College is basically the best thing ever. It’s this weirdly perfect alternative universe where you’re granted the name tag and benefits of adulthood, yet spared the burden of about two-thirds the responsibilities. The stakes are relatively low and the room for error should be right around the size of your ambitions. I’m incredibly humbled and fortunate for the opportunities I’ve been afforded and my year in New York is certainly one of them.
If my time at the Fashion Institute of Technology is a trial-run for New York City residency, consider me smitten. Having lived here for almost four months, I’m fairly certain this island is equally as frustrating as it is magic. Here are just a few nuggets of wisdom I’ve picked up in the strangest of places.
1. The city is what you make of it
In a place like New York you almost have to go out of your way to be uninspired. In a city with millions of faces, it’s cultural, provocative, fun, messy, and definitely overpriced. One of the most accurate cliches I’ve heard about New York is that people who live their whole lives here still never feel like an expert. Case in point: trying out a new workout class in the neighborhood I decided to walk home and discovered a tiny breakfast nook blocks away from campus I’d never even heard of.
From a West Village speakeasy and new art exhibit in Brooklyn, live music hotspot in Nolita, holiday market in Bryant Park, to dollar slice pizza in Chelsea, the city always has an unknown itch you needed satisfied. So, PSA to everyone frequenting the same Dunkin Donuts, please go out of your way to try anything else. Please.
2. Be reliable to someone
Although commuter rush hour may convince you otherwise, the city can be a lonely place sometimes. Everyone is on their own grind and weeks can go by without even noticing you haven’t spoken to a close friend. Making sure the people in your circle are stable makes a difference.
Genuine alliances are the most valuable aspects to city survival. Serving as someone’s sounding board and helping to detangle all the complexities of what’s going on in their life can help bring some peace and even some good juju for trains without delays
3. No one is going to do it for you
The toughness of New York is both its biggest gift and sucker punch. Creating opportunities for myself and taking unconventional routes has gotten me closer to my goals than most suggestions I’ve been given. Negotiating for decent apartment terms, making an impression on an influential business connection, and doing well in a challenging class is all about initiative. I’ve learned to quit waiting for direction and to start making my own.
4. Stay grounded
I think it’s easy to get wrapped up in the superficial glamour and chaos of it all, but knowing what fulfills you is a question that can’t be revisited enough. Taking myself out for coffee to visit my Grandma’s bench in Central Park is important to me. Meeting a new friend at a kitschy pub instead of going to a club is important to me. Going places that make you happy always seem to attract the greatest people. People with depth, with a sense of humor, and with qualities that make you feel safe to ditch any image someone almost tricked you into faking.
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