New York University Top Questions

There are plenty of extracurriculars at NYU and getting involved in them is a great way to get involved with the NYU community. Athletics are not really our thing. No one goes to see a basketball game or a soccer match. We hardly even hear about it. We do not have a football team. We just don't care. We do have two great acccessible gyms though with pretty good equipment. NYU students are mostly in shape. I wouldn't say it is a party school. People go out and do their own thing. Who wants to have a dorm party when you can go to one of the greatest clubs in the world? Especially when that club is only a few minutes away from your dorm. When NYU students are in their dorms, they're usually breaking the rules (there is a high rate of marijuana usage) but this is kept in control and dealt with strictly. Residence staffs do not tolerate these situations at all. There are a lot of discount tickets available to sports games, movies, Broadway shows, museums, etc. There is always something to do or something to see. We have our own events of course in our state of the art theaters. There aren't too many frats and sororities but they are very active.

While greek life isn't an absolute must on campus, it can certainly enhance the quality of your experience at NYU. I would argue that it's equally as important to join a frat or sorority at NYU then it is at Michigan. Both schools are massive and relay on smaller organizations to provide a more intimate. Many argue that joining greek life at NYU is lame but these are the people who think they're above it and are less likely to feel attached to their school/friends.

There are a vast amount of clubs here, but you will have to seek out when they meet and such because NYU honestly does not care enough to do that for you. The dorms freshman year are very social, but after that no one talks to each other. I urge you to make friends prior to coming here, otherwise you will struggle to meet people. I met all of my friends (or most of them) via Facebook before arriving at the university. Many people party in the dorms, but an equal amount (i.e. those who can afford it) go clubbing and out very often. That being said, there is a huge divide between those who are wealthy and those who aren't. You will notice it, and it will most likely upset you. Many students are very pretentious and unsociable, but that's okay. You will meet like-minded people. It might just take awhile.

While NYU doesn't have a campus or any student pride, there are plenty of groups and clubs to join. I'm involved with the Off-Campus Student Council, which plans events for commuters, cooperate with the administration to help life become easier for the off-campus student and help out new commuters and which routes to take to school. It's probably the only place where I have friends, to be honest. The athletics here are unpopular. The attendance record is so pathetic that NYU gives out free food for anyone who comes to cheer on the team...but even then do we get so few attendees. To be fair, NYU has a great athletics program and are very strong in basketball and soccer. I guess because it's a Division III program that sort of turns off the student body. The parties at NYU are a little more intense than the normal college party. While there is alcohol, don't be surprised to hear of someone doing coke in the hallway. Considering the frat and sorority life is non-existant, you basically hear about parties from a friend. I get a little worried if I'm going to an NYU party, basically because someone is bound to do something so retarded that we get kicked out. If only the party scene was a little less intense would it seem fine, but it's very scary to party out in New York at 2 a.m. You never know who is out there and what will happen.

I met my closest friends in the dorm freshman year. While I didn't love the dorm very much, I would have been adrift had I lived off-campus immediately. I became fast friends with my roommates and other people on my floor, some of whom I have remained close with. Clubs aren't big, so meeting friends through other friends is mostly how I went about expanding my social circle. I was in Tisch's film program and in classes like that you tend to bond with the same people you're stuck doing creative projects with. I didn't end up going to parties much after sophomore year, but instead went to bars or concerts. If you want to go out to bars (and you will) you'll need a fake ID or, better yet, a real ID from somebody who looks like you. You can finds places to sell you a booze without an ID but it's really hard to find good places that'll let you in without one. I also opted out of the dorm system after Freshman year where signing guests in and out is a pain and people get busted for throwing parties. I was able to opt out of the stupid parts of college life--beer pong, kings, flip cup, etc. You can find that, but it's also easy to avoid. Pretty much everything is easy to avoid because there are always thousands of other people to meet and befriend. Nobody cares about sports, frats, or clubs for the most part. I've never been to a school play, though I have been to film events, and I've gotten discounted tickets to see Broadway musicals.

There is no sense of community at NYU. Most students keep to themselves or a small circle of friends.

The most popular group, I think, is the Korean singing group or whatever it is. They are very loud. I am involved with Circle K - we do community service. Students in dorms do not leave their doors open. Athletic events are not popular at all unless we are playing Columbia. I don't know about guest speakers. And theater is sort of popular. I don't know anything about the dating scene because I have a boyfriend from home. However so many of the guys here are gay that I can't imagine it's too great for the ladies. I met my closest friends through Circle K and dancing. If I'm up at 2am on Tuesday (almost like now) I am probably doing homework or talking to people on facebook. Traditions/events: the health fair and strawberry fest. People don't really party as much as just go to bars and clubs and stuff, and that's a lot. Frats aren't really a big thing here - I think 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of our population is involved. Last weekend I went rock climbing in Central Park, went dancing with some friends, did homework, wrote emails, went to see my boyfriend in the Bronx, worked at the dance studio where I work, and went out for drinks on Sunday night. There are a lot of things to do without drinking: Circle K events, Broadway shows, museums, movies, homework, clubs, anything. Off campus: I babysit, I work at a dance studio, and I tutor.

Lots of commuters and no real campus, so not an incredibly active NYU social community, although many thriving sub-communities exist within groups.

Clubbing, hookah, ice skating, concerts, etc. theres tons of stuff to do.

partying involves going out to bars or clubs or going to shows. rarely house parties. most freshman drink in the dorms, which kind of sucks.