What to anticipate if you’re anticipating: NYU Welcome version

Within the days following the chaos and pleasure of your dorm move-in, you’ll get to expertise NYU’s model of pupil orientation — NYU Welcome. From Aug. 26 to Sept. 15, you’ll have the chance to participate in actions, occasions, bonding experiences and extra together with your fellow incoming college students. It will likely be your official introduction to NYU and its neighborhood earlier than courses start.

From themed gatherings to events, NYU Welcome can definitely be enjoyable, but additionally jam-packed and overwhelming at instances. It may be laborious to know easy methods to benefit from the college welcome festivities, so right here’s a information for a number of the highlights you’ll expertise and navigating your first encounter with NYU’s social scene.

Marquee Occasions

Every single day of NYU Welcome consists of a number of small occasions comparable to themed hangouts for folks with totally different pursuits and excursions meant to acclimate college students to campus. The top of every day, nevertheless, has some kind of a big marquee occasion for the entire college. These occasions are supposed to deliver collectively your entire incoming class, and are an effective way to get an thought of the tradition round campus. They’re additionally key locations to go to together with your roommates or to make new buddies, as a result of the activity-filled hours assist keep away from awkward silences. 

Whereas this yr’s itinerary has but to be introduced, a few of final yr’s highlights included the Presidential Welcome and Actuality Present — which was required for all first-years — in addition to drag bingo, a disco ball, a movie pageant, a Bob Ross paint evening and a comedy present. These occasions had been all comparatively properly organized final yr, and NYU did a fairly good job of selecting actions that weren’t corny, however had been nonetheless applicable. Our private favourite was the movie pageant, which featured quick movies by incoming Tisch College of the Arts college students and was a testomony to simply how gifted they’re. Drag bingo and the paint evening had been additionally big hits, and possibly more likely to return, though I’d advocate displaying up early as they replenish shortly.

Presidential Welcome & The Actuality Present

The Presidential Welcome & Actuality Present is a quintessential NYU Welcome expertise, and one of many extra distinctive components of the week. Sure, you’re going to get misplaced in your manner there. Sure, NYU does have a completely choreographed musical about life on campus. Sure, there’s a music a couple of homosexual celebration. Tacky because it sounds, the present is without doubt one of the solely instances you’ll get to be together with your complete class earlier than you graduate years from now, and the thrill all through the entire occasion is certainly palpable.

The Presidential Welcome begins off with an introduction to each faculty at NYU — even those everybody forgets about — and their deans, in addition to a speech from the college president. It then transitions to the Actuality Present, which might solely be described as an explosion of songs and skits concerning the many obstacles you’ll face as a brand new faculty pupil. It feels jarring at first, however you’ll truly be taught quite a bit about NYU’s id should you concentrate. One factor you’ll discover is that this college loves a manufacturing. Extra importantly, it is aware of lecturers, sexuality, psychological well being and each different facet of school will get overwhelming, and offers you the area and freedom to course of them. The present is value seeing, if just for the shared nostalgia of its psychedelic but endearing nature.

NYU App

All university-organized NYU Welcome actions are listed underneath a particular banner on the NYU Cellular app and are additionally positioned underneath the “occasions” part. The actions are organized by day, and shade coded by the sort of occasion they’re. It may be actually useful to take a look at them upfront, with the intention to plan what you wish to do for every day. The app may even daring any required cohort conferences and orientations which might be particular person to you, so that you don’t miss any of them amid the plethora of optionally available occasions happening. I personally advocate taking screenshots of all of the actions you’re eager about, in addition to their instances and places, in case of know-how glitches, or simply for higher entry to them.

The app additionally offers every pupil a novel NYU Have interaction Occasion Move, a QR code that must be scanned earlier than you enter any NYU Welcome exercise, or every other occasion organized by NYU Have interaction — the college’s platform for on campus organizations. It’s a good suggestion so as to add it to your cellphone’s pockets app, which is able to make the traces go quite a bit quicker for everybody.

