Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU Polytechnic)

---

Preface:

The Polytechnic Institute of New York University (also known as New York University School of Engineering and Technology) is a part of, as the name suggests, NYU, which is a private research university. Started in 1854 in Brooklyn, which is now part of New York City, NYU Poly is one of the oldest technical institutes in the country, and arguably one of the best. The twin strengths of an excellent reputation and an even better location ensure that it gets a massive number of applications from all over the world, including India, of course.

Location:

Although NYU Poly has five campuses (including one in Israel!), the pertinent campuses for us would be the Brooklyn campus called MetroTech, the Westchester campus and the Manhattan site. Fortunately, all of them have fantastic locations, right in the middle of the New York life, and are very easily accessible from all parts of NYC.

Infrastructure and Residing options:

Now, since the institute is located in the middle of NYC, you really can’t expect a massive, sprawling campus. Yet, NYU Poly manages to stretch across about 20 acres, which isn’t too bad, really. It also has all sorts of ultramodern facilities, and a brand new library which has over a million volumes of just about anything you may need. There aren’t really bars and pubs on campus, but that shouldn’t really be an issue, considering you have the whole of NYC right outside waiting for you to come and spoil yourself.

As for living, well, you ought to prepare yourself for shelling out a bomb on just about everything before you land at JFK. Nothing comes cheap in New York, and certainly not accommodation. Grad students, who normally live off campus, find it pretty hard to pay their rents unless they’re employed somewhere part-time. That being said, once you have your finances in place, NYC is full of some amazing places to live in, and the brightest thing to do would probably be looking for apartments a few blocks from campus. Oh, and find yourself some roommates – splitting the rent wouldn’t hurt.

Weather:

Well, it’s nothing great. New York City has a more or less continental climate, with hot summers and chilly winters. Temperatures in summer often exceed 30°C, while winter temperatures can go beyond -8°C. There’s plenty of rain spread over the year, but it’s quite manageable, because it doesn’t really get mucky and dirty. Winters bring a lot of snow, and it’s not completely uncommon to have college called off for a day or two. Spring and autumn are extremely pleasant, which is why you find too many people falling in love around those times. Don’t bite the dust, the good weather doesn’t last beyond a month or two, and nor does the love, more often than not.

Courses Offered:

• Bioinformatics, MS
• Biomedical Engineering, MS
• Biotechnology, MS
• Entrepreneurship, MS-Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering, MS
• Chemistry, MS
• Civil Engineering, MS
• Computer Engineering, MS
• Computer Science, MS
• Cybersecurity Certification, MS, Computer Science
• Construction Management, MS
• Cybersecurity, MS
• Electrical Engineering - Power Concentration, MS
• Electrical Engineering - RF/Microwaves Focus, MS
• Electrical Engineering, MS
• Electrophysics, MS
• Environment-Behavior Studies, MS
• Environmental Engineering, MS
• Environmental Science, MS
• Financial Engineering, MS
• History of Science and Technology, MS
• Industrial Engineering, MS
• Information Management, Executive MS
• Information Systems Engineering, MS
• Integrated Digital Media, MS
• Management of Technology, Executive MS
• Management of Technology, MS
• Systems Engineering Focus, MS-Management of Technology
• Management, MS
• Manufacturing Engineering, MS
• Mathematics, MS
• Mechanical Engineering, MS
• Organizational Behavior, MS
• Physics, MS
• Systems Engineering, MS
• Systems Engineering, MS
• Telecommunication Networks, MS
• Transportation Management, MS
• Transportation Planning and Engineering, MS
• Urban Systems Engineering and Management, MS

Faculty and Pedagogy:

Either the faculty really is fantastic, or students have been hypnotized into thinking so. Of course, no one can argue with the fact that the professors are highly qualified and knowledgeable – some are Nobel laureates, for crying out loud – but very often excellent professors come with equally excellent egos. However, everyone is somehow full of praise for the professors, with not a single complaint escaping their lips. From what we gather – and we think it’s probably true – professors are very friendly and are willing to go out of their way to guide students, provided some initiative comes from the right end, of course.

Fees:

NYU Poly charges a substantial, but understandable, tuition fee of roughly $35,000 for the entire course ($1,200 per credit).

Financial Aid:

Being a private university, NYU Poly tends to be slightly thrifty when it comes to doling out scholarships, so the chance that you’ll end up with one isn’t terribly high. Fortunately, though, you could always get yourself some Research or Teaching Assistantships which should keep your head above the water. Just.

Eventual Placements:

In a nutshell, all the effort and hard work involved in first getting into, and then getting through two ‘grueling’ years at NYU Poly, seems completely worthwhile once you land yourself a job. The options are fantastic and the packages you get are pretty hair-raising too. Recruiters like Microsoft, IBM, Google are regulars at NYU Poly, and the salaries they offer more than do justice to your job.

Crowd and Campus Life:

NYU Poly has a brilliantly multicultural environment, and having said that, it’s healthy rather than racist. Which is a good thing, by the way. But that’s all we’re going to say, because, frankly, you’re wasting your life if you come to New York City and limit yourself to a college, a university or even an area. NYC has a plethora of options for anyone and everyone, and it’ll be plain daft to sit in college waiting for something to happen, when you have a whole world of opportunities to explore outside. Yes, the crowd at NYU Poly is pretty good by itself too, but why settle for Okay when you can have Great, or even Out-Of-The-World?

Once you’re out in NYC, you’ll find that there’s nothing like a ‘favourite’. Different people like different things, and everyone respects that. There are millions of bars, pubs, restaurants, clubs, theatres, diners, just about anything you want, and all within walking or cab-able distance. It really shouldn’t be hard to do what you want, anytime of the day or night, and you’ll soon realize that more often than not, you’ll even manage to find agreeable company for it.

Verdict:

Your author would probably have gone without second thought, but that’s because he loves NYC, and the women there, way too much. But an unbiased word of advice – if you get into universities comparable to NYU Poly, you can do far worse than choosing it over any other; big cities really make a huge difference, to your education, your job prospects, and most importantly, your personality.

Website:

www.poly.edu