freshman dorms??

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
21

<p>Founders holds 700 freshmen. </p>

<p>Living in Founders/3N WILL NOT seclude you, so don’t worry about that (unless you’re the type of person that remains in his room all day except for classes, then it might). Like I said before, I have plenty friends in each of the frosh dorms and I hang out in each of them from time to time. I was just hanging out in Brittany a couple hours ago, and Weinstein yesterday. I’m a very open person and love meeting new people, so gaining friends that live all over was no big challenge for me.</p>

<p>This all sounds like it boils down to the whole “NYU has no sense of community” thing, which some people say is because of how spread out the dorms are. You have to go out and find it. It’s definitely here. Just not in the form as you may find at other schools. I feel like I’ve found my niche(s), and I’m very happy here. :slight_smile:
I have my down days, of course. But you can’t be happy all the time, you know?</p>

<p>Yeah, if you aren’t a morning person (I’m not) but plan on taking 8am classes, living in Founders/3N could be a curse. I, on the other hand, don’t have class until 12:30om or 2pm on most days of the week. My Friday mornings suck, however. I have an 8am and then a 9:30am that never seem to make it to on time because I never wake up on time.</p>

22

<p>Do a lot of second year students move off campus? Or do most tend to still live on campus?</p>

23

<p>I cannot say for sure, but it appears to me as of right now that most of the current freshmen do plan to live on campus for at least another year after this one. I think generally those that do move off-campus do so as a junior or senior. Even then, there are also plenty that stay in NYU housing.</p>

24

<p>Many sophomores don’t move off until junior year. Recently (just a few years back), they changed the housing policy to favor sophomores most heavily in the lottery system, so now sophomores get the first crack at the most popular dorms like Gramercy and Palladium. A lot of kids want to enjoy that benefit, so they won’t move off until junior year. It also makes sense that way when you consider how many people study abroad sophomore spring. Something like 60% or some other obscenely high percentage of kids who study abroad do it that semester.</p>

<p>I knew lots of kids who didn’t stay ‘on-campus’ after freshman year though. Most were those staying over that first summer between years and wanted to take a year-long May-May lease that covered them from finals one year to the next, which I thought was smart. That, or they were kids who were getting a degree in an industry where interning in the city over the summer was basically mandatory. I air-quote ‘on-campus’ just to signify university housing status, not location. Two of my friends moved from 3N to the gigantic apartment complex on 8th and Broadway, a place literally twice as close to NYU as 3N. Some others moved to places within the Village (Bleecker and MacDougal etc.). I know a few who grew up within the city chose to try commuting from home (Queens, Brooklyn), but none of them enjoy that or plan to do it next year.</p>

25

<p>When is it cheaper to live off campus? How much must the apartment be to be cheaper than on campus?</p>

26

<p>i heard the drug rate was high at NYU… like it has the biggest “drug culture” / more “drug users” than most other schools in the US.
i know there will be drugs wherever i go in but is NYU really that bad?
im hearing things like “every night you will smell pot” or something like that and some people say that its hard to fall asleep because the smell of people smoking is so strong.
is that really true? i dont really care about alcohol but i CANNOT stand the smell of people smoking anything. if this is a problem for me, is it going to be a problem to dorm in founders or 3n? should i look for substance free dorming and will substance free keep me from smelling smoke?</p>

27

<p>I would not worry about it that much. The drug culture is VERY avoidable here. I was worried about that before I got here too. I don’t do drugs, and I don’t hang out with people when they do them, if they do at all. I do have some friends that do minor drugs like pot, but they respect that fact that I’m not into that.
Yes, you might have a a few minor incidents if you have a suitemate who smokes pot or something, but just handle it calmly and mature. Talk to them. Most people are understanding about that kind of stuff. If they are uncooperative, then go to higher authority (RA, RDHD, etc.). </p>

<p>I considered a CHOICES floor at first, but then I decided not to go with that because I hear that it is usually filled with people who are like gung-ho and kind of anal about things. While I don’t drink presently, I don’t want to be judged by everyone on my floor if I feel adventurous one night and decide to.</p>

<p>In general though, you are going to smell smoke at some point because smokers congregate outside the dorms and buildings and people smoke all over the city. Hold your breath when you walk by them if you need to. If this is still a problem, you’re not really going to avoid it no matter where you live. BUT the a dorm like Weinstein would not a good idea. The step there always smell like cig smoke because people are always smoking out there.</p>

28

<p>Drugs are a huge part of any college scene, unfortunately. NYU is no different. The only noticeable difference is that since you’re in Manhattan, people who don’t even go to the school/the general public will smoke anything anywhere. Just tonight I came into my building from an afternoon of shopping and errands and there were four randoms in front of my building in Soho hitting a bong.</p>

