School of Media Studies

Tips on Thriving in your First Semester

This post is part of the SMS Advising Series for New Students. All posts are designed and curated to make the lives of newly admitted students much easier. From academic resources to having a social life in NYC, we want to make sure that our students get the best of ALL worlds!

As you get ready for your academic journey at The New School, we at SMS Advising are also getting ready to equip you with everything you need to know. To make your first few weeks easier, we have gathered some tips from currents students that might help you:

“Take a quick tour of where your classes are to get there sooner during the first few weeks. Get ahead of your assignments by making the most of your first three (sometimes calming) weeks so you’re not in panic mode come week six or seven during midterms. Get connected to Student Leadership and Student Senate to find out what organizations you can join or get more information about.” – Lungowe Zeko, Student Ambassador

“Keep track of your finances to make sure you don’t overspend and land yourself in trouble. Identify your needs and wants by listing them down and sorting them according to your priorities. Whenever possible, look into cooking with your housemates or planning your meals in advance. Take advantage of student discounts. Even where they aren’t advertised, it’s worth asking as they are sometimes still available.” – Ponvishal Chidambaranathan, 

“For domestic students it’s extremely important to make sure you have turned in all your immunizations records on time or you won’t be able to register for classes when the window opens. This delay may cause you to miss out on classes you want to take that fill up fast.” – Tannia Kustka

“Choose your courses wisely and design your degree in a way that best caters to your career goals. Enroll for courses that will help you walk out with a degree AND a portfolio. If you are looking for an on-campus job, DO NOT STOP or get disheartened if you don’t get a response within the first month of your search. Start applying early every semester and keep in mind that something always comes up if you are persistent in applying.  – Eliya Raza Shamsi, Graduate Student Advisor

“I would strongly recommend that everyone should take advantage of the counselling services available to students at the Student Health and Support Services.” – Rokya Samake, Student Advisor

Written and curated by: Eliya Raza Shamsi

Eliya Raza Shamsi a New York/Karachi based Digital Content Enthusiast, Ailurophile and Potterhead pursuing her Masters in Media Management at The New School. She has worked as a Copywriter, Production Manager and Digital Media Strategist in Karachi, Pakistan. In addition to currently serving as the Graduate Student Advisor at the School of Media Studies, she also works as a Producer for various short film and music video projects here in New York.

Also check out our 3 Amazing Discounts to Take Advantage of as a New School Student, Three Ways to Connect with Fellow TNS Students,  4 Online Resources Offered by The New School and 5 On-Campus Resources You NEED to Know posts!