The New School Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Jodi

The New School is overall great, although it's still in progress in terms of teachers, school building, and unfortunately the financial system. The financial aid office were partially clueless when questions were asked since they heavily depend on a financial program run by another company. Personally, it is upsetting to receive short-term financial deadlines and have an online system run slow. I've had issues where my account would say one thing and my counselor would see another. The online system for financial aid and payments is quite confusing and need serious improvement. It is difficult for those who can not afford college and need time to pay it off (the payment plan is also short term). Only those who can pay tuition off all at once do not face difficulties and it is extremely unfair. After dealing with the financial office for a month I had fun afterwards. The school contains a variety of students from around the world, only a few of my classmates were from the U.S, others were from Canada, Brazil, Germany, India, Asia, and Australia. When I moved in to my dorm in Stuyvestant Park, we had 2 rooms in one suite; therefore 4 students shared one kitchen and a bathroom, 2 of my roommates were from India and the other from Australia which was new since I came from LA, it's rare to encounter students from different countries. Everyone was humble and outgoing, we hardly had any difficulties living together. I'm not entirely sure about the other residences but I've heard the nicest dorm there is the University Center. The University Center is the best part of the school since it contains a cafe on the 2nd floor where every meal is prepared freshly since they have professional chefs that prepare your meal right when you order since the cafe is separated in different serving stations. All the packaged meals were freshly prepared as well. They've also opened a new cafe in the downstairs area that serve soups, sandwiches and nicely packaged pastries. It is personally, one of my favorite parts of the campus, the classrooms/ lecture rooms are very nice. Most of our teachers encourage us to explore the city for our assignments. We would have field trips to Cooper Hewitt, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, The Atrium, and different independent design companies in NYC. After the end of each semester, we have course evaluations to voice or opinion on the professor's teaching methods and overall classroom ambiance. The school provides plenty of career opportunities, internships, online programs, anything you absolutely need to progress in your career. They have an equipment center that provide professional cameras, camcorders, lighting, everything that will help you with your assignments. A lot of things are going on in New York City so there is always something to do every single day since there are a variety of design events, festivals, concerts, open mics everywhere! Overall a great experience if you don't mind a busy, fast-paced environment

Belinda

The institution I attend consists of a small but very diverse student body and staff faculty, which is great in its own right. I identify as a woman of color, and having attended two other institutions before attending my graduate degree at The New School, I have always felt as an outsider, and outcast due to my previous college institutions consisting of a bland or homogenous student body and staff faculty that sadly rarely consisted of individuals who represented me by gender, ethnically or racially. As a result, this would place so much stress and pressure on me knowing that I could not find someone (a staff member) to vocalize my true concerns to because they "wouldn't understand" me. The New School has a beautiful array of scholars, students of all walks of life, and the location of the institution is in the center of New York- where there is something and someone to talk to for everyone! I feel very comfortable and at home with the staff members I've networked with and I also feel at ease. The institution is historically and culturally rich, learning is very stimulating and overall approaching the staff members is so easy to do because most of them are there to assist you and they trully care for your livelihood. I really enjoy being a student at The New School.

Eunsoo

There are some facilities that need renovation like elevators. The faculties are made up of talented indiviual artists. Parsons is right in the middle of Manhattan, making it easier for students to be influenced by the environment; numerous museums and galleries to widen their perspectives. Since Parsons doesn't have its own campus, the whole city of New York acts as its campus.

Emma

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my choice of The New School. I think my classes are comprehensive and well structured; they're challenging but manageable. The thing I most like about my school is that it understands the big picture, meaning that I really feel like I'm going to school to learn things that I can then apply to a career and to my life in general. My school is very connected to the outside world: I'm always getting emails about guest speakers, internship opportunities, gallery shows, and non-profit organizations that are looking for student involvement. Also, living in New York City, I never feel trapped in a bubble, and school is really something that compliments, informs, and enhances my life rather than consumes it. The down side of this is, of course, that we don't have a real campus or a college town feel, though the main buildings are located in close proximity, so you do bump into friends moving from class to class. Also, school pride is probably not as strong as one would find on a more traditional campus, or at a school where sports are an integral part of school life. The school is small enough to know a lot of the people in your class, and can feel even more intimate within your major division, but large enough that you have a measure of anonymity. The faculty are great, especially at Parsons, as they're all working in their field as well as teaching. The administration is in general very hands-on, but one thing I would change about the New School, is the website. It can be very convoluted, and trying to get information or figure out administrative questions can be frustrating. There are often glitches in the technology, but this aslo comes partly from the fact that the New School uses very advanced technology and has moved a lot of stuff on line, which is convenient most of the time. Overall I would say that I have enjoyed the New School so much because I'm part of their dual degree (BA/BFA) program, and if I were to go to just Parsons, it wouldn't feel academic enough, and if I were to go to just Lang, it wouldn't feel competitive enough, but together they make the perfect balance.

