Location

Depending on your field of study and your personal interests, location can make an enormous difference in the kind of education you receive and the intellectual space you (and your ideas and dreams) will occupy when you graduate.

A rural setting with a traditional campus with a grassy quad can be peaceful, and these schools tend to offer lots of personal attention. But a lot of students would be bored to tears in a small college town. Urban settings offer exciting opportunities, work experiences, and extensive city resources. But not everyone is suited for city life. If these choices seem like apples and oranges, be aware that there are schools (like NYU) that offer both extensive urban resources and devotion to the education of each individual, too.

The Washington Square Campus

NYU's campus in New York City—located at Washington Square in Greenwich Village—is perhaps the one campus in America that could not be mistaken for any other. Simply put, it would be impossible to envision NYU without New York City. There are no walls separating our campus from the community. Being here means embracing one of the world's most vibrant cities as an essential element of academic life. 

The Washington Square Arch, NYU's (adopted) monument, marks the start of Fifth Avenue just at the top of our (adopted) park. Washington Square Park is not really NYU’s property—it’s a city park, which means it has baby swings and folks playing chess and a dog run. It just happens to be surrounded by NYU buildings, so NYU students consider it to be the center of their campus.

Greenwich Village—one of the city's most creative and energetic communities—is a historic neighborhood that has attracted generations of writers, musicians, artists, and intellectuals. The old and the new —coffeehouses and art galleries existing side-by-side with boutiques and avant-garde theatres—give the Village its character. The clubs, shops, and restaurants that line the crooked streets are reminders of the bohemian history of the neighborhood. North of Washington Square are the boutiques, picnic and performing areas, and stylish cafes of Union Square, home of the city's largest and most popular greenmarket. NYU residence halls in the area make Union Square another city park that is well traveled by NYU students.

The City as a Classroom

There may not be much of an official "quad," but the opportunities for learning at NYU are virtually limitless. New York is a world center for business, law, publishing, international affairs, sports and the arts. Being in New York City will impact you intellectually both in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, for example, film students are taught by feature film directors; business students learn from professors who advise top Wall Street firms; journalism students gain professional insight from professors with publishing credentials at top newspapers and magazines; and social work students are taught by professionals who have established themselves in one of the field's toughest arenas.

Outside of the classroom, many professors make use of the city through class assignments that send students to see shows, go to museums, or visit professional environments. Additionally, extracurricular activities such as community service opportunities get students out into the neighboring communities where they volunteer their time, particularly helping children in need through tutoring and after school programs.

Internships and Jobs

At NYU, over 80 percent of undergraduates hold part-time jobs and internships—on average, three or more over the course of their four years here. Being here means the chance to…

• Work part time on Wall Street.
• Attend a conference at the United Nations.
• Make rounds with a doctor at a world-renowned hospital.
• Audition for a Broadway production.
• Intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Associated Press, the NBA, or in television at NBC or VH-1… You name a field, and it’s probably here!

Students find ways to find the kinds of professional experiences that expand and apply their knowledge. NYU's Wasserman Center for Career Development will help them translate that experience into a satisfying careers after they graduate.