When I was in eighth grade, my dad said that he wanted to send me to school in India. Maybe any other kid who grew up in America like me would start screaming and crying about not wanting to go. I simply said okay, and a few months later, I was on a flight to India. I acted calm, but a part of me was scared and nervous. I used to visit India ever summer, but I couldn’t help but think: “How could a familiar place be so scary?”

I experienced a similar feeling when I was about to start college in NYU. Having lived in New Jersey for most of my life, I came to New York quite often. In fact, I can show you ten different pictures of myself in the same spots over the course of my childhood. However, looking at New York and living in New York are two very different things. Once again, I thought, “How can such a familiar place be so scary?”

One of the most nerve-wracking things when I first came to New York was using the subway. I know that this seems like a simple task, but I grew up in the suburbs all my life, and I’m also directionally challenged. A constant concern I had was that I would take the wrong train and end up in the middle of nowhere without knowing how to get back. Of course, soon enough, I found my savior: Google Maps. It tells me which line to use, where to change trains, and the subway timings. As a result, my newly acquired New York life hack is to never leave my room without my phone.   

Another nerve-wracking part about being in New York was crossing the street. Again, I know it sounds absurd, but I was genuinely shocked when I saw people crossing the road while two cars were speeding in their direction. I mean, there are pedestrian signals for a reason! Soon enough, I realized that I can sometimes cross a street even if there is a stop signal, like when there are no cars on the other side. At least, as long as my dad doesn’t find out.

There are many things about living in New York that sound easy when you hear them, but are quite nerve-wracking when you experience them for the first time. It has only been a few months since I’ve lived in the city, but each day is a new experience. Slowly, I can feel myself getting used to life in the city and acquiring some of the habits of the people here. After all, we live and we learn, right?

by Katie Leung

If you're new to the scene, Broadway shows may seem like a hobby only for Tisch students (and a number of nerdy Sternies), but it doesn’t have to be! Aside from the famous names, such as Phantom of the Opera and Lion King, there are actually a wide range of performances each season that appeal to a variety of topics. There's bound to be a show that speaks to you; it’s only a matter of whether you take the time to learn about them. Let us delve into a few shows that may convert you into a regular Broadway-goer!

“Insanely-Good-But-Insanely-Expensive” Shows:
 
Hadestown
Having won 8 Tony awards, including Best Musical, Hadestown has seen rave reviews from critics and theatre-goers alike. The musical creatively retells a Greek myth surrounding the tales of Orpheus and Eurydice as well as Hades and Persephone. Against the backdrop of an industrialized Underworld, Hadestown tells a story that illuminates a time of uncertainty with the brightness of hope. Paired with a haunting score inspired by New Orleans jazz and a brilliant, immersive set design, Hadestown will definitely not disappoint.
 
Moulin Rouge
Characterized by its crimson red set design and its famous “Lady Marmalade” show-stopper, Moulin Rouge is a Broadway adaptation of the 2001 film. At the Al Hirschfeld Theatre every night, audiences are treated to the signature elephant that appears in the movie in addition to the iconic Parisian windmill. The flashy musical revolves around the story of a young composer and the star actress of the Moulin Rouge cabaret. If the mysterious plot is not enough to convince you, you will be excited to know that the show is packed with songs from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and other familiar pop stars.
 

“Catch-Them-Before-They-Close” Shows:
 
Waitress
One of my personal favorites, Waitress opened in 2016 and is based on the 2007 movie of the same name. Set in the intimate setting of a diner in the south, the musical witnesses the unraveling life of a young waitress who finds herself stuck in an abusive marriage. With music written by Sara Bareilles, who penned the hit pop song “Brave,” audiences hold their breaths every night during the emotional 11 o’clock number "She Used to Be Mine." Packed with laughter and tears, Waitress tops it all off with the scent of fresh-baked pie in the theatre’s lobby every night.
 
Oklahoma!
You may be interested to know that one of the show’s leads, Ali Stroker, is the first Broadway actress in a wheelchair to win a Tony award. Not enough for you? Well, Stroker also happens to be an alum of our very own NYU Tisch School. This Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, which first played in 1943, has gotten a fresh, 21st century revival. Within the unique, oval-shaped theatre features the story of violence and lawlessness set on the grounds of southern farm life. If you are looking forward to an unusual night on Broadway, be sure to grab a seat at the Circle In The Square Theatre soon!

by Dharaa Rathi

To all freshmen and sophomores (and juniors and seniors), this article is here to dispel a few career-related rumors that float around at Stern, to help you have a better college experience.

