have all been very small which I think is important in learning a language. In addition, all my Italian professors thus far have been amazing! Though it takes a while for things to get done in the English department, the people I've communicated with have been very friendly. My second major is Italian/Linguistics and those departments are much smaller so I hear back from them quicker. The bad classes at NYU have been this way mainly because of the professor. I've learned that many times that the topic can be great, but if you have a bad professor it doesn't matter in the least.

It really depends what school you're in for this. Huge, impersonal classes are the norm in many.