lesley

I absolutely love my school. When applying to colleges i wasnt sure where i was headed exactly or what my interests would consist of, that would lead me into a desirable career. When i began Parsons The New School, it was a natural transition from high school to college, but i had great advisors and classes that challenged me as well as inspired me to keep moving forward within my studies. Each year i've progressed at the New School, i've been presented with great opportunities that have enhanced my social and working networks and jobs that have already helped me achieve my goals academically and personally.

Avantika

I love my school! I enjoy my classes and the fact that most of the professors are professionals of the fields they teach in makes class even more interesting. I like the atmosphere and the part of the city our school is located in. On the other hand, I can also identify many people who may not like the school. The city can be an overwhelming place and so may not be right for everyone, but it definitely is for me!

Vanessa

The New School University is composed of eight different colleges: Parsons, Mannes college for Music, The Newschool for General Studies, The Newschool for social research, The Newschool for Jazz and Contemporary Music, The Newschool for Urban Policy, Eugene Lang college for liberal arts and The Newschool for Drama. I go to Eugene Lang college for liberal arts. Eugene Lang college for liberal arts is a small school located in the heart of Manhattan and historical area, Greenwich village, with a population of less than 2,000 students. The Newschool in general is considered a "mini NYU". It has very generous scholarships overall including for transfer students, job opportunities within inside campus and outside of campus as well. Academically the school is very broad. When i tell people i attend "The New School" I've gotten reactions such as "is it New? or 'thats an excellent school." The reason why its called the newschool is because of the way the school's philosophy brings academics not only based on textbooks and memorizing facts but thinking outside of the academic box. It is not your typical traditional college where teachers give a lecture and you sit in the back of the classroom; instead you are encouraged to deeply engage in debates and in conversations within the classroom. Unlike traditional colleges, the Newschool is a seminar style classrooms. One of the best things i love about the Newschool is the classroom sizes. Typical classroom range from 5-20 students. Even a university lecture based class is less than 70 students. Another academic aspect i love about the newschool is that you can take classes at other schools within the newschool. For example I can take class at General studies and Mannes extension program for music. The school administration depends on how friendly they are. Unlike other schools, you do not have a core curriculum at this school, the only subjects you need to graduate are 2 nyc classes, 2 writing classes, a freshman seminar class, and 2 university classes. The admissions office staff is not very polite, but overall the Health services office, student employment office, financial aid office, and Tutoring services office is very helpful and are always willing to help you. They also have an office for career services and student development where you can get discounts for movie tickets and broadway shows. Socially speaking, you meet alot of people. Eugene Lang college is located within a very historical town. Greenwich village and the west village are the places where most NYU and Newschool students hang out. Hannah Arendt, Martha Graham, Alan Copland taught at the New School. Most of the time, i go to Washington square park, or when its raining ill go inside the newschool student center which has two floors. The newschool has three dining locations, one on 13th st, one on 11th st and one at a residence hall at 13th st dorm. One of the things i would change about the school is the library. We need our own library. Mannes has their own library and so does Parsons. Although we have access to the NYU library, we need to have our own as well, this project is currently being processed and hopefully will be done in 2013. Another student complain i could think of is how expensive the food is, the food prices must be lowered. Other than that, no more negatives i could think of.

