In mid-January, I traveled with the Career Center to New York City for a program that is designed to expose students to different firms focusing on financial services and to help them network with alumni in the industry. While I’m from Princeton, New Jersey, and have gone up to the city thousands of times (including a visit to the Vanderbilt Chelsea campus in July), I still learned quite a bit. For any student considering or taking part in the New York study-away semester or who has jobs lined up in the city post-grad, the experience can be daunting. However, it is also a good opportunity to immerse yourself in the energy and professional landscape. Between networking events and re-exploring Midtown, here are the five biggest takeaways from my trip.
1. Networking isn’t about business — it’s all about relationships
Any student on campus actively thinking about internships or full-time jobs has likely gone to the Career Fair or browsed on LinkedIn in hopes of networking or connecting with alumni. At first glance, these conversations seem transactional. However, one of the biggest things that stuck with me in New York is that networking should go beyond that. It is not just about exchanging business cards. It’s about building relationships. People here value genuine conversations, and it’s the authentic interactions that lead to meaningful connections. I was able to connect with a mentor twice over a three-day trip, meaning I spent more time talking to that person than anyone else I met. Target connection and meaning, not transaction.
2. The importance of being comfortable in your own skin
It is important that you stay true to yourself and are comfortable. While it can feel like everyone around you is moving twenty times faster and trying to be the best person in every single room, it became clear to me that being authentic will take you further. Everyone I met, including some incredibly successful people, made it clear that faking or changing who you are just to fit in likely won’t allow you to push yourself. There is a sense of confidence and individuality that you should embrace day in and day out.
3. You need to master jaywalking, as the speed of the city is different
This isn’t something I necessarily learned on this trip, but I have told friends time and time again that if they ever plan on going to New York, they need to learn how to (safely) jaywalk. Don’t do anything that’s going to get you hurt, but in the city, jaywalking is pretty much the norm. There’s a different speed to New York. It’s fast-paced and efficient, and stopping at every light isn’t worth your while. If there’s no traffic, you cross the street regardless of the light. In New York, crossing the street isn’t a simple matter of waiting for the light. Now, if the street is wider or you are unsure, please wait for the light. However, if you are confident enough, just make sure to look both ways, because the drivers are, well, something.
4. Navigating the city isn’t as hard once you anchor yourself
At first, the thought of navigating New York can be intimidating. However, it’s important to use the grid system and anchor points to your advantage. If you recognize a specific building, you can easily map yourself from point A to point B in relation to that building. Build that map both on foot and in conjunction with the subway. After that, you can find yourself navigating the city with relative ease pretty quickly. Much to my happiness, I was able to track down someone I was meeting almost completely without using a map. Fundamentally, it’s all about Google Maps, subway maps, street signs and a landmark you can name.
5. Everything is easy to find
Anything and everything is within walking distance in the city. Nothing is ever out of reach. Coffee? Food? A Subway entrance? Something that you forgot? There’s at least one on each block. In New York, it feels like nothing is ever out of reach. Convenience is everything, and if you are looking for something and can’t find it, just step out on the street and loop the block. If you still can’t locate it, the traffic officer at the end of the block is probably just going to tell you it’s another block over.
Whether you are here for a day, a week, a study away semester or moving into your next chapter of life, New York can be anything and everything. It can be a lesson in resilience. It can be an opportunity for a fresh start. It can even be an opportunity to explore and have fun. Fundamentally, it is a city that may challenge you, but it rewards you tenfold.