Some NYUL Basics

If you’re currently sitting in your dorm back in New York contemplating or anticipating studying in London, read on for some helpful information! 

Living 

I live in Nido by King’s Cross station. You might have heard about the long and horrible walk to class. But, buses exist and in my short experience here thus far, it takes around 15 minutes if you’re willing to pay for the ride. The building is modern. The ceilings are high. If you’re in a single room, the kitchenette doesn’t include an oven. On the whole, it’s comfortable and convenient. 

Classes 

I’m currently taking Competitive Advantage from Operations, Politics of Human Rights, Abnormal Psychology, and London’s Global Connections. You’re allowed to do a bit of shopping around for courses here which is nice. For the first week you can try out different classes without enrolling in them so you have a better idea of what you want to drop/add by the deadline. 

The academic admin team will tell you to not book any flights before the first week of classes because make-up days and field trips occur on Fridays. Of course, despite their advice, I decided to book a trip to Verona, Italy for my first long weekend (Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening). What are the chances right? Two days ago, I received an email informing me of a class trip to Greenwich with Seeing London’s Architecture. So, I ended up dropping this sought-after course for my non-refundable ticket. But it’s okay. Now I’m taking Abnormal Psychology instead, which is just as interesting and applicable, if not more. I’m looking forward to professionally psychoanalyzing everyone I meet soon. 

The professors’ bios are all pretty impressive. They’re outsourced from various schools around Bloomsbury to teach for a few hours a week at NYU in London. 

Class sizes are small, ranging from 7 to 30 students in the classes I tried this week. 

Extracurriculars

The selection of clubs and student organizations at the University of London Union is pretty limited and volunteering opportunities presented at the fair have also been insubstantial. SHINE is a popular volunteer program where students get to work with kids in schools around London. Unfortunately, this semester, they were only taking 30 students and by the time I got to the Volunteer Fair 15 minutes after it began, the spaces were filled. 

Other opportunities included cheering for runners at various marathons organized for various causes - all probably great fun with friends but I was expecting some other longer term consistent volunteer position openings at the fair.