Vanessa

The New School University is composed of eight different colleges: Parsons, Mannes college for Music, The Newschool for General Studies, The Newschool for social research, The Newschool for Jazz and Contemporary Music, The Newschool for Urban Policy, Eugene Lang college for liberal arts and The Newschool for Drama. I go to Eugene Lang college for liberal arts. Eugene Lang college for liberal arts is a small school located in the heart of Manhattan and historical area, Greenwich village, with a population of less than 2,000 students. The Newschool in general is considered a "mini NYU". It has very generous scholarships overall including for transfer students, job opportunities within inside campus and outside of campus as well. Academically the school is very broad. When i tell people i attend "The New School" I've gotten reactions such as "is it New? or 'thats an excellent school." The reason why its called the newschool is because of the way the school's philosophy brings academics not only based on textbooks and memorizing facts but thinking outside of the academic box. It is not your typical traditional college where teachers give a lecture and you sit in the back of the classroom; instead you are encouraged to deeply engage in debates and in conversations within the classroom. Unlike traditional colleges, the Newschool is a seminar style classrooms. One of the best things i love about the Newschool is the classroom sizes. Typical classroom range from 5-20 students. Even a university lecture based class is less than 70 students. Another academic aspect i love about the newschool is that you can take classes at other schools within the newschool. For example I can take class at General studies and Mannes extension program for music. The school administration depends on how friendly they are. Unlike other schools, you do not have a core curriculum at this school, the only subjects you need to graduate are 2 nyc classes, 2 writing classes, a freshman seminar class, and 2 university classes. The admissions office staff is not very polite, but overall the Health services office, student employment office, financial aid office, and Tutoring services office is very helpful and are always willing to help you. They also have an office for career services and student development where you can get discounts for movie tickets and broadway shows. Socially speaking, you meet alot of people. Eugene Lang college is located within a very historical town. Greenwich village and the west village are the places where most NYU and Newschool students hang out. Hannah Arendt, Martha Graham, Alan Copland taught at the New School. Most of the time, i go to Washington square park, or when its raining ill go inside the newschool student center which has two floors. The newschool has three dining locations, one on 13th st, one on 11th st and one at a residence hall at 13th st dorm. One of the things i would change about the school is the library. We need our own library. Mannes has their own library and so does Parsons. Although we have access to the NYU library, we need to have our own as well, this project is currently being processed and hopefully will be done in 2013. Another student complain i could think of is how expensive the food is, the food prices must be lowered. Other than that, no more negatives i could think of.

Vanessa

The New School University is composed of eight different colleges: Parsons, Mannes college for Music, The Newschool for General Studies, The Newschool for social research, The Newschool for Jazz and Contemporary Music, The Newschool for Urban Policy, Eugene Lang college for liberal arts and The Newschool for Drama. I go to Eugene Lang college for liberal arts. Eugene Lang college for liberal arts is a small school located in the heart of Manhattan and historical area, Greenwich village, with a population of less than 2,000 students. The Newschool in general is considered a "mini NYU". It has very generous scholarships overall including for transfer students, job opportunities within inside campus and outside of campus as well. Academically the school is very broad. When i tell people i attend "The New School" I've gotten reactions such as "is it New? or 'thats an excellent school." The reason why its called the newschool is because of the way the school's philosophy brings academics not only based on textbooks and memorizing facts but thinking outside of the academic box. It is not your typical traditional college where teachers give a lecture and you sit in the back of the classroom; instead you are encouraged to deeply engage in debates and in conversations within the classroom. Unlike traditional colleges, the Newschool is a seminar style classrooms. One of the best things i love about the Newschool is the classroom sizes. Typical classroom range from 5-20 students. Even a university lecture based class is less than 70 students. Another academic aspect i love about the newschool is that you can take classes at other schools within the newschool. For example I can take class at General studies and Mannes extension program for music. The school administration depends on how friendly they are. Unlike other schools, you do not have a core curriculum at this school, the only subjects you need to graduate are 2 nyc classes, 2 writing classes, a freshman seminar class, and 2 university classes. The admissions office staff is not very polite, but overall the Health services office, student employment office, financial aid office, and Tutoring services office is very helpful and are always willing to help you. They also have an office for career services and student development where you can get discounts for movie tickets and broadway shows. Socially speaking, you meet alot of people. Eugene Lang college is located within a very historical town. Greenwich village and the west village are the places where most NYU and Newschool students hang out. Hannah Arendt, Martha Graham, Alan Copland taught at the New School. Most of the time, i go to Washington square park, or when its raining ill go inside the newschool student center which has two floors. The newschool has three dining locations, one on 13th st, one on 11th st and one at a residence hall at 13th st dorm. One of the things i would change about the school is the library. We need our own library. Mannes has their own library and so does Parsons. Although we have access to the NYU library, we need to have our own as well, this project is currently being processed and hopefully will be done in 2013. Another student complain i could think of is how expensive the food is, the food prices must be lowered. Other than that, no more negatives i could think of.