1. "If you study abroad you won't get an offer, or it'll be much harder for you to get an offer."

Okay, so if you read my previous article, you’re probably thinking that I’m biased towards studying abroad, and therefore, this opinion may not count. But let me provide you with some credibility: every one of my friends who studied abroad, whether for a semester, a year, or more (it happens more than you think!), has been successful in whatever their endeavors are, professionally or academically. Whether it was about securing a diversity program banking offer, creating a network at top consulting firms, or finding an amazing job in any other industry (we’ll get back to this point), they were able to do it!

Still don’t believe me? I agree, a group of my friends is probably not the best sample size. However, here is how you can plan your study abroad experience out so you can travel for a semester stress-free.

• Talk to your advisors! They can help you figure out what requirements you have, and what study abroad locations can help you meet them, so you don’t have to worry.
• Go early, or late! If you’re worried about recruiting and being on campus for interviews, plan your study abroad so that you’re in NYC during those times. For example, lots of Stern students go abroad their sophomore fall or junior spring. 
• Keep pursuing your goals! Just because you’re studying abroad doesn’t mean your life is on hold. If you’re worried about not knowing enough, reach out to Stern alumni to ask about their experiences! LinkedIn is a great tool to do this. Don’t limit yourself to just banking and consulting. So many Stern alumni are in so many different industries with amazing jobs. You don’t know what you don’t know, so try to learn as much as you can in a low-stress environment by setting up calls while you’re abroad.
  
  

Plus, talking about study abroad is a great way to bond with interviewers and bring up your open mind and flexibility (two of the most desired candidate qualities).


2. "Banking and consulting are the safest, best job options for Stern graduates."

Reminder: banks and consulting firms all work with thousands of companies in different industries, and those companies also have internships! From CPG companies like Unilever to tech companies like Google, your opportunities are wide open. Consulting and banking jobs are amazing chances, and can be incredible learning experiences, but are by no means the only way to be successful. 

• If you’re concerned about pay, many industries offer competitive pay, so don’t rule them out.
• If you’re concerned about prestige, the most important thing on your resume is the skills you’re able to convey, and that is not always dependent on the brand name of the firm. Moreover, being experienced in an industry that you want to grow your career in will be just as prestigious as being experienced across many industries like in consulting and banking.
• Don’t ever feel pressured to choose these careers, but don’t be afraid if you do. Do what you want—and you’ll be so much happier for it.

3. "Everyone knows what they want to do with their careers, and have known since they were freshmen."

There is nothing more false than this statement. Ask anyone, at any age, and they will tell you that they are still figuring their future out. You are going to change so much in college and after you graduate (how could you not, with all these new experiences), and you have no idea how those changes will affect your goals. The best way to feel like you’re not falling behind is to take every change as a learning experience.

Take time to learn about all the opportunities available to you. Read the news. Skim job boards. Take new classes. Again, you don’t know what you don’t know, and you never want to miss out on finding a new passion. Step out of your comfort zone, and I guarantee you, you’ll be so much more secure in your goals when the time comes to find a job.

On top of that, don’t assume everyone else is ahead. The one thing I’ve learned over and over throughout college is that even the most seemingly confident people face the same fears about being successful, and no one knows how to truly define success. So if I can leave you with one lesson, just remember that success means your own happiness, and no one else's.

Everyone has those days, weeks, even months when it feels like nothing’s working for them. They lack motivation, inspiration, and just feel stuck. As college students, we have so many things on our mind and it’s easy to get completely overwhelmed by all of it. However, there are a few habits that I’ve picked up in order to help myself get out of these funks.

1. Listen to music and DANCE! 
I love listening to new albums and artists when I feel stuck because it allows me to think of things in a different way and have a new creative anchor. Dancing releases endorphins, which will immediately make you happier and more motivated, especially if you’ve been spending your whole day sitting at a desk doing work.

2. Spend time with close friends.
Just being around positive, uplifting people who genuinely care about you will immediately make you more excited and happy to work! Most of the time it just takes a nice conversation with a good friend to you into a better frame of mind and allow you to get back into the groove of things.

