NYU 2Ls taking questions Forum

[risa]

I'm very interested in the answer to this too. I was told by financial aid that "Students can apply for budget adjustments for living expenses. There is no cap, however, students have to show that they have legitimate and reasonable education-related expenses causing you to exceed the approved student budget." It's not really clear to me what would qualify as a legitimate and reasonable education-related expense as it relates to living expenses. Do any current students know of anyone who got such an increase approved and what sorts of reasons were considered "legitimate and reasonable" ? Basically, I really, really want to live by myself. I'm on the older side for a 0L and have just had too many stressful roommate situations and am very ready to live alone (bad timing, I know). I'd feel a little silly, but if necessary, I could argue mental-health-type reasons for wanting to live alone and could probably get my doctor to write a letter backing as much up. Do you think that'd be enough to get a small increase so I can afford a studio on my own?

Another question: do people typically use up the whole allotted $1500 for books and supplies? Or is that calculated assuming you buy everything brand new so if you were to buy used you could save some of that money?

[JamMasterJ]

I'm very interested in the answer to this too. I was told by financial aid that "Students can apply for budget adjustments for living expenses. There is no cap, however, students have to show that they have legitimate and reasonable education-related expenses causing you to exceed the approved student budget." It's not really clear to me what would qualify as a legitimate and reasonable education-related expense as it relates to living expenses. Do any current students know of anyone who got such an increase approved and what sorts of reasons were considered "legitimate and reasonable" ? Basically, I really, really want to live by myself. I'm on the older side for a 0L and have just had too many stressful roommate situations and am very ready to live alone (bad timing, I know). I'd feel a little silly, but if necessary, I could argue mental-health-type reasons for wanting to live alone and could probably get my doctor to write a letter backing as much up. Do you think that'd be enough to get a small increase so I can afford a studio on my own?

Another question: do people typically use up the whole allotted $1500 for books and supplies? Or is that calculated assuming you buy everything brand new so if you were to buy used you could save some of that money?

I think you can do it for like 400 per semester

[one_by_one]

.

[ssteiner]

Bumping this thread back to the first page of the forum with a random question: did any of your 1L profs ban laptops in class? Or is this not too common at NYU?

First semester we could have laptops in every class except Lawyering (Lawyering in general doesn't allow laptop, I think, because it's more discussion-y). Second semester two of my professors didn't allow laptops. I think generally most professors 1L year allow them.

[JamMasterJ]

Bumping this thread back to the first page of the forum with a random question: did any of your 1L profs ban laptops in class? Or is this not too common at NYU?

It's probably 75/25 allowed to banned ratio

[sinfiery]

Were any exams.....hand written?

[ssteiner]

Were any exams.....hand written?

Oh god no. Even professors who don't let you use laptops in class let you take exams on the computer.

[JamMasterJ]

Were any exams.....hand written?

LOL

[sinfiery]

I was terrified for a moment.

[one_by_one]

.

[ssteiner]

I think I read that there are ATMs in the dorms - are they Chase or BoA or other? Trying to avoid ATM fees/figure out if I should open a Chase account

I think it's some sort of NYU banking ATMs, not connected to other banks in the city. Not entirely sure how that works. I'd recommend just getting a Chase account. Between the bajillion Chases around the city, not to mention a Chase ATM in every Duane Reade, they're by far the most convenient.

[JamMasterJ]

I think I read that there are ATMs in the dorms - are they Chase or BoA or other? Trying to avoid ATM fees/figure out if I should open a Chase account

there's a Chase at 6th ave and 4th st, so if you live in D'Ag, it's a block away, and it's of course a block away from Vandy.
ETA: Chase also has a solid policy for moving money between checking and savings and if you're gonna have a bunch of money sitting there from loan disbursements, it's good to be able to move stuff back and forth for free/cheap.

[sinfiery]

Is cash needed in NYC? In TX suburbia, I never use it.

[ssteiner]

Is cash needed in NYC? In TX suburbia, I never use it.

Some places don't let you make purchases under x amount on your card, and some bars/restaurants are cash only.

[JamMasterJ]

Is cash needed in NYC? In TX suburbia, I never use it.

absofuckinglutely, especially in the Village

[americanman]

How is fresh directs deli meat? or should one only trust boars head?

[risa]

Financial aid just keeps giving me super evasive answers to this question so I'm turning to you current students for help...

Did anyone elect the comprehensive health plan? If so, were you able to get a budget increase approved to cover the difference between the basic health plan and the comprehensive one? Or do you know if that's something they would normally approve? It's a little over $1200 difference so I really don't want to opt for the more expensive one if I won't be able to get additional loans to cover the difference...

