NYU students or anyone familiar with NYC...

[dentwannabe]

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I know this has been asked five billion times before but i want the details.

What is it specifically that students find so hard about commuting. People always say, no no no don't commute! I've commuted my entire time at undergrad and what I always did (especially 1st 2 years) was to go to classes in the morning, then just study in the evening on campus and then go home at night.

Say I move to Queens, isn't it a 20 minute subway ride to manhattan? Then from penn to nyu. I guess I would be there in a half hour?

What is the CLOSEST borough to NYU (other than manha$$an)?

Also, how safe are the subways at night. Say I stay late, studying or doing lab work and what not. Its about 9 pm... is it safe to go from manhattan to queens using subways? or will i be mugged down there? 😳

 

[Comet208]

There are 2 different questions you are asking here: 1. commuting time and 2. safety concerns.

I'd say the fastest, most reliable, and cheapest way to commute in NYC is using the subway. The system is not that complicated either. From Qeens to the closet stop to NYU is about 20 min, but you have to put in about 30 min of extra time. 10 min from your door to subway, 10 min to walk/wait in the subway (when you get out as well), and then 10-15 min walk to school. Total commuting time 50 min EACH way. and thats minimum. Only you can decide if you want to spend 2 hours/day commuting or not.

As for safety, the answer will partially depend on you. I have used their subway system many times at odd hours and nothing has happened to me, nor have i withnessed anyone being mugged. But it is NYC with many different types of people around. Walk quick, dont look naiive, and be aware of your sorroundings and you should be OK.

 

[phremius]

1) New York really is Manhattan, I know the whole technically 5 buroughs thing, but really? The essence of New York revolves around Manhattan, and living away from it means you will miss out on that experience.

2) If anyone wants to drop me a line I'll send you a copy of our class schedule. You'll notice that there are a lot of gaps in between on certain days, more so when "useless to attend" classes are involved. So during those times, it's awfully convenient to be able to go home, say cook yourself a meal, go to the gym, nap, etc.

3) Socially you'll be a bit isolated from everyone, because when people get together to do things, guess what? It'll be in Manhattan most of the times. So when people say get together for a late dinner and social event afterwards, you'll have to go home, and then return to the city, and often you'll just be too tired to do so even though you really want to (and feel like it's a pain in the ass)

4) Commuting is draining, you're tired but you can't really sleep and rest (walking, changing trains, noise), you can't really study too well on the train, so it's 50 minutes of essentially "dead" time.

5) There are people who commute, and I would say NYU makes it far more commuter friendly since we have a Transcription service that allows you to NEVER have to go to class except during times of attendance/exams/labs. (There are people that you never see except during exams... "holy **** you're still enrolled??!") However, more people than not who started out commuting ended up moving in the middle of the year, even some those who were living in the city before dental school started.

6) Subways are pretty safe it seems, though as a male I don't really think about it that much. So I really can't say.

7) Can people do it? Yes. Do people do it and manage just fine? Yup. But I definitely would not recommend it unless your finances are really critical.

8) Let's lay the commuting issue to rest.

I know this has been asked five billion times before but i want the details.

What is it specifically that students find so hard about commuting. People always say, no no no don't commute! I've commuted my entire time at undergrad and what I always did (especially 1st 2 years) was to go to classes in the morning, then just study in the evening on campus and then go home at night.

Say I move to Queens, isn't it a 20 minute subway ride to manhattan? Then from penn to nyu. I guess I would be there in a half hour?

What is the CLOSEST borough to NYU (other than manha$$an)?

Also, how safe are the subways at night. Say I stay late, studying or doing lab work and what not. Its about 9 pm... is it safe to go from manhattan to queens using subways? or will i be mugged down there? 😳

 

[dentwannabe]

1) New York really is Manhattan, I know the whole technically 5 buroughs thing, but really? The essence of New York revolves around Manhattan, and living away from it you do miss out on that experience.

2) If anyone want drop me a line and I'll send you a copy of the schedule. You'll notice that there are a lot of gaps in between on days, more so when there are classes that are really "useless to attend". So during those times, it's awfully convenient to be able to go home, say cook yourself a meal, go to the gym, nap, etc.

3) Socially you'll be a bit isolated from everyone, because when people get together to do things, guess what? It'll be in Manhattan most of the times. So when people say get together for say a late dinner and going out, you'll go home, and then have to return back to the city, and often you'll just be too tired to do so even though you'd want to (and feel like it's a pain in the ass)

4) Commuting is draining, you're tired but you can't really sleep and rest, you can't really study too well on the train, so it's 50 minutes of effectively "dead" time.

5) There are people who commute, and I would say NYU makes it fairly commuter friendly since we have a Transcription service that allows you to NEVER have to go to class except during times of attendance/exams/labs. However, more people than not who started out commuting ended up moving in the middle of the year, even some those who were living in NYC before dental school started.

6) Subways are pretty safe it seems, though as a male I don't really think about it that much. So don't take it from me.

7) I mean if you really want to or if your finances are crucial, then by all means give it a shot, but honestly, I would not commute year 1.

8) Let's lay the commuting issue to rest.

wow. very clear and organized response. Thanks a lot.

 

[gryffindor]

wow. very clear and organized response. Thanks a lot.

Commuting in NYC isn't like commuting in the suburbs. You can't just hop in your car (which is parked right in front of your door) and zoom along to get somewhere on time and go park in the monstrous parking lot out front. My dental school commute in Buffalo used to take 7 minutes in the car, plus 5 more minutes to walk from the parking spot in Siberia to my seat in the classroom. Here in NYC, the only place I can get to in 12 minutes is about 10 blocks from my apartment, hence why your peers are telling you to live closeby. You are at the mercy of train & bus schedules which on the weekend can run wacky in Queens & Brooklyn due to construction. Even if you do have a car in NYC, chances of finding parking near where you want to be them minute you arrive are slim.