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Surviving the First Summer of NUF

Hey folks!

It has been a while since my last post so I figured I should give an update about my first summer in New York and NUF.

Moving Cross-country (again)
Moving to NYC was a pain. I was fortunate enough to have a friend from college who was renting a room in Brooklyn and his landlord took me in and let me have his room when he moved out a week later. Though I paid a good price for my room, I had a long walk to my train and then a long train commute to the school. I was able to lose 20 pounds during my time in NYC, but I highly suggest you find a place that is close to school (if you can afford it, find a place in midtown...but be prepared to spend $2,000+ for a small room.

Cohort and Classes:
I have 24 amazing classmates in my cohort (our ages range from mid-twenties to mid-forties) and we spent our lives at Baruch Newman Vertical Campus. All of our classes took place in the same room and professors rotate out. The schedule is intense! 12 units in less than two months. It may not sound like a lot, but keep in mind that you are learning a semester's worth of information in 4-5 weeks.  Nothing is more intimidating than showing up to class on the first day and learning that you have midterms 9 day later (seriously).

Our summer term was comprised of the following classes:
  • Introduction to Public Affairs (start memorizing your presidents now - this will make since one you start your classes)
  • Communications in Public Affairs (amazing class, very interactive and engaging)
  • Research and Analysis I: (statistics - another fantastic professor)
  • Research and Analysis II: (analyzing and interpreting the data you calculated in stats I)
Advice: For those chosen to take part in this program my advice to you is:
  • Once classes start, figure out the best study/homework plan for you. Are you someone who likes to complete work with a group, or by yourself? 
  • Do you prefer to study at school, a cafe, or at home? The quicker your figure this out, the better off you will be. 
Also, keep in mind this program is suppose to challenge you. If you are a perfectionist, this program will test you. Assignments can be due every time you have class so you have to learn to do the best work with the time that you have, and just turn the assignment in. You cannot waste time revising and editing your work over and over again. My motto for this program is "B's get degrees". Do what you can to pass and save the perfectionism for a traditional graduate program where you have more time to get your work done.
Mentorship Assignments
We have fellows sprinkled throughout the U.S. The majority of my cohort is on the east coast, but a small handful of us are on the west coast and mid-west (we just started a couple of weeks ago, so I can provide more insight about the mentorship in a few months).

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