Dorm Actions

If watching a drag present with 700 folks within the Skirball Heart for the Performing Arts isn’t your factor, however an “Avatar: The Final Airbender” themed hangout is a bit of too area of interest, I extremely advocate the completely satisfied center floor that dorm actions present.

Your dorm’s Residence Corridor Council, a gaggle of scholars in every dorm tasked with organizing programming year-round, will probably maintain some kind of mixer or occasion within the lounge, and there are much more causes to go than simply the free meals. For one, you’re far more more likely to keep in contact with a good friend that lives in your dorm constructing, and it’s nice to seek out an individual or two to stroll to courses and seize meals with. It’s additionally actually useful to have just a few buddies that reside in your constructing, in case of an emergency or in case your roommate wants the room to themselves one evening. 

College-Particular Actions

Throughout NYU Welcome, your college and main might host their very own actions and occasions, some necessary and others optionally available. NYU is an academically numerous college, so it could actually typically be laborious to seek out folks with related pursuits — particularly if yours is extra area of interest. These school-specific occasions are nice methods to fulfill folks eager about the identical topics you might be, and also you would possibly come throughout a few of your future classmates! You’ll additionally get to fulfill school and advisers, whereas spending extra time together with your friends studying about what your program has to supply.

Membership Fest

Membership Fest is usually a daunting expertise, with by no means ending rows of poster boards and overly keen upperclassmen selling their golf equipment to overly keen first-years making an attempt to determine the place to go. To ease the stress, NYU Have interaction has an inventory of golf equipment and organizations that you could evaluation earlier than heading over to really feel extra ready. I’d advocate writing down an inventory of those you wish to be taught extra about, after which depart a while to stroll down the isles and discover. NYU has an enormous vary of golf equipment — from the cheese membership to the quidditch group — you by no means know what would possibly catch your eye.

NYU Welcome Friendships

All through NYU Welcome, you’re going to fulfill so many individuals, change dozens of Instagram handles every day, and greater than possible lose monitor of who’s who. Oftentimes, the folks you meet throughout your first couple of weeks at NYU are usually not the folks you’ll find yourself taking group commencement images with. And that’s OK.

NYU Welcome is the proper time to experiment and discuss to totally different folks, providing you with an opportunity to see who you actually click on with. It’s additionally essential to remain social and spend time with folks. NYU and New York Metropolis could make you’re feeling alone, particularly if you first arrive, so attain out to the strangers you meet at occasions and ship them that DM to hang around, we promise they’re feeling the identical manner you might be.

Exploring the Metropolis

It’s tempting to spend your first day within the metropolis working between Occasions Sq., the Empire State Constructing, Central Park and The Excessive Line, particularly should you’ve by no means been. It’s simple to get caught up in the entire gimmicky experiences and touristy points of interest, but it surely’s a good suggestion to present your self just a few days to get used to campus earlier than you begin exploring. .

You don’t wish to spend all of your cash in your first few days right here after which really feel — emotionally and financially — burnt out. You also needs to maintain off on making an attempt each restaurant in Greenwich Village your first week. NYU holds a Restaurant Week occasion early within the semester with insane pupil reductions, and also you’ll really feel actually bummed out to be taught that you possibly can’ve gotten that fancy pizza for a fraction of the value.

In addition to, that is solely your first week. You could have loads of time within the metropolis forward of you. NYU Welcome experiences received’t be right here ceaselessly, however that Instagrammable cafe on the finish of the road will. Benefit from the free meals, leisure and alternatives to make buddies, and also you’ll ultimately have the ability to gauge what’s and isn’t value spending money and time on in New York.

There are an amazing variety of issues to do within the metropolis, however bear in mind that you’ve got 4 complete years to benefit from it.

Contact Manasa Gudavalli and Naisha Roy at [email protected].