In 2022, I moved into my freshman dorm with my entire life’s worth of belongings squished into a car. It was a very typical freshman move-in — except for the fact that I was moving into a dorm smack dab in the middle of 5th Avenue in New York City.
City campuses are not for the weak. They’re for those of us who decided that the sacrifice of a traditional campus was worth it to live in a big city for their college experience. As an NYU senior, I’d like to think I’ve gotten the hang of navigating my nontraditional campus.
Whether your college campus is in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC, etc., there are countless things to do in a city that will make your college experience memorable. Living in a big city doesn’t take away from your college experience but adds to it in a way that will make you forget there’s anything different. However, if you’re a little nervous about what to expect in your city campus or unsure if a city campus is right for you, here’s my personal list of things to experience while being a college kid in a city.
Explore the parks
Parks are a great replacement for campus lawns for students to have meetups with friends, study or just enjoy nature. While there isn’t as much natural greenery in big cities, there’s always some sort of park. For NYU students, Washington Square Park is what we consider to be the center of our main campus, as it’s surrounded by our library, student center and multiple other academic buildings.
The best part about spending time in a city park is all the characters that frequent the park. NYU student Risa Vargas loves spending her time people-watching in the park. She has her favorite characters like “charcoal woman” and “pigeon guy” who frequent the park, but there are always new characters that make an impression that “frat guy with backpack” on a traditional campus can’t compete with.
What makes city parks extra cool is that you have the chance to see a celebrity. I’ve seen Seth Meyers, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin and Maya Hawke walk past me in Washington Square Park. If you’re more extroverted, you’ll enjoy the possibility of getting interviewed for someone’s TikTok and enjoying your five minutes of fame on social media. You can also opt for the peaceful activity of just reading a book in the park, something that NYU student Rose Clarke says is her favorite thing to do on campus.
Have a picnic in the park at the Boston Common or watch tourists take pictures with the Bean at Millennium Park in Chicago. Or go to my personal favorite spot in Manhattan, the Hudson River Pier, and stare at the water for hours. Every city college will have a “campus park” for you to explore and see something wild. Where else would I have seen 20 boys on bikes simultaneously do a wheelie under the Washington Square Arch?
Take advantage of public transportation
Most cities have their version of a subway system, which is perfect for exploring everything each city has to offer. There’s no shortage of fun bakeries, bookstores, thrift shops and more when you live in a huge city. Best of all, you don’t need a car to get to any of these places.
Social media is the perfect place to do research on exciting places to visit. Look up new restaurants or popular stores in your city on TikTok and you’ll find plenty of places that you had no idea even existed. Last year, I saw a TikTok advertising a taco Tuesday special for $20 all-you-can-eat tacos at Limosneros in Brooklyn. Of course, that inspired my friends and me to hop on the subway to experience this special for ourselves. Right now, I have a date planned with a cinnamon roll bakery, Spirals, in the East Village that I saw a TikTok review of.
Traditional campuses don’t have nearly as many stores or restaurants on or close to campus. Also, cars are usually needed to go truly explore the surrounding towns of a traditional campus. Exploring different neighborhoods, trying new foods and going to wacky themed stores are the things that make cities so unique. Social media is just one way to find them, but public transportation is your vehicle to go on these adventures. So don’t be afraid to take advantage of it! There’s always something to do in a big city, so if you’re bored, then you haven’t explored enough.
Free events
If you have Instagram, you have to follow the Instagram account that’s promoting events happening around the city.
@nyc_forfree, @thebostoncal, @thingstodoinchicago, @joyraftdc, @losangelesbucketlist are just a few of the many accounts that share all the events, celebrations and great deals happening in their respective cities.
Living in the city doesn’t have to be expensive if you take advantage of all the free things around you. I got so much free soda and free jewelry from a Poppi pop-up that I saw being advertised on @nyu_forfree, and that’s only one of the many events I’ve been to in my three years in the city. If you want to have fun but spend as little money as possible, follow these accounts and get those deals.
Also, keep your eye out for deals inspired by goofy holidays. My friends and I took on IHOP’s $5 all-you-can-eat pancake challenge on National Pancake Day last year (as seen in the following TikTok) and you can always find us at Auntie Anne’s getting free pretzels on National Pretzel Day.
Make sure to take advantage of school and dorm events as well. You’ve already paid tuition, so go get that free stuff! Pritheva Zakaria is the first to sign up for any free NYU event. Whether it’s going on dorm events like pumpkin picking on Governor’s Island or getting free merch and cake at NYU’s annual strawberry fest, she has tons of fun in the city, all on NYU’s dime.
See the arts
Museums love giving discounts to students. Whether it’s a discounted ticket price or a pay-what-you-wish ticket price, which is when you pay as little or as much as you want for a ticket, flash that student ID and enjoy your day at the museum!
Check out other places that give student discounts as well, like AMC movie theaters or local theaters. You only have four years to take advantage of being a student in a big city, so use the discount as much as you can.
Sometimes a cheaper Broadway ticket is still a little outside of a student’s budget, so I recommend going to student plays and concerts for a much cheaper price. There are aspiring musicians and actors all over big cities with plenty of venues willing to let them perform. The most money I’ve ever paid for a student show was $20, and who knows, you might get to see the first show of someone who’ll become a future Grammy winner in ten years.
The city is your campus
The slogan might sound cheesy, but going to a nontraditional campus makes you embrace it. The city truly is our campus for four years, and I’ll miss it once I graduate. However, I’m not just ready to give up living in big cities just yet.
Spending your college years on a city campus really helps prepare you for postgrad life, if you want to stay in the city in your twenties. I went apartment hunting and got to experience a fourth-floor walk-up move-in with the help of NYU’s off-campus housing resources. I can easily navigate the Manhattan grid street system because of the three years I’ve spent walking to classes. No matter whether I stay in New York, go back to my home of Boston or completely move to a brand-new city, I’m prepared to have fun and experience all the city has to offer.
The city is your campus, so please don’t be afraid to enjoy it.
