A Little In-Depth Interview
Hearing that today's topic is New York University, Yuzu hurriedly found Eric, one of the founders of CheersYou（清柚教育）, and pulled him into a short interview. Before introducing the school, let's first talk about NYU in his eyes.
Q1: Where do you usually hang out besides classes?
Eric: NYU has a park called Washington Square. When the weather is warm, I sometimes go there to drink coffee, read a book, or eat something. I also go to the Bobst Library, especially during finals week. The library atmosphere is intense; some classmates bring tents to pull all-nighters. Even at three or four in the morning, all seats are taken. It feels nice to review and discuss together. As for study rooms, I prefer finding an empty classroom to study alone. During my time at NYU, apart from exams, studying, and job hunting, I rarely had time to quietly read and sip coffee, because the pace of life and study in New York is very fast. If you slow down, you'll fall far behind others.
Q2: Where do you usually eat?
Eric: There isn't one fixed place; there are many restaurants with various cuisines. I often go for Japanese food like Gyu-Kaku BBQ for gatherings, and Ippudo ramen is also good. Brooklyn has a Michelin restaurant week, but the food isn't that impressive.
Q3: What do you usually do for leisure activities?
Eric: Aside from sports, I spent almost all my time on my startup. Before starting the business, I was job hunting, polishing my resume, and meeting new people. In summer, I'd go to the beach with friends for a barbecue.
Q4: Have you noticed how students dress on campus?
Eric: It's very diverse and inclusive. In the business school, everyone is in suits and formal wear is common.
Q5: What is your most memorable thing about NYU?
Eric: The deepest impression is the color purple. The school is very inclusive; students of all nationalities get along well. However, the academic atmosphere isn't very strong. The school is like a small society. If you can navigate resources and connections here, you'll do fine in the wider world. It's like a classroom before stepping into society.
Q6: How is studying in the US different from studying in China?
Eric: At the graduate level, the purpose is very clear: everyone is aiming for a job. You can do whatever you want, as long as you put in the effort. It's rare not to see results. At least in the US, opportunities and feedback are more transparent and relatively equal, which is why many people want to come here.
Q7: What do you mainly study in your courses?
Eric: In Industrial Engineering, there's less lab work and more projects. For instance, you work with team members on project operations from start to finish, and then give a presentation on how the project was done. It leans more towards operations research and logistics data.
The courses are primarily software-based, using software for research papers and data analysis, so they're more practical. At NYU, except for some engineering and research directions, most programs are more application-focused. It's an applied school with a social nature, though it depends on the major.
Q8: Is the study load heavy?
Eric: It's okay. During finals week, I only got four or five hours of sleep. Usually, it's more relaxed. The coursework isn't overly heavy, so you can balance work and study.
Q9: What do you do at the admissions office?
Eric: I coordinate the admission statuses for all students. The admissions office is divided into admissions team, communications team, and registration team.
For admitted students, I am responsible for sending offers and emails through the system, reviewing scholarships, and communicating with the faculty in charge of scholarship approvals. Additionally, during the earlier admissions stage, I also handled the reception and arrangements for admissions officers, including booking hotels and organizing their itineraries.
Q10: Then share some tips with students—what little tricks can improve their chances?
Eric: First and foremost, apply as early as possible. Early application means you have a chance. For late applications, definitely don't wait until the deadline. Applying right on the deadline causes problems for the admissions office in terms of time management and normal workflow, because at the very end there are just too many people and they literally can't review them all or won't have time.
For example, when it gets extremely busy, they might just skip over an application if the GRE math score is insufficient. But before the pool fills up, they will still review. So apply early; late applications are easily cut off by a blanket rule.
From the admissions office perspective, you need to learn to communicate with the school. A lot of things are achieved by your own efforts, including sending emails to the school and following up. You have to fight for it—submitting the online application is not the end.
There's still a tough battle ahead. You prepare a lot of materials up front, and you need to keep at it afterwards. There could be mistakes like mismatched information or lost information. You have to be proactive about your own case. After submitting the application, actively follow up; don't just wait.
Q11: So what specifically should be done?
Eric: Send more emails to the school, and for any online events that the school sends back, participate as much as possible. First, it improves your English; second, you learn more about the school. There's no downside.
The admissions office runs these events with two goals: one, getting more people to choose the school; two, if you receive an email and never respond, we might assume you're not really interested.
So we hope for a response as soon as we send it out. We also look at how many events you register for and which program you're in. If you attend every event, we'll feel you really, really want to come to our school, and we'll pull you out of the waitlist.
Development History
New York University was founded in 1831 by a group of New Yorkers led by Albert Gallatin. The founders' goal was to establish a nonsectarian urban university open to all social classes—"of the city and in the city." This university was "a social investment and a direct response to the needs of New York's emerging commercial class," aimed at students "devoted to the pursuit of science and the arts" as well as those preparing for "learned professions, commerce, or the manual and practical arts."
