Washington Square News

Washington Square News

Washington Square News

Education

A purple N.Y.U. flag hanging off of a building’s facade.

Opinion: The 18-credit limit is a barrier to success

Extra tuition costs can bar students from pursuing additional course offerings, or even finishing their majors on time.
Molly Koch, Deputy Opinion Editor Apr 18, 2023

With course registration approaching, you’ll find many students looking through Albert multiple times a day, trying to craft the perfect schedule that will fulfill all of their...

An aerial view of the Washington Square Arch with a crowd of N.Y.U. students wearing purple outfits in front.

Opinion: Bring back the ‘Why NYU?’ essay

It makes sense that NYU has decided to go test-optional. Essay-optional, however, is a whole different story.
Naisha Roy, Deputy Opinion Editor Apr 7, 2023

Just about all of us remember sitting down at the computer, staring at the “Why NYU?” supplemental essay on the Common Application, and asking ourselves that very question:...

A classroom filled with students, who are wearing masks, working on their laptops. An analog clock hangs on the wall behind them.

Opinion: Stop making classes longer than they need to be

Most NYU classes are 75 minutes long. The ones that are longer shouldn’t be.
Naisha Roy, Deputy Opinion Editor Mar 24, 2023

There’s only one thing worse than sitting in a murky auditorium, listening to a professor lecture for 75 minutes: sitting there for double that time. That’s what I had to do...

A tall building complex with protruding glass windows under construction. Across the street from the construction site is a row of buildings with brown brick exteriors. The road sign indicates that the building is on Bleecker Street.

Opinion: NYU needs to talk about gentrification

More university resources should be put toward educating students who aren’t from New York about the role they play in perpetuating gentrification.
Nikkala Kovacevic, Deputy Opinion Editor Mar 1, 2023

With the completion of NYU’s newest building at 181 Mercer St., conversations about the university’s role in gentrifying New York City have resurfaced. It's a topic that crops...

An illustration of a figure with a turquoise head and purple body wearing a white bracelet with “N.Y.U.” written on it. It is hugging the Chat G.P.T. logo.

Opinion: ChatGPT has untapped potential for use in the classroom

Phillip HoSang, Contributing Writer Feb 27, 2023

Artificial intelligence is changing the world as we know it, and now it's making its way into education with the emergence of ChatGPT. Media and educators alike have been abuzz...

An illustration of a roll of paper, tied with a purple ribbon in front a black graduation cap. It is pictured sitting atop a stack of four books of different academic subjects against a purple background.

Opinion: CAS needs to offer more joint majors

Let me live my wannabe Gallatin dreams.
Naisha Roy, Deputy Opinion Editor Feb 23, 2023

From specializations to double majors, minors to concentrations and more, NYU has a ton of confusing terminology when it comes to defining what students are studying. In the midst...

An illustration of a person with blond hair wearing a dark blue cap and a red backpack. IN the backpack are documents titled Script and permits. The person waves at green bills falling from the sky against a light purple background.

Opinion: NYU’s film production allotment isn’t enough

With rising production costs, NYU should financially support their student filmmakers to level the playing field and help them reach their greatest potential.
Sebastian Zufelt, Staff Writer Feb 20, 2023

The privilege of attending NYU’s Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television gives access to a greater pre-professional education than anywhere else. Students in Intermediate...

A photo of a classroom that is full of unoccupied chairs.

Opinion: Lectures are a thing of the past

Large lectures are an outdated style of education. Smaller, more personal class sizes are simply better.
Noah Zaldivar, Staff Writer Feb 17, 2023

Picture the scene: You signed up for a course titled something like "Interdisciplinary Perceptual Psychology of Architecture.” For some reason, you’ve always wanted to take...

The interior of the N.Y.U. Tisch School of the Arts building. “N.Y.U. TISCH” is displayed on the wall in purple L.E.D. lights.

Opinion: Tisch Drama doesn’t teach you to be a real-life actor

The struggle of becoming an educated actor is immense and sometimes feels unattainable given the classes and curriculum available.
Lauren Lakra, Contributing Writer Feb 10, 2023

“What makes a successful actor?” is a question I have heard all too often at workshops, intensives, questionnaires — and even in classes. It is a question that performers...

A screen displaying the course search system of N.Y.U.’s student information system, which is called Albert.

Opinion: Electives teach more than what’s on the syllabus

Making room for electives that excite you can make you a better student.
Neya Kidambi, Contributing Writer Feb 1, 2023

The start of a new semester is accompanied by many feelings, some familiar, some foreign. As we enter the second week of the new semester, the honeymoon period of discussing syllabi,...

A laptop screen displaying a webpage that indicates the course feedback website for New York University.

Opinion: You need to fill out your course evaluations

Giving course feedback is anonymous, a good place to vent and it helps professors with future job applications — you can take five minutes to do them.
Aksha Mittapalli, Contributing Writer Dec 12, 2022

A laptop screen displaying a webpage that indicates the course feedback website for New York University.Finals are right around the corner. As we get buried in assignments, our...

An illustration of two sheets of exam paper stacked on top of each other against a blue background with text “final exam” written on it. There is a red circle with a diagonal line through it drawn on top of the two papers.

Opinion: Traditional final exams are impractical

With increasingly negative stigma surrounding the final exam period, it’s time to bid farewell to traditional final exams.
Molly Koch, Staff Writer Dec 7, 2022

As I said goodbye to my mother at the train station, heading back to New York City after a cozy Thanksgiving break, I remembered the intense stress that shows up right around finals...