Meet NYU Prague Global Ambassador, Linda Z.!

Throughout the semester, you will have the opportunity to hear from NYU Prague alumni to gain their firsthand insight and tips.

Today, meet Linda Z., who studied in Prague in Spring 2015.

Major: Marketing, Management

What is your favorite memory about your time abroad? Making unexpected friends and getting to share memorable experiences with them.

What was the most interesting course you took and why?  Modern Dissent. Jan Urban is an engaging lecturer who challenges you to deeply unpack broad concepts such as “good” vs. “bad,” “right” vs. “wrong,” etc.

Name two things you should not have packed. In general I could have consolidated the clothes, shoes, and accessories that I packed (to leave space for souvenirs). You can easily find something you might need at shops in town for an affordable price, wear those pieces for the semester, and then not bring them home with you.

What two things do you wish you had packed? Towards the end of the semester it got very (uncharacteristically, according to the locals) warm, so I wish I had brought some clothes for warmer weather; school supplies (notebooks, folders, pens and pencils) if you’re particular about that!!

What do you miss most?  Europe’s slow pace of life, Prague’s trams and architecture, doner kebabs.

If you could go back in time and do one thing differently, what would it be? Plan and participate in more excursions in Prague over the course of the semester, instead of trying to squeeze in everything during the last week (finals week).

What advice would you give about housing? Random room assignments can sometimes work out really well. My roommate posted in the Facebook group that she was looking for a roommate, and I cold-messaged her to see if we might be compatible (we ended up becoming great friends). Other than my one suite mate who I knew previously, I didn’t know the other 4 girls assigned to my suite. But they were an incredible group of people who I wouldn’t have met if not for study abroad. I wouldn’t change anything about my housing arrangement. Keep an open mind and always communicate clearly and directly when dealing with roommates in general. Sometimes things have a weird way of working out!

Voting in the US Presidential Election While Away

The upcoming election in November may be on many of your minds.  You can learn more about upcoming elections and where you can vote on the NYU Votes webpage here.

We also encourage you to exercise your voting right while away!  Learn more about how to vote from abroad using the US State Department’s website here.  The Federal Voting Assistance Program and Overseas Vote Foundation websites are included, where an on-line assistant walks you through the process.   

What You Need to Know Ahead of the Pre-Departure Orientation

We look forward to seeing those in New York next Saturday, April 16th at the mandatory NYU Prague pre-departure orientation!  As a reminder, this session will be held in Meyer Building, Room 121 (4 Washington Place) from 10:00am – 12:00pm.  If you have not yet RSVP’d please do so immediately here.

Here are some items to note ahead of the session:

 

• Be on time!  In fact, please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early.  There is a lot to cover, and we will get started right at 12:00pm.

• Bring your NYU ID to swipe in.

 

• Watch this TED Talk prior to the PDO.  It is very powerful and will guide parts of the session.

 

• Bring a pen/pencil with you (there will be a worksheet to complete).

• Take care of yourself/eat ahead of the session if you normally would during this time.  Don’t be hangry!

• Come with excitement, ready to learn, and an open mind!

The PDO will discuss various aspects related to Resources, Responsibility, and Flexibility.  You will hear from me (your site rep) as well as students who have previously studied away in Prague.  

Please note:  This session will NOT cover aspects of the visa process.  Each individual’s visa process is very different so there is not a one-size fits all approach.  Our partner office, The Office of Global Services, will continue to be your main resource when navigating this.  Please ensure to follow any communications they send, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions.  They can be contacted at ogs.outbound@nyu.edu or 212-998-4242.  

 

 

Celebrate Allyship with NYU’s Ally Week

Next week (April 11-15) is NYU’s Ally Week, which creates opportunities for students, faculty, and administrators to deepen their understanding of the experiences of others, and raise awareness of the individual and collective injustices that confront many in our society.  

We invite you to celebrate allyship and get involved.  Ally week is celebrated throughout the global network, which is a real tribute to the community we have globally.

Although there is not an official Ally Week during the fall semesters, know that you can demonstrate allyship on a daily basis with your peers and cohort abroad.  To determine your allyship style, take this quick buzzfeed quiz.

As a reminder, we encourage you to RSVP to join the workshop and discussion series hosted by our office during the week of April 18-21.  This is a great opportunity to continue the conversation and commitment to allyship while studying away.

