My daughter really wants to go to Parsons and the only concern I have is what I’ve read about the lack of a social scene. This seems to be true of most urban campuses but I am wondering if it is any better or worse at Parsons. Can anyone lend some insight?
Are you from NYC or the environs?
She will be in NYC, which pretty much has the best and the worst of everything. I’d give the same advice to a kid contemplating NYU or Parsons or Columbia or any other NYC college. How much do you like NYC? If these answer is anything other than “a whole lot” then likely the school is not for them.
I agree with you about the city. Yes I love NYC but my question is not about whether or not she will enjoy the city, it’s more about whether or not students at these urban campuses, Parsons in particular, have a hard time forming a social life. On an enclosed campus there is simply more or an opportunity to socialize as everyone is “confined” in the same location. Wherever you go on an enclosed campus you’re with other students. Not so for urban campuses, seems to me it’s much harder to meet other students who are not in your class or dorm. I am asking if my theory is correct.
I went to college in Manhattan (Hunter) and while my college didn’t have a traditional campus, I had an active social life. For me, the key to building a social life was to participate in campus activities and groups and spend time on campus (even just hanging out in the lounge) outside of classes. The amazing benefit of attending college in Manhattan, is that NYC really is your campus. I made a handful of good friends at school and then we spent time together taking advantage of everything NYC has to offers-museums, theater, live music, art, exploring different neighborhoods etc. If I had been confined to a campus, I don’t think I would have had such a rich experience. Another added benefit was that it was easy to spend time on my own because everything was so accessible. I spent lots of wonderful hours exploring and developing my own interests, and that was another way to meet people outside of the student community.
Depends what kind of a social scene you’re talking about. It would be very different from a traditional campus life, but yes, people make friends with each other and spend time together.