Is NYU for You?

And my wait is finally over! My AP scores at last have arrived. I’m quite content with my scores, I at least passed both my AP tests without studying much the prior week.

My day began at 8:20 AM when I awoke for a shower and change of clothes. But as usual, my suite mate beat me to the bathroom and I had to wait for a few minutes. Once I finished, I headed down to meet with the others to leave via subway for New York University. But plans don’t always go as scheduled and we arrived a few minutes late to our information session and were pushed back to the next one.

What really interested my about NYU was the study abroad opportunities they provided; NYU even has three branches in New York, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi. The information session was very helpful in my opinion. I learned about the NYU application process, internships, and costs and financial aid. The aspect of NYU that won me over was the open campus; I liked the idea of it being integrated with the city but it wasn’t as scattered as people described it as. My tour advisor, Pheebe, not only gave us a tour of the campus but supplied us with tips on her experiences from being at NYU. From her study abroad opportunity at Argentina to her all-nighters in the library, which she doesn’t recommend, her enthusiastic talk of NYU got me excited. The NYU staff also encouraged students on thinking about applying to the university in general; the uniqueness of having one's campus as a city is not for everyone and the staff wants one to apply knowing NYU would be a fit for oneself.

Victim Names of the 9/11 Attack

Tribute to the FDNY

Once the tour ended, we then headed to Ground Zero Memorial. But we of course ate a nice lunch of pizza and philly cheese steaks before. As we passed through the security checks to the memorial, Ms. L’s words of wisdom hit me. She spoke of how impacting the 9/11 attack was for the nation. She reminded us that without the attack, we wouldn’t have as much security measures in airports and such. We passed by construction sites for the new Freedom Building that showcased the various workers from around the world; from San Jose to Montreal, 9/11 only struck America but the whole world in one form or another. Walking through the memorial and seeing the names of the people who lost their lives left unsettling feelings within me. The name of a mother and her unborn child was probably what hit me that most; that so many innocent lives were lost on this horrendous day and the whole nation could only watch in silence from various parts of the country in horror. 

Street Performers at the Park

 

Singing Preacher on the Subway

Before we headed back, we decided to watch a group in the park nearby. A group of five or so men were dancing and doing tricks, such as jumping over people. What really drew in the crowd was the humor the group displayed. They cracked a few jokes and made the atmosphere and show much more enjoyable. Also on the subway, we experienced a preaching singer on God. He sang about the enlightenment he gained from following God after a rough life. What really surprised most people was that he sang and preached for non-profit; every time someone would offer him money he would decline.

Columbia Cohort and Vassar Alumni

After seeing the eye catching performances in the park and subway, we headed back to our temporary respective homes to get ready for our dinner with Vassar alumni. Second times the charm I guess but we arrived on time with Ms. L and the alumni at Oceana. Vassar alumnus Ken majored in political science and works at NBC while Alexandria majored in psychology and economics and works in the business department for Food Network. The great aspect about Vassar is the internships they offer their students; it was through the internships that Ken and Alexandria found their jobs today. We also talked about Vassar being only an undergraduate school; therefore undergraduates get the most attention unlike most colleges in Alexandria’s opinion.

When dinner ended, we all went our separate ways and headed back to the dorms. Only six more days here in the Big Apple and a lot more of my research paper to go.