NYU provides balance between academics and entertainment

As a business major at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University (NYU), Class of 2015 alumna Jennifer Kim lives in an environment filled with both entertainment and rigor.

Kim typically spends her day in finance and computer science classes. Living in perhaps the most vibrant city in the U.S., she often finds herself at events at the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center, a sightseeing attraction in New York, or at some of her favorite Italian restaurants like San Marzano.

On Fridays, when she doesn’t have class, Kim works at her internship at Neurensic, a financial technology startup that uses artificial intelligence to prevent market manipulation. On other days, she hangs out in her dorm room and binge-watches her favorite Netflix TV show, “House of Cards.”

Aside from academics, socializing is a crucial part of the college experience, Kim said. She advises incoming NYU students to “be willing to meet anyone and anything for at least the first semester and keep an open mind.”

Like most college freshmen, Kim initially struggled with  nurturing close relationships with her peers.

“Since NYU doesn't have a campus, it's hard to see people,” Kim said. “I had a good group of friends because of my major. [We] created a community, as we all had a class together last semester.”

Contrary to expectations, Kim said that NYU’s workload is relatively similar to that of SHS, but because there are so many activities, students sometimes forget about schoolwork.

“There are so many [extracurriculars] to get involved in, both on and off campus,” Kim said. “Depending on the day, I either go volunteer at the Mountaintop Program in Brooklyn that teaches high schoolers entrepreneurship, attend a Management Consulting Group Casing Bootcamp, have a lecture class or go to an event [hosted by] the school.”

Choosing to attend NYU has proven successful for Kim: The university’s location provides a great balance between quality education, entertainment and tight-knit communities.

Kim advises high school students applying to college to consider the bigger picture of university life.

“NYU wants people who can think on a global scale,” she said. “Think of what characteristics you would want to have in the future. Do things that will build you up to that person you want to be.”