Vanessa

The New School University is composed of eight different colleges: Parsons, Mannes college for Music, The Newschool for General Studies, The Newschool for social research, The Newschool for Jazz and Contemporary Music, The Newschool for Urban Policy, Eugene Lang college for liberal arts and The Newschool for Drama. I go to Eugene Lang college for liberal arts. Eugene Lang college for liberal arts is a small school located in the heart of Manhattan and historical area, Greenwich village, with a population of less than 2,000 students. The Newschool in general is considered a "mini NYU". It has very generous scholarships overall including for transfer students, job opportunities within inside campus and outside of campus as well. Academically the school is very broad. When i tell people i attend "The New School" I've gotten reactions such as "is it New? or 'thats an excellent school." The reason why its called the newschool is because of the way the school's philosophy brings academics not only based on textbooks and memorizing facts but thinking outside of the academic box. It is not your typical traditional college where teachers give a lecture and you sit in the back of the classroom; instead you are encouraged to deeply engage in debates and in conversations within the classroom. Unlike traditional colleges, the Newschool is a seminar style classrooms. One of the best things i love about the Newschool is the classroom sizes. Typical classroom range from 5-20 students. Even a university lecture based class is less than 70 students. Another academic aspect i love about the newschool is that you can take classes at other schools within the newschool. For example I can take class at General studies and Mannes extension program for music. The school administration depends on how friendly they are. Unlike other schools, you do not have a core curriculum at this school, the only subjects you need to graduate are 2 nyc classes, 2 writing classes, a freshman seminar class, and 2 university classes. The admissions office staff is not very polite, but overall the Health services office, student employment office, financial aid office, and Tutoring services office is very helpful and are always willing to help you. They also have an office for career services and student development where you can get discounts for movie tickets and broadway shows. Socially speaking, you meet alot of people. Eugene Lang college is located within a very historical town. Greenwich village and the west village are the places where most NYU and Newschool students hang out. Hannah Arendt, Martha Graham, Alan Copland taught at the New School. Most of the time, i go to Washington square park, or when its raining ill go inside the newschool student center which has two floors. The newschool has three dining locations, one on 13th st, one on 11th st and one at a residence hall at 13th st dorm. One of the things i would change about the school is the library. We need our own library. Mannes has their own library and so does Parsons. Although we have access to the NYU library, we need to have our own as well, this project is currently being processed and hopefully will be done in 2013. Another student complain i could think of is how expensive the food is, the food prices must be lowered. Other than that, no more negatives i could think of.

Jamilla

Overall Parsons is amazing, the New School in general. It is full of talented and competitive students and a great faculty. The school is very sustainability friendly and is the top fashion school in the world. I would change the fact that we don't have homecoming week, and somehow come up with a way we can have one without sports. I would change is how much financial aid Parsons can offer to minor students due to their expensive tuition. That is all. The school size is just right and it isn't really the "normal college experience" with homecoming and sports games. Most of the time I spend my time in the lounge of my dorm hall its really nice, but because the New School is in the city and does not have a campus I hang around Union Square and Madison Square. The biggest recent controversy on campus was parsons students protesting for Occupy Wall Street, the president of the school was very supportive of the students. There is a lot of school pride not in the sense of a normal college but many students boast about attending Parsons since it a fashion school. One experience I will always remember is my first semester of Parsons it was so intense but so worth it. I pulled so many all nighters. The most frequent student complaints is of the lack of sleep they get haha. No big deal though.

ashley

I honestly love Parsons! It's very challenging, and a lot of your free-time is taken up because you are constantly busy, but at the same time you're at the best Fashion Design School in the Country, one of the top in the World, and you get to meet some of the greatest people from all over the world, and bond, explore new york city, and work together to rise to the top. The best thing about Parsons I have to say is the way the School constantly pushes you to think more creatively, more outside of the box. Parsons thinks for the future, so they push their students to design for the future. Given that Parsons is a Private School, the class sizes are very small! In the Fashion Design Curriculum there is no more than 17 students per class, which is very good, because this gives you individualized attention that you will need with your professor, and this also allows you to interact and explore with your peers, to help each other, and inspire each other in a cozy atmosphere. Another great thing about Parsons is that the name is recognized anywhere. People take Parsons very seriously, it's like the Harvard of Fashion Schools, so when Parsons is on your Resume, it's highly favored. For those students who like college campuses, well Parsons doesn't have a "Real" college campus, because it's spread out amongst new york city. The main headquarters for Fashion Design Students is in times square, but you will also have other classes that you would have to take that are at other buildings around new york city so you will have to commute, but don't worry! It's not hard and it's not scary. A lot of the buildings are in walking distance from each other. As a Freshman you have to go through foundation year which means that it's not direct entry into your major if you want to go into Fashion Design. If you plan on majoring in Photography for instance you would go directly to your major and skip foundation year. Foundation year is your first year in School, you will not be doing anything related to your major. Instead you will be doing the fundamentals to art like drawing, painting, lab class (which is a class thats based off of working in groups), 3-d class, and 2-d class. If you do have complaints about the school or a teacher the school is very supportive in trying to help you solve your problem. This past semester I actually had a problem with an professor and the administration responded to me quickly with emails offering to meet with them to get the situation solved. One of the biggest things that I've noticed is that Parsons is not the typical school. you will not live the normal college life, with frats, sororities, school pride, sports, none of that exists at parsons. We do have sports teams but because we don't have our own facilities for these sports the school pride practically doesn't exists. I feel as if I'm living the life of a young professional. I go to school everyday, I come home do work, cook, intern, shop at the collest places in soho, travel to different boroughs, and explore nyc.

