With a plethora of classes to choose from, creating your schedule can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out with only 18 credits available each semester. Luckily, there are NYU alumni and current students with experience in some of these classes that may make your decision a little easier.

Human Resource Management, SPS

During my time at NYU I enjoyed many of the courses I took, both in and out of my hospitality major. One that I was specifically interested in was Human Resource Management with Professor Frances Hurley in the School of Professional Studies.

This course looks at the technical and somewhat fragile aspects of handling people in a company. Professor Hurley taught the course extremely well and sparked my interest in the behind-the-scenes aspect of not just hospitality, but every industry.

Being in a business-focused major, it is easy to become so distracted by the facts and figures that you forget about the importance of the people you work with. Though this course is only available to SPS students, I highly recommend taking any related course at NYU that allows you to see beyond the heavily technical parts of being a business student. — Kelly Bailey, SPS Alum

Science of Happiness, CAS

My favorite NYU class was Science of Happiness, a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies class. Unlike other classes, I was actually happy that I went to class. If I showed up, which was most of the time, it made me feel less stressed. It was really chill. The professors were funny and really in touch with the students and in return, the students respected them.

There is nothing like a class that makes you feel special every time you go and reminds you how awesome you are. I also never viewed sleep the same after that class. For example, I know that if I don’t sleep I am guaranteed to do worse on the test and retain less of what I learned that day. Now I think, “I did not study all day just to forget.”  — Erika Smith, CAS Junior

Sight and Sound: Studio, Tisch

Sight and Sound: Studio at Tisch Film and TV was my favorite class. Studio was my first real-world exposure to a multi-camera television studio environment. I was trained to work with actors, connect script and performance and collaborate with my peers on and off set to produce a live production at the end of the semester complete with lighting, art direction and a control room setting.

This class immerses students into the production world early in their second year at NYU. It teaches fundamental creative and interpersonal skills needed to succeed inside and outside the film/TV industry. The class is extremely hands-on and allows one to apply the skills learned in the classroom in an actual studio setting. You call the shots, control the cameras, monitor the audio and direct the actors. By the end of the semester, you build lasting relationships and a sense of community with your crew members that transcend beyond the studio walls. Ultimately, this class was so transformative that it cemented my decision to pursue a career in the television industry. — Shobhit Jain, Stern and Tisch Dual-Degree Senior

Email Faith Gates at [email protected].