Thanks!

[thelawyler]

I think I read that there are ATMs in the dorms - are they Chase or BoA or other? Trying to avoid ATM fees/figure out if I should open a Chase account

there's a Chase at 6th ave and 4th st, so if you live in D'Ag, it's a block away, and it's of course a block away from Vandy.
ETA: Chase also has a solid policy for moving money between checking and savings and if you're gonna have a bunch of money sitting there from loan disbursements, it's good to be able to move stuff back and forth for free/cheap.

There's also a BofA a block away from the law school.

[JamMasterJ]

Financial aid just keeps giving me super evasive answers to this question so I'm turning to you current students for help...

Did anyone elect the comprehensive health plan? If so, were you able to get a budget increase approved to cover the difference between the basic health plan and the comprehensive one? Or do you know if that's something they would normally approve? It's a little over $1200 difference so I really don't want to opt for the more expensive one if I won't be able to get additional loans to cover the difference...

Thanks!

I didn't do it - not sure what the differences are - but I am about 99% sure you could get an increase to cover it.

How is fresh directs deli meat? or should one only trust boars head?

I've heard good things about freshdirect generally, but Boars Head is the shit so I don't stray

[ZoeBarnes]

I skimmed the thread to try and make sure this hadn't been asked before, but sorry in advance in case it has and I missed it. First time poster, as you can see.

I was reading law School Confidential and it was talking about how, come exam time, the stress levels in on-campus housing can reach a fever pitch. He talks about needing to find a place to get away from the dorms and the law school library to escape the madness.

Of course, he went to Penn, and apparently they have dorms instead of apartments, so I wanted to see how applicable this was to NYU housing - specifically Mercer.

The book talks about constant interruptions from classmates needing notes or outlines, or who were on a different study schedule and wanted to take study breaks. The main thing he emphasized was the contagiousness of the panic, telling one story about his own panic after seeing another student having a nervous breakdown.

I was curious whether these are issues in Mercer or not. I think I read one post from someone who did NYU housing 1L year who said they didn't meet someone on their floor until sometime like November. But I just wanted to ask specifically about finals time and what the atmosphere's like in Mercer.

I also think I read somewhere on this site that NYU's Law Library doesn't have enough room for everyone around finals, and the book says that even if you opt for on-campus housing, you should find a place to study off-campus come finals time. Does anyone know any good places? (If you don't want to post your favorite spot on a public forum, maybe you could PM me?)

[kaiser]

I skimmed the thread to try and make sure this hadn't been asked before, but sorry in advance in case it has and I missed it. First time poster, as you can see.

I was reading Law School Confidential and it was talking about how, come exam time, the stress levels in on-campus housing can reach a fever pitch. He talks about needing to find a place to get away from the dorms and the law school library to escape the madness.

Of course, he went to Penn, and apparently they have dorms instead of apartments, so I wanted to see how applicable this was to NYU housing - specifically Mercer.

The book talks about constant interruptions from classmates needing notes or outlines, or who were on a different study schedule and wanted to take study breaks. The main thing he emphasized was the contagiousness of the panic, telling one story about his own panic after seeing another student having a nervous breakdown.

I was curious whether these are issues in Mercer or not. I think I read one post from someone who did NYU housing 1L year who said they didn't meet someone on their floor until sometime like November. But I just wanted to ask specifically about finals time and what the atmosphere's like in Mercer.

I also think I read somewhere on this site that NYU's Law Library doesn't have enough room for everyone around finals, and the book says that even if you opt for on-campus housing, you should find a place to study off-campus come finals time. Does anyone know any good places? (If you don't want to post your favorite spot on a public forum, maybe you could PM me?)

The undergrad library (Bobst) is absolutely massive, and will have lots of study nooks to find. Of course, come finals time, it will be full of undergrads who will take up much of the space, but I always still find a place to go. And in the finals homestretch, the classrooms are of course always open after hours to use as study space. I would typically just sit in the back of an empty classroom and work in there. A few other students would come in and share the space since its not like I need a 90-person lecture room all to myself. So you maybe have 6 or 7 kids in a huge room, all spread out and doing their thing. So, there is always some place to go.

[JamMasterJ]

I skimmed the thread to try and make sure this hadn't been asked before, but sorry in advance in case it has and I missed it. First time poster, as you can see.

I was reading Law School Confidential and it was talking about how, come exam time, the stress levels in on-campus housing can reach a fever pitch. He talks about needing to find a place to get away from the dorms and the law school library to escape the madness.

Of course, he went to Penn, and apparently they have dorms instead of apartments, so I wanted to see how applicable this was to NYU housing - specifically Mercer.