3. Rethink your sleep schedule.
When we have many tasks to manage, we often completely mess up our sleep schedule. However, this affects our performance during the day and makes us forgetful, unmotivated, and tired. If you’re feeling stuck, fixing your sleep schedule will immediately make you more positive, attentive, and refreshed during the day!

4. Move around 27 items.
This is one of my favorite tips—it is a Feng Shui teaching and it actually works! Moving physical items around you allows you to connect with your surroundings and symbolically press the reset button. Changing your external environment is a really effective way to start looking at things from a fresh perspective.

When I started college at NYU, I knew I was going to have an interesting experience. I mean, I was going to live in the city for the first time after having grown up in the suburbs all my life! Along with the fact that I’d be living with three strangers and experiencing college classes, I had a handful of new experiences waiting in the palm of my hand. Little did I know that I was about to have a fourth stranger come into my life.

See, when I was young, I never had any pets. Well, the fish I overfed when I was eight doesn’t really count. The reason that I never had any pets as a child was because my mom dislikes animals. I remember asking my mom if we could get a dog when I was eight and all she said was, “You’re going to have to pick up the poop.” Eight-year-old me was horrified and never asked her again.

Since I never really grew up around animals, I’ve always felt awkward around them. So, you can imagine my hesitation when my roommate said she wanted to ask NYU for permission to let her dog, Bella, stay with us. I wasn’t against the idea, but I didn’t really know what to expect. I mean, I was going to be living with an animal for the first time in my life! If I’m being honest, my first thought was, Mom is going to flip.

When the day of Bella’s arrival finally came, my roommate had already left for class by the time I got back to our room. I was meeting Bella for the first time alone. When I walked into my room, I froze for a few seconds as I soon as realized she was huge. Slowly, she came closer to sniff me. Then, she turned around and promptly went back to lying on her dog bed. That was the moment I knew that Bella was an angel.

While it may seem like I’m simply talking about my experience with a dog, there’s more to this story than that. This was a way that I put myself outside of my comfort zone, which is something I wanted to push myself to do more once I started college. It’s also about adjustment. Throughout life, we will have to work and get along with different people. This means adjusting to their habits and making compromises, especially if you’re living with that person. Although I’m sure my journey with animals was amusing, there is still something important I forgot to mention: my mom still doesn’t know.

Photo Credits: Sonia Butt

Summer brings beaches, winter brings slushy New York snow, fall brings pumpkin spice lattes, but exam season ... brings procrastination. The many options in the city are often a roadblock to getting through those thick textbooks and draining essays. But no fear! There are many tools made to help students battle through those tough couple of weeks:

1. BaTo.Life
We’ve all had those moments of promising to only check YouTube for five minutes and somehow that ended up being two hours. BaTo.Life is an online application which allows you to set up breaks—and properly enforce them. After setting the amount of time for your break, the website will count down. After the timer runs out, the tabs you have opened will be closed, and an alarm will tell you to get back to work. Sort of like an aggressive parent but ... hey, it gets the job done. Literally.

2. Forest
Planting trees may seem like an odd reward, but it sure is a new, innovative take on combating procrastination! The app forces you to keep it open for a pre-selected amount of time, which lets you grow a virtual tree if you don’t go out of the app. Should you exit, your “tree” dies, but if you keep it open for the entire time, your tree is planted in the game. What is interesting is that Forest partners with tree planters: coins that you earn from being focused are partially donated to their tree-planting partners in real life.

3. FocusWriter
FocusWriter offers a very minimalistic, distraction-free writing document that you can use when typing up essays or papers. Leaving only a solid color background or simple wallpaper, the program can remove those tempting tabs open next to your still very-much blank Google doc. It also offers timers, alarms, and daily goals that further ensure that you can finish your 20-page assignment on time.
 
4. If All Else Fails ... The Excel Sheet Method
Personal tip: While strict, this method has worked quite well for me when I am under a tight time frame to get work done. Simply open up an Excel sheet and label three columns for “Event,” “Start Time," and “End Time." Spend a couple minutes “assigning” all the time that you would have in a day, including blocking out time for short breaks, specific assignments, and other activities you have planned for the day. Follow the schedule as strictly as you can, and even if you can’t finish a task, move on, and revisit it later if possible. Though pressurizing, this method of fighting procrastination has been highly effective for many people—especially when it’s 12AM at Bobst and your paper is due at 9:30AM.

Happy un-procrastinating!