Going to college in New York City is not just an academic experience. It’s a full-body, sensory, financial, and emotional sport. If you haven’t cried on a sidewalk, eaten pizza bigger than your head at 2 a.m., and contemplated your existence while a rat makes direct eye contact with you, are you even a New York college student???
The Pros:
The Energy Is Insane
You step outside and immediately feel like the main character. Just on your 10-minute walk to class, you see a saxophone player performing like it’s Madison Square Garden, a protest happening three blocks away, and a Parsons student wearing something you could never explain to your parents.
There is always something happening. Always. You cannot be bored. Overstimulated? Yes. But bored? NEVER.
Public Transportation = Independence
You don’t need a car. You just need a MetroCard and emotional resilience. The subway will take you anywhere. Brooklyn rooftop? Done. Queens thrift store? Done. Random situationship’s apartment at 11:47 p.m.? Done. It’s chaotic, but hey, it’s freedom…
The Pizza Is Bigger Than Your Problems
The slices are huge. Like, physically overwhelming. You walk in thinking you’ll have “a quick snack,” and suddenly you’re holding a triangle the size of your laptop. Best part? It’s one of the cheapest options in the country.
Cheap eats are everywhere:
• $1.50 pizza slices
• $3 bagels the size of a newborn
• Bodega chopped cheese at 1 a.m.
• Halal carts under $10
In NYC, affordable food is trendy ;)
Living in “Maldanis New York”
You are surrounded by artists, activists, cinephiles, fashionistas, theater kids, and finance bros (unfortunately). It’s diverse. It’s loud. It’s politically engaged. It’s creative. You feel like you’re in the center of everything, and you really are. You will overhear conversations going from carbon emissions to experimental cinema to Taylor Swift to the state of the government to someone’s ex in four minutes.
The Cons:
The Smells
New York has layers, and its smells do too. In the span of twenty seconds you can smell fresh bagels, garbage, a man’s aggressive cologne, dog pee, cigarettes, and a whiff of something that can only be described as “subway humidity.” Your nose builds character here.
February Winter
February in NYC is not cute. No Christmas magic, that fun is over. Now the wind is horizontal, the sidewalks have turned into ice rinks, and your nose just doesn’t stop running. If you haven’t slipped on black ice while holding an iced coffee for life because “it’s still iced coffee season,” are you even trying?
The Cost of Literally Everything
The Rent? Criminal. Coffee? $6. Laundry? WAR. You will Venmo your roommates constantly, split groceries with military precision and learn the difference between “want” and “need.”Budgeting is your minor.
Crying in Public Is Normal
If you haven’t cried in the subway station, Washington Square Park, outside your building, or on the phone with your mom while walking down Broadway, you are still in your rookie season. New York will humble you. Academically. Emotionally. Romantically. But here’s the thing: no one looks at you weirdly. We’ve all cried in those places too.
Homelessness Is Inescapable
This is one of the harder realities. You see it every day. It can be uncomfortable. It can be heartbreaking. It can feel overwhelming. And you quickly learn the unspoken city rules: be aware of your surroundings, trust your instincts, avoid eye contact, and always keep walking. It’s part of navigating the city responsibly and safely.
NYC Survival Tips:
• Walk like you know where you’re going. Even when you don’t.
• Stand on the right side of the escalator.
• Never stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Ever.
• Avoid eye contact on the subway.
• Always have $20 emergency cash.
• Layers. Always layers.
And most importantly: If you fall, just get up. That’s the least embarrassing thing that can happen to you here.
So… Is It Worth It?
College in NYC is loud, expensive, freezing, chaotic, inspiring, cinematic, and unforgettable. You will struggle. You will grow. You will become unbotherable. The truth is, the chaos becomes part of your identity. And even when you’re tired and slightly unhinged, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.
And one day, you’ll visit another city and wonder: “What do people even do here?”
That’s when you know.
You survived.
And you’re officially a New Yorker.