<p>Some of my suitemates smoke. One of them is really clever and managed to figure out how to reverse the AC unit so it extracts air rather than blowing it in, so the smell is hardly noticeable. And, sad to say, I’m kind of anal about that sort of thing in my room, but they’re good enough about it that it doesn’t bother me much. Another one of the kids who got randomly put in our suite is a complete cokehead. Complete. Cokehead. Hits the nose candy like its his job and he finna be employee of the month. Absurd.</p>

<p>I think that altogether it isn’t hard to make good choices for yourself and not allow yourself to be affected by other people’s poorer decisions.</p>

<p>As for the cost comparison of on-campus vs. off-campus, that’s the most open-ended question in the world. In the 10-minute walk between the farthest freshman dorm and the center of campus you probably pass about 5,000 people’s homes, and they range from tiny hole-in-the-wall rent-controlled units at $300 to gorgeous, floor-to-ceiling windowed, private balcony, full kitchen and bath, hardwood-floored multi-room units for $7,000 a month. You can get whatever you want and split it with whoever you want.</p>

29

<p>Living in 3N/Founders will not exclude you from the other freshman at all! Hardly any of my friends live in my dorm and most of them actually live in Hayden. It’s really not that far and if you’re super lazy or the weather is bad, there is the NYU bus that will take you to 3rd & 14th.</p>

30

<p>Well what is the most expensive an off-campus apartment can be and still be cheaper than living in campus? I need to know!</p>

31

<p>TheJuanSoto,</p>

<p>Your question is rather hard to answer because there are so many factors to be considered. However, I will attempt to take a shot at addressing some points for you to consider in comparing cost of on campus vs. off campus housing.</p>

<p>1) You should be aware of the different cost for the various dorms and type of room in the dorms (single, double, triple). Here is the link for 2010-2011 if you have not seen the NYU housing fees list yet.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/resLifeHousServ/documents/2010_2011UHousingrates.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/resLifeHousServ/documents/2010_2011UHousingrates.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>2) So would you be staying at a low cost triple at Rubin say for around $6700/ academic year or would you live in a single room at around $14,000/ academic year (approximately 8 1/2 to 9 months)?</p>

<p>3) Then one would have to know if you are planning to live off campus by yourself (usually not the case because it is definitely more economical to split rent with one or more persons, given how high the rent is in NYC, especially Manhattan). Assuming you will rent an apartment with other(s), how many others?</p>

<p>4) The next question is where would you live? Do you have to live near NYU, where off-campus housing tends to be some of the highest in NYC. Or are you willing to look into farther out areas, like Brooklyn (Williamsburg seems to be a popular destination for the young and it is a few subway stops from Manhattan).</p>

<p>5) Another factor is how hard you are willing to research and hunt for apartments. Some people have recommended looking into Craigslist as a preferable option to the off campus housing leads provided by NYU. But maybe not, perhaps the NYU Housing Referral office can be of assistance and your timing may be good for available listings.</p>

<p>6) If you plan to stay in NYC for the summer to work or do an internship, living off campus can be more economical because your lease will be for 12 months instead of 8-9 months (academic calendar). But again this depends on what you can find and what you would have chosen if you decided to stay in campus housing.</p>

<p>7) As an example, some people have reported getting off campus housing to share for say $2200 (this is an very good price in the NYU area and may depend on luck, contacts, walking around neighborhoods for availability, a break with Craigslist listings, etc.) to $3000+/ month rent for maybe 3 people. So say, you get an apartment for three people for $3000 a month. That works out to be $1000/ month per person or $12,000 a year per person. This would compare favorably with say a double in a dorm like Founders which charges $13,000+ for 8-9 months of housing. And the off campus pricing gets even more attractive if you are able to find an off campus apartment that can accommodate 4 or more people with only “slight” increase, relatively speaking, in the price of the rent. Say a $3600/ month loft that can sleep 4 people with a living area.</p>

<p>8) Also, keep in mind that if you only intend to stay in NYC for the academic year, most off-campus housing require a one year lease. So you may be paying for more months than you need, though you have the option of looking for someone to sublet your space for the summer (this of course, is more hassle, but may save you $ in the end). </p>

<p>So, as you can tell, your question is a very complex one to respond to without knowing more of the specifics and finding out what is available on the market for how many people.</p>

32

<p>The post above is exceptionally informative, and I second it completely.</p>

<p>From the perspective of a student, it’s becoming unbearable to fork over $10-12,000 to the school for housing that is less convenient, more restrictive, and more expensive than my <em>own</em> place in a similar neighborhood would be. Depending on the offers I get for the summer, I may sign a May-May lease with a friend and get housing for work during the summer as well as junior year. I’m really tempted. It’s great to have housing and have the school take care of all the maintenance and the upkeep and stuff, but it’s really obnoxious to abide by their regulations: no candles (really? I can’t use Glade Cinnamon Apple to mask the pot smell from the bedroom nextdoor?), no guests can stay more than three days consecutively, no more than three guests at a time, yada yada.</p>

