From High School to College
October 1st, 2009 | Volunteers
By James Kwee
Growing up in Tennessee/North Georgia, James Kwee often dreamed of someday living in New York and attending New York University. While in Tennessee, he initiated a pilot program for Cheerful Givers, regularly filled birthday bags and was recently honored with a United Way “Volunteer of the Year” award. He regularly writes articles for this newsletter and continues to stay involved in any way he can. This article chronicles his current transition from high school in a small town to college in the biggest city in the United States.
I officially started my freshman year of college here at New York University about a month ago. So far, it’s been an amazing experience and there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be right now. Transitioning from high school to college has been relatively easy for me and I’m thoroughly enjoying the perks of college life: the freedom and independence, the chance to make new friends, and, of course, New York City.
Life in Manhattan flies by quickly, for sure. But the speed of life here is slightly ambivalent for me; in one aspect, it doesn’t seem like I’ve been here for a month, but at the same time, it feels like I’ve been living here for much longer than a month. I’ve learned my way around the city pretty well, take the subway often, and have yet to get lost (although multiple previous trips to New York probably attributed greatly to my semi-adeptness).
N.Y.U. doesn’t have a traditional college campus, though. Many of the buildings are located around Washing Square Park, but there are some scattered throughout the city, along with many of the dorms; N.Y.U. is very integrated with New York City. In this aspect, we don’t have a “real” campus — Washington Square Park is as close as it gets. But many of the students — including myself — didn’t come to N.Y.U. for the traditional college experience.
New York really is the city that never sleeps, which may be a problem for people who want to sleep (I did resort to earplugs once, but only because my roommate was snoring for some strange reason). It’s extremely convenient when you are up at 3 a.m. in the morning and become hungry to just walk down the street and get a falafel at Mamoun’s.
I’ve always dreamed of living in New York City and it’s a privilege to be able to live and attend school here. I love this city and N.Y.U. (so far) and I’m looking forward to seeing what my first year of college has in store for me. In a city of this size, I know there will be many opportunities for volunteering, and I eagerly anticipate the opportunities for service.
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