Welcome Newly Admitted Students

Welcome to the newest NYU Prague admitted students! As I mentioned in your acceptance email, this blog has been created to keep you on track with your preparations for the fall semester abroad.  For tips on how to best navigate the blog, please watch the short “Start Here!” Video.

A good way to get up to speed quickly is to click through the topic headers as well as the March To-Dos at the top of the blog home page. Please review the Required To-Dos within the header and click on the links for more details. You’ll notice that some of the deadlines may have passed – please do not be overly concerned about this. You should aim to complete these steps ASAP and to carefully review all the previous posts to ensure you are up to date.

For now, NYU students currently in New York please RSVP to attend a mandatory pre-departure orientation session here.

Of course, do not hesitate to email me directly if you have any follow up questions.

Transition Tips: Preparing to Live in a New City

World Trade Resource is a tool that provides accessible information about developing cultural competencies and best practices for communicating, living, or working in another country or city, including New York.  Additionally, it includes health and travel guides, as well as culture and city guides for the most popular destinations. The cultural self-assessment feature provides you with tailored information on how to succeed in a new host country.

To start exploring World Trade Resource, please visit here.  You can also access World Trade Resource via NYUHome.

Mark Your Calendars & RSVP: Preparing for Study Away Series

All students are invited and encouraged to attend at least one event that’s part of the Workshop & Discussion series during the week of April 18-21.  This is also open to prospective students so feel free to bring a friend!  Please RSVP below.

 

Religion & Spiritual Life Workshop – RSVP here

Students of Color Panel – RSVP here

Gender & Dating Norms Panel – RSVP here

LGBTQ Workshop – RSVP here

RSVP/Acknowledge Participation for Pre-Departure Orientation

As mentioned last week, all students currently in the New York area are required to attend the Pre-Departure Orientation on Saturday, April 16.

Please RSVP and acknowledge your participation by filling out this form (all students must complete this – you can indicate that you are not in the NY area if that is the case).  You will notice that there are some questions around culture as well as hopes, expectations, and concerns for the semester.  These answers will remain anonymous, but will help guide parts of the session.

As a reminder, those unable to attend because of religious observance must email me by Friday, March 26.  An alternate make-up PDO will be arranged for those students as well as students currently studying outside of New York.

Pre-Departure Orientation Sessions in Shanghai

To help sophomores and juniors prepare for their time abroad in the fall 2016, students are required to attend a Pre-Departure Orientation hosted by the NYU Shanghai Office of Global Affairs and Office of Student Life.

Students have received a separate email invitation for their designated Pre-Departure Orientation session. Please refer to the Global Week Schedule for the date and time of the session for your specific site.

Visiting Students: Set up NYU Email

Visiting students, if you have confirmed your place in the program, you are now eligible to activate your NYU email.  You should do so ASAP!

Activating your account will give you access to your NYU email and will allow you to use the shopping cart functionality in Albert to prepare for course registration.

It’s important that you activate your account ASAP so that you can move forward with your study away plans. Additionally, using your NYU email is vital since we will begin sending the blog updates and other communications to this email only (don’t worry — we’ll give you a heads up before we do that). NYU’s Bursar’s Office will also send your eBill to your NYU address only in July, and you don’t want to miss that!

If you have not activated your NYU netID yet (you were prompted to during the application process to be able to check if materials were received), you must first do this:

• Activate your NYU NetID and create your password. Your NetID can be found in your original acceptance email (from global.admissions@nyu.edu), and is usually a combination of your initials and a few random numbers (for example: smm759).  To activate your NetID and set your password, go to the NYU Information Technology Services (ITS) “Start” page (http://start.nyu.edu).  Enter your NetID, click on the “Start” button and follow the online instructions.  To complete the process, you will also need your date of birth and the University ID number (also known as your N-number) assigned to you.  You N number can also be found in your acceptance email; it is the number that starts with an N at the top of the email (for example N12345678).

If you forgot your netID or N number and cannot locate the email that was sent to you with that information, please email me and I will help you. Please look for your admission email first.

To then activate your email simply:

• Return to start.nyu.edu and enter your netID
• On the next page, enter your NYUHome password.
• On the next page, click on the “Activate NYU Google Account” option.
• And just like that, your NYU email account is created!

You can also set up mail forwarding. After signing into NYUHome, click on “Preferences” on the top of the page, then find the “Mail Forwarding” option under “Your Email”, and click “Edit”. From there, click on “Add a Forwarding Address” and enter the email where you would like the NYU email correspondence to forward.