Student Journey Map

First introduction to NYU systems and services and first communications from NYU departments and colleges. After students get admitted to NYU, their expectations 
for college are at an all-time high. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in maintaining students’ excitement while also setting realistic expectations about what their next year will be like.

This pre-semester time is also an opportunity to help students find a sense of identity and belonging at NYU. 
We heard from students who connected with their soon-to-be best friends, favorite professors, and core communities before they even got to campus. The question is: how do we set students up for success before they arrive on campus?

First time on campus (or virtual campus) beginning to make sense of places and social groups and figuring out where you belong.

In their first weeks on campus, students build mental maps to navigate the complexity of NYU. Whether they’re moving to lower Manhattan from across the country, spending their first semester in London, or commuting from their childhood home in Queens to Tandon, every first year student is figuring out their sense of place.

Finding a sense of place at NYU isn’t just about physical space. Students are often making sense of new digital tools, new living arrangements, new routines, and new people — all while trying to make friends and keep up with a rigorous academic schedule. Even those who seem to have it figured out often find themselves asking, “where am I?”

First experiences connecting with individuals, small groups, and larger communities in social and academic settings.

Nothing impacts a student’s sense of belonging during their first year more than their relationships. It’s no secret that the friends, communities, and mentors students find during their first year can define their experience for years to come. But there’s no blueprint for how to find your people.

We heard from dozens of first years who all wanted the 
same thing: to build more human connections. But the size, scale, and spread of NYU can make students feel alone in a sea of students. 

When students do find their people, the positive effects ripple out to every aspect of their college life.  

First sign of major adversity, confusion, or overwhelm, looking to various people and resources for support 
and guidance.

Adversity is an inevitable part of the first-year experience. Rather than preventing setbacks from happening, students need support as they try to bounce back. Adversity brings up questions like: Where should I look for help? Who can I reach out to first? Am I being a burden?

When students do feel supported, they’re equipped with the information, tools, and confidence they need to face their challenges head on. When students don’t feel supported, setbacks can compound on each other and create a sense of failure. The stakes are high, but resiliency is one of the most important life skills students can take away from their time at NYU.

A sense of expansion emerging from conversations 
with peers, new experiences, and growing opportunities. 

Students have seemingly limitless options at NYU. This is one of NYU’s greatest strengths, and one of the greatest sources of stress for students, especially first years. As students are navigating their first few months of college, 
the wealth of resources can be both a blessing and a curse.

Students who got involved in university life, whether through a club, a campus job, academic research, or sports team, were more likely to feel a connection to the university and sense of belonging. At the same time, the on-ramps 
for how to get involved are not always simple, intuitive, 
or accessible. 

Either settling into routines, social and academic roles, and feeling supported or feeling unbalanced, unsupported, and stuck.

As the first year progresses, some students settle into the routines of social, academic, and campus life. For students who have found a group of friends, an academic passion, or a community with a shared interest, this can feel like the moment where it all clicks. After weeks or months of trying to figure it out, they’ve finally found a sense of balance. 

But for students who are struggling, the passing of time weighs heavily. As the weeks go on, the financial costs add up—especially in a city like New York where students feel like they have to “pay to play.” Academic stress can make students feel like they’re always behind. Social pressure can be exacerbated when it seems like everyone else has friends. Even after some time on campus, it’s easy to feel like you’re underwater, especially if on the surface, everyone else seems to have it together.

Either settling into routines, social and academic roles, and feeling supported or feeling unbalanced, unsupported, and stuck.

As the first year progresses, some students settle into the routines of social, academic, and campus life. For students who have found a group of friends, an academic passion, or a community with a shared interest, this can feel like the moment where it all clicks. After weeks or months of trying to figure it out, they’ve finally found a sense of balance. 

But for students who are struggling, the passing of time weighs heavily. As the weeks go on, the financial costs add up—especially in a city like New York where students feel like they have to “pay to play.” Academic stress can make students feel like they’re always behind. Social pressure can be exacerbated when it seems like everyone else has friends. Even after some time on campus, it’s easy to feel like you’re underwater, especially if on the surface, everyone else seems to have it together.