Marie

The New School is just right, I'm a Parsons student, so I get the best of both worlds. I'm going to an art school, getting a business degree, and learning everything that I want to learn without having to compromise anything like I would at a normal art school or a normal liberal arts university. The New School is a smaller school, my biggest class was around 20 kids, and it makes it so that everyone receives they individual attention that they need, our discussions are so different than any other college I've seen. We all get a chance to talk and to flourish. And when the classes seem too small, we're integrated right into the city. There is nothing better than being able to walk outside and see the bustling city continue on around you. When people outside of New York City find out where I go to school they usually say they haven't heard of it unless they're well versed in the arts world. But, whenever someone in the city asks me where I go to school I get a "Really? WOW! That's great. You must be really talented." I have never met anyone at the New School that didn't love and feel pride for the school. Since the moment I first visited I felt a part of the New School community and I'm sure I'll feel that for the rest of my life.

Ashley

I really like being here at TNS (my division is Lang College). The people are friendly, there is departmental and academic support, and our teachers are always willing to go the extra mile to connect with their students to ensure that the material they are being taught will impact them in daily life. One thing I think the New School does well is unite it's students. Though many come from different backgrounds, programs at TNS (from organizations like Musical Theater and TNS Outdoors to frequent lectures from guest speakers) aim to bring together people with simliar views and opinions for a chance to learn from each other. Since this school doesn't have any sports teams, "school pride" is routed through to award winning professors and alumni who are out in the field, working towards changing the world. In the same way that TNS is not a typical college, it also does not have a typical campus. To have New York City at your finger tips is the dream of many of the students coming in from around the world. The city's vast wealth of resources and opportunities enable even the wildest of ideas to take form.

Ashley

I really like being here at TNS. The people are friendly, there is departmental and academic support, and our teachers are always willing to go the extra mile to connect with their students to ensure that the material they are being taught will impact them in daily life. One thing I think the New School does well is unite it's students. Though many come from different backgrounds, programs at TNS (from organizations like Musical Theater and TNS Outdoors to frequent lectures from guest speakers) aim to bring together people with simliar views and opinions for a chance to learn from each other. Since this school doesn't have any sports teams, "school pride" is routed through to award winning professors and alumni who are out in the field, working towards changing the world. In the same way that TNS is not a typical college, it also does not have a typical campus. To have New York City at your finger tips is the dream of many of the students coming in from around the world. The city's vast wealth of resources and opportunities enable even the wildest of ideas to take form.

James

Eugene Lang gives pretty much the standard New York City liberal arts education--that is, it's a small, progressive institution that is very strong in philosophy and culture studies, but you have to be prepared to live in New York. There's no "campus" in the traditional sense of the word (there are a few dorms, a study space, and a community courtyard scattered across the better part of Chelsea) and it's pricey to live there. Since space is an issue, places like the computer labs become crowded during finals week, but they are trying to combat this and in doing so recently established a large new study space on 5th Ave., which was more than welcome. Class size is about 15-20 people per seminar course, generally more on the 15 side, and all of the professors I've had are really good at their jobs. The only complaint I have with courses is that they're a bit easy when it comes to grading and I found myself doing quite well on papers I didn't put a whole lot of effort into. A good example of this is the option to do an independent senior project, which has been reduced in requisite size by more than half since I entered the college (now under twenty pages in the Culture & Media department). The administration are all friendly and well-meaning, but they can be bureaucratic more often than not, and visits to the 11th St. student services building were always frustrating when I had to straighten out course schedules or graduation requirements. The aesthetics of the school are what made it so rewarding for me; the mechanics of the classes and the school system definitely have their flaws, but the professors, friends, and course materials more than made up for any faults with the school. Plus, if you're someone who loves living in the city, you couldn't pick a better location. The school is about ten blocks away from NYU and the Village, which is close enough for walking even in winter, but far enough away so that it's plausible to have a little reprieve from the insanity of the city.