33

<p>Hi everyone- I’m hearing some things on this thread that are changing my original list of favorite dorms. Is it true that U-Hall is no longer freshman (I was just starting to love it, too!)? And 3N is a party dorm? I’m basically just looking for a dorm that will have little to no partying or drugs, a/c, and preferably apartment style. I’m applying Tisch Film, so proximity to class is nice but not a big deal, I like walking. Any suggestions?</p>

34

<p>megakel, </p>

<p>If by apartment style you mean university housing for freshmen that include a common area and a kitchen, then I am fairly certain the only option is 3N. Unless for whatever reason you get placed in with upperclassmen, which is is likely a rare situation. The only thing is I recall is there was shortage of housing for freshmen (I think) at some point and some got placed in with upperclassmen. This definitely happened for some transfer students.</p>

<p>So the chances are you will only have 3N as an an option for “apartment style” freshmen housing. By the way, while 3N is known to be a social dorm (understandably given the common areas to share with friends), the dorm is so big, there are all types of students there. I hear you can be as social or as isolated/ quiet as you want to be. Most likely depends on you and your immediate roommates/ suite mates.</p>

35

<p>Evolving,
Thank you for the reply! I was loving 3N up until a few days ago because I heard it is more of a party dorm…but weighing the other options, I still think it is my first choice. Thanks for the advice :)</p>

36

<p>If I get in (knock on wood) is there a day to go where I can see the freshman dorms again to pick which I want?</p>

37

<p>megakel,</p>

<p>You’re very welcome. My son lives in Founders but he actually visits 3N often because some of his best friends live there. He enjoys socializing there. He is very much into music, board games, and just “clean” fun. No drugs or alcohol. He mentioned though the dining hall is not good there, so perhaps you can choose the minimum meal plan required and do other cooking for yourself with the available kitchen. However, very close to 3N is the much better dining option in Palladium, so it is not too bad. My son loves having some separation from the Washington Square area; it makes him feel like he is not in school all the time.</p>

<p>Kelryry,</p>

<p>I do not remember NYU providing the opportunity officially to see the dorms. It was not available to my son until he chose to stay in Goddard for the MLK Scholar’s w/e. Also, he hooked up with a friend from his H.S. one year ahead of him and saw Founders before the August Welcome Week.</p>

<p>It is best if you can find someone who lives in the dorms you are interested in to allow you to see the dorm rooms and other areas in the residence halls. Though you should definitely check with an Admissions office counselor to see if Admissions can help with arrrangements. My son had enough options not to have to turn officially to the Admissions office. PM me if you get in and want a tour of Founders. I will see if my son can set some time aside to at least show you Founders (and maybe the nearby RHs of 3N and Palladium). I know this is an anxious time for you. GL! Wish you the Best!</p>

38

<p>Evolving,
You said that your son chose Goddard for the MLK Scholar’s w/e, but that he ended up living in Founders. I personally have done a lot of research on the freshmen residence halls and have chosen Goddard as my top pick for where I’d like to live if I get in. Although I love NYC and NYU, I know no one there and it will be a huge adjustment for me, and Goddard seems like it provides the most ways to build your own community. However, I know that you have to apply and be accepted to live there. I was just wondering if the change in your son’s plans was because his application to live there was rejected or dd he change his mind when he visited Founders in August and was able to change his living arrangements then?</p>

39

<p>hayley,</p>

<p>I really loved the idea of Goddard with the built in community and group residential life built into the themes and activities (also WTE classes right in the building and the general proximity of Goddard to the Silver building). My son loved Founders from the beginning. I think he actually saw Founders first before he stayed at Goddard. Staying at Goddard was a concession to me to try out the place so he could compare and contrast the two. </p>

<p>He found he still liked Founders more because of the new and spacious rooms. He did not feel he needed to be in a close-knit community within the dorm, so he opted for Founders as his first choice RH (and obviously got it). He is now on a high floor at Founders with a view of southern Manhattan, probably not as impressive as the northern view, but he still loves looking out into Manhattan every day. Moreover, with his musical equipment, the Founders room looks crowded. So I cannot imagine what it would have been like if he had gotten a smaller room in another dorm. So, in hindsight, he chose best for himself and his needs (“sonny knows best” :slight_smile: ).</p>

40

<p>Evolving, can you give me a little description of the dorm rooms and stuff?
I went on the tour so long ago I can’t remember. :/</p>