How is the culture of Stern? Is everyone as uptight and worried about grades as I have been reading. Or are there some people who are willing to talk about the Met game or throw the pigskin around? I know Stern is a great program with great opportunities post-grad, but I want to at least know that I can have a few laid-back people to hang out with for four years?
In a group of 600 students there’s going to be a couple of uptight people at really any school you go.
Just find your group and hang out with. There are enough chill / level - headed people in the school to hang out with.
Competition is the cornerstone of every business school lol. There are plenty of chill students at Stern, we used to go to a lot of concerts, organize football games on the East River, drink the night away etc. With the stress that comes with competition, school work, internships, and recruiting, relaxing is a big part of the process. You will meet a few students that won’t maintain that balance and seclude themselves from others and that’s fine, but when it comes to advanced courses where group projects become a significant portion of your grade, knowing people and getting along with them make a big difference.
A big reason for this perception is due to the large international student base not only at NYU but Stern. The differences in Western and Eastern academics has a big influence on how students from many different cultures interact with one another.