Studying in New York
City
You’ve probably heard New
York City referred to as ‘the
Big Apple’, the place where
you can ‘do it your way’,
and ‘the city that never sleeps’.
Well, a recent education supplement
to the New York Times was headlined
‘New York City: The City Where
Education Never Stops’ - nothing
could be more true!
If you choose to study in New York,
you’ve made a great choice.
This capital of the world is itself
one huge university-without-walls.
Walk down almost any street, and you
may hear fifteen different languages
spoken. Sit at the counter in any
of the city’s thousands of coffee
shops and you’ll meet people
from all walks of life – the
woman eating a croissant beurre next
to you might be a constructional worker,
the man smearing his bagel with cream
cheese might be a medieval scholar,
and your waiter might be a performance
artist. If you decide on a Thursday
night that you want to go to the opera,
then listen to some live rap music,
and later dance to some Brazilian
samba, it’s all there for you.
Admire some of the world’s greatest
art seven days a week, join the thousands
of in-line skaters in Central Park
after class, chant with Tibetan monks
on weekends, go to the beach, watch
the sunset from 105 floors above the
ground - in New York City, ‘your
way’ can be almost any way.
Of course, let’s not forget
about the serious stuff. Studying
in New York is not all about running
down to Chinatown at four in the morning
for dumplings, or shopping until you
drop at Bloomingdale’s. New
York offers perhaps the widest and
most concentrated array of educational
opportunities that you’ll find
anywhere in the world. There are numerous
colleges and universities with undergraduate
and graduate programs in every field,
community or junior colleges, professional
institutes, and continuing education
programs. As elsewhere in the United
States, there are state and city public
schools, as well as private schools;
public schools are considerably less
expensive, but you may need to meet
certain residence requirements to
attend them.
Where and what you decide to study
in New York depends on your educational
needs and goals. With so many schools
to choose from, it’s a good
idea to speak to someone who has studied
in NYC to get some recommendations.
Another source of information is Peterson’s
guide to Four Year Colleges and ‘An
Overview of Graduate and Professional
Programs’. These huge books
give you information on every aspect
of study throughout the United States,
with understandably huge sections
on New York area schools. Ask at your
local library.
Naturally, many foreign students
need to improve their English before
entering college. Three of the best
programs in New York are the Hunter
College International English Language
Institute, located on Manhattan’s
fashionable upper East Side (www.hunter.cuny.edu/ieli),
New York University’s American
Language Institute in the trendy East
Village (www.sce.nyu/ali),
and Columbia University’s American
Language Program set in the literary
and artsy Upper West Side (www.columbia.edu/cu/ssp/alp).
You should also investigate English
studies at schools of special interest
for your future career, such as the
Fashion Institute of Technology, John
Jay College of Criminal Justice, Baruch
College (for business), or the School
of Visual Arts.
Just as studying in New York is not
all fun and games, it’s also
not all about academics. There are
various practical realities you’ll
need to deal with, including finding
a place to live, health-care, safety,
negotiating the subways, and general
‘culture shock’. New York
is certainly exciting, but it can
also be a tough place in which to
live. New Yorkers are generally very
helpful, but they also have a reputation
of being quite fast and – yes,
as a native New Yorker, I admit it
– sarcastic. This may take a
little getting used to at first. New
York is now considered one of the
safest cities in the US, but the adage
‘better safe than sorry’
is always good to bear in mind here.
Health care can be costly, and finding
a place to live may be difficult and
expensive. A studio apartment in Manhattan
may cost $800-1000 per month, and
even then you may look out onto a
brick wall. Most students choose to
live with roommates, or in some of
the other neighbourhoods outside of
Manhattan such as Astoria, Queens,
or Brooklyn. Again, it’s best
to speak with a friend or relative
who knows the city. You’ll also
find that at whatever school you choose
to attend, there will be helpful international
student advisors to walk you through
all the ins and outs of life and study
in the Big Apple.
While you’re at it, you might
want to check out the website: http://www.newyork.sidewalk.com
where you can find out everything
about current movies, restaurants,
events, arts and music, places to
go, and sports. You can even arrange
tickets to a Broadway show, ready
and waiting for you on that first
night in New York city - a night I’m
sure you’ll never forget.
Author
Don Linder
Assistant Director
IELI, Hunter College
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