The book talks about constant interruptions from classmates needing notes or outlines, or who were on a different study schedule and wanted to take study breaks. The main thing he emphasized was the contagiousness of the panic, telling one story about his own panic after seeing another student having a nervous breakdown.

I was curious whether these are issues in Mercer or not. I think I read one post from someone who did NYU housing 1L year who said they didn't meet someone on their floor until sometime like November. But I just wanted to ask specifically about finals time and what the atmosphere's like in Mercer.

I also think I read somewhere on this site that NYU's Law Library doesn't have enough room for everyone around finals, and the book says that even if you opt for on-campus housing, you should find a place to study off-campus come finals time. Does anyone know any good places? (If you don't want to post your favorite spot on a public forum, maybe you could PM me?)

The undergrad library (Bobst) is absolutely massive, and will have lots of study nooks to find. Of course, come finals time, it will be full of undergrads who will take up much of the space, but I always still find a place to go. And in the finals homestretch, the classrooms are of course always open after hours to use as study space. I would typically just sit in the back of an empty classroom and work in there. A few other students would come in and share the space since its not like I need a 90-person lecture room all to myself. So you maybe have 6 or 7 kids in a huge room, all spread out and doing their thing. So, there is always some place to go.

There are also specific places in Bobst that are grad student-only

[ssteiner]

I skimmed the thread to try and make sure this hadn't been asked before, but sorry in advance in case it has and I missed it. First time poster, as you can see.

I was reading Law School Confidential and it was talking about how, come exam time, the stress levels in on-campus housing can reach a fever pitch. He talks about needing to find a place to get away from the dorms and the law school library to escape the madness.

Of course, he went to Penn, and apparently they have dorms instead of apartments, so I wanted to see how applicable this was to NYU housing - specifically Mercer.

The book talks about constant interruptions from classmates needing notes or outlines, or who were on a different study schedule and wanted to take study breaks. The main thing he emphasized was the contagiousness of the panic, telling one story about his own panic after seeing another student having a nervous breakdown.

I was curious whether these are issues in Mercer or not. I think I read one post from someone who did NYU housing 1L year who said they didn't meet someone on their floor until sometime like November. But I just wanted to ask specifically about finals time and what the atmosphere's like in Mercer.

I also think I read somewhere on this site that NYU's Law Library doesn't have enough room for everyone around finals, and the book says that even if you opt for on-campus housing, you should find a place to study off-campus come finals time. Does anyone know any good places? (If you don't want to post your favorite spot on a public forum, maybe you could PM me?)

I didn't feel that way about Mercer at all. My roommate and I were in different study groups and basically left each other alone around finals. No one interrupted my studying or sleep.

I recommend getting to the law library early, using Bobst, or studying in your room. I split between my room and the law library.

[Anciano]

I was curious whether these are issues in Mercer or not. I think I read one post from someone who did NYU housing 1L year who said they didn't meet someone on their floor until sometime like November. But I just wanted to ask specifically about finals time and what the atmosphere's like in Mercer.

I also think I read somewhere on this site that NYU's Law Library doesn't have enough room for everyone around finals, and the book says that even if you opt for on-campus housing, you should find a place to study off-campus come finals time. Does anyone know any good places? (If you don't want to post your favorite spot on a public forum, maybe you could PM me?)

I didn't feel that way about Mercer at all. My roommate and I were in different study groups and basically left each other alone around finals. No one interrupted my studying or sleep.

I recommend getting to the law library early, using Bobst, or studying in your room. I split between my room and the law library.

I lived in Mercer and did much the same thing as ssteiner, though I did go to Bobst from time to time too. Because the rooms are apartments with closed doors, if you prefer to study in complete solitude you can do that. One of my roommates essentially didn't leave the apartment for the month before finals, and if there was any stress in the air I'm sure he was completely oblivious to it. I needed a little bit of human contact, so I'd go to the law library for at least a few hours a day. You could definitely feel a little bit of desperation there, especially first semester and late at night, but not to the point that I found it difficult to focus.

Exams are rough everywhere, but the impression I get from talking to people at other schools is that, as a whole, NYU is relatively relaxed even at that time of year.

[sinfiery]

How long will I need my laptops battery to last if I want to generally use it all day in class? Or are there plugs available for pretty much everyone in class? What about for exams?


Thanks!


eta:

Do all 1Ls have access to an outlet during in class exams?

Buying laptop now and trying to see if it's necessary to pay the premium for 6 vs 3.5 hrs of battery power.

Yes, you'll always have an outlet (in exams and also in class).

awesome