NYU soon established effective schools of law and medicine, followed by the Graduate School of Arts and Science in 1886. Until the substantial expansion began in the first decades of the 20th century, NYU's undergraduate enrollment remained small. In the 20th century, in particular, NYU became an engine of social mobility for working- and middle-class students.
NYU has now become the largest private nonprofit higher education institution in the United States, ranked 30th by U.S. News. It consistently ranks highly in various university rankings, with Times Higher Education, U.S. News & World Report, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities all listing NYU among the top 30 universities globally.
Academics
NYU currently consists of 19 schools and institutes, many of which are top-ranked in the U.S., such as the School of Law, Stern School of Business, School of Medicine, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Tandon School of Engineering, etc.
Below, I'll highlight the famous Stern School of Business, College of Arts and Science, and School of Law.
1. Stern School of Business
NYU's Stern School of Business is the crown jewel. If you plan a career in finance or business, Stern is an excellent choice.
The faculty is outstanding; Nobel laureate in Economics Robert Engle is a professor of finance at Stern. Regarding curriculum, Stern students can choose a concentration from fields like accounting, economics, finance, information systems, management, marketing, statistics, and operations research.
Stern tends to favor students with international backgrounds or U.S. high school experience. Having business competition experience or awards in various contests is a plus. Stern also has higher requirements for standardized test scores and GPA compared to other schools.
2. College of Arts and Science
NYU's College of Arts and Science is the oldest and currently the largest school, offering the most fundamental majors. It admits about 120 Chinese students each year.
This school likes students with diverse activities and broad interests, so don't portray yourself as a nerdy introvert in your essays. Admissions officers like people who are global and social, and they appreciate cultural difference. For example, you can mention traveling to other countries, comparing your culture with others, and sharing your insights.
Rumor has it that if you're notified for an interview during the application, you have a high chance of being admitted.
3. School of Law
The law school's ranking needs no introduction; its faculty is extremely strong. The JD is the flagship program. The LLM has nine specializations: Taxation, International Taxation, Corporate Law, International Law, Comparative Law, Trade Regulation, Labor Law, Public Interest Law, and General Studies. The JSD, as an advanced law degree, is more academically oriented.
Studying law at NYU offers abundant resources and access to many big names in the legal field. Also, as everyone knows, NYU's alumni network is vast; any panel might have NYU alumni, which is incredibly important in the legal circle.
Campus Life
1. Location
Situated around Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, NYU is one of the global hubs for art exchange. The NYU campus stretches from the Tandon School of Engineering at the top of Brooklyn, across the Brooklyn Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, all the way to Union Square in lower-mid Manhattan. You can tell by the violet and white flags with the bobcat mascot.
Washington Square and Greenwich Village were once home to famous writers and poets like Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe, and the surrounding cultural scenery was vividly depicted in their works. Around 12,500 NYU professors and students are housed in 21 residence halls near the square, and students can take university buses to campus.
2. Daily Life
Everything about daily life at NYU—food, clothing, housing, transportation—is extremely convenient. Its prime location gives it excellent subway access. With delicious food and a happy mood, the "Freshman 15" (gaining 15 pounds freshman year) is easy. If you're willing to spend, you can enjoy every convenience.
For eating, off-campus options are more affordable, more diverse, and cater more to Chinese tastes. Although NYU dining halls are okay, most students still choose to eat off campus.
NYU is relatively safe. On one hand, the school is near commercial areas, not as close to Queens as Columbia, and on the other, there are always lots of people; even at midnight on weekends, the streets are crowded.
Dormitory issues are minor. Dorm prices are higher than at other schools, but the environment is good. Most dorms are close to campus, convenient, and have AC/heating. Generally, you can stay during winter break, but you must move out the day dorms close for summer to make room for summer session students. Living off campus avoids that problem.
3. Where to Hang Out?
NYU has a Welcoming Week with parties on the rooftop of the Kimmel Center, virtual gambling, a Manhattan island cruise, and other entertainment that amazes many freshmen. A few blocks away is Soho, and in your free time you can hit Chinatown for a taste of home. I'm sure you've heard plenty about NYU parties. As soon as freshmen arrive, they can learn about and sign up for the Moonlight Cruise (a boat event on the Hudson River) and all kinds of other activities. Even if you skip official or unofficial school events, there are bars and clubs right next to academic buildings and dorms.
4. Tuition Is Really Expensive
NYU is really expensive!!! Tuition alone is $60,000 per year. So you can imagine, most NYU students come from fairly wealthy families. And living in New York, even daily food expenses can be hard for many to accept.
But price and value go hand in hand. NYU is also loaded! So most students feel it's worth it. Don't believe it? Check out a chair in the NYU library—it's $899 on Amazon... so comfy you never want to get up! And the gym has a pool, indoor basketball/tennis courts, full equipment, and even a sauna. There are also many free fitness classes like yoga!
