Goddard Dorm?

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
1

<p>Can someone give me more information about this dorm? Personal experiences, reputation, etc. I like the idea of it but I'm kind of confused about the application and selectivity and basically what it's all about. I will be going to Tisch for drama next year. </p>

<p>I come from a pretty small school where we all know each other and have been friends forever. I am a pretty social person and I think I can get along with everyone. I'm just worried about this when I go to NYU next year since it's huge and I guess I'm more used to knowing and being friends with everybody since my childhood. I kind of liked the idea of Goddard because it seemed like I'd have a close knit community/family, kind of like what I'm used to. At the same time, I don't want to be shut out from the rest of the school because I'm in Goddard and isolated. I also heard that Goddard kids have a bad rep and come off as really weird.</p>

2

<p>I’m not saying that this is true, since stereotypes are broad generalizations and therefore can’t be taken too seriously, but Goddard kids do have a reputation for being a little socially awkward. My good friend was in Goddard in freshman year and hated it because it wasn’t a close-knit community at all. This is because people who do have trouble making friends tend to go for Goddard, and sticking a bunch of introverted and/or socially awkward people into one dorm doesn’t tend to create a close group of friends like it’s supposed to.</p>

<p>Of course, I’m sure other people’s experiences in Goddard are really different from my friend’s. Some people probably loved it. However, I would advise you to steer away from substance-free floors if you happened to be looking at those because those are actually the floors with the most substance abusers (from what I’ve heard from a former RA there, anyway).</p>

<p>I’m not going to say that applying is a bad idea, but I think you could probably find community at a normal dorm without having to do Goddard and all its requirements. Freshman RAs try to get the hall to become really close, and I’ve heard lots of stories of seniors still being best friends with their freshmen hallmates. Plus, there’s always Greek life. If you rush in the fall, you’re sure to meet lots of friends during the rushing process even if you don’t choose to pledge. Clubs are great for meeting people too, although those may have a less diverse group of people than Greek organizations. They also may be less close-knit because they only meet once a week whereas Greek life is more of a commitment than that.</p>

3

<p>So do you think it’s fairly easy to get to know people without being at a dorm like Goddard?</p>

4

<p>I live in Goddard right now and I’m going to counter what nyujunior said.</p>

<p>There is undoubtably a higher proportion of socially awkward people in Goddard, because that is just the nature of the dorm. This is not necesarily a bad thing, however, because most of these people are very friendly once you get to know them.</p>

<p>I, however, do not consider myself a socially awkward person, and I generally don’t have trouble making friends. I have found plenty of people who like to go out on the weekends and are generally all-around friendly and awesome people. </p>

<p>People often say that people in Goddard do not associate with people outside of the dorm, but that is untrue (especially if you’re in Stern or Tisch, though I’m not). I have friends in (almost) all of the NYU freshman dorms, and a few upperclassmen dorms through Welcome Week, classes, and extracurriculars. </p>

<p>That being said, I can honestly say that I have made my best friends at NYU through Goddard, and living in a community-oriented dorm helped immensely during the transition phase. </p>

<p>The requirements are minimal and generally fun (like going to watch a movie, getting free pizza, etc.) However, if you are not interested in going to Broome for your Sophomore year, it is not absolutely necessary. </p>

<p>Greek Life is also not a bad idea, though I plan on rushing next semester as well. </p>

<p>Sorry for the wall of text, but I wanted to dispel any misconceptions that people often have about Goddard. Feel free to ask any other questions that you may have.</p>

5

<p>thanks guys! it’s good to see two different views on it.
@zackattack341 do you find the community service to be really inconvenient when you have a ton of work to do? are there a lot of tischies? i am also considering founders, are there huge differences in the social life and making friends between these two dorms?
thanks for your wall of text, and i hope you don’t mind my many questions!!!</p>