In 1973, due to financial hardship, NYU chose to sell its University Heights campus to the Bronx Community College. Following this sale, the NYU School of Engineering and Science merged with the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (PIB) to form the Polytechnic Institute of New York, later renamed Polytechnic University (Poly). Following discussions in 2004 and 2007, Poly and NYU become affiliated in 2008 and Poly was renamed the Polytechnic Institute of NYU (NYU-Poly). The merger was finally completed on January 1st, 2014, when the institutes became one to be called New York University: Polytechnic School of Engineering.

So what has this merger done for the students and the university? For the university, it meant that for the first time in four decades, NYU once again had a school for the Engineering discipline. For the students, however, the merger has brought many resources to the School of Engineering (SOE) that were already available to NYU students. It enables them to interact in full with the main campus schools and students by granting access to the different NYU facilities. SOE students also are able to take classes across any school in main campus, allowing students to take courses from other disciplines and majors all across the university.

NYU SOE is very different from other NYU schools mainly due to its location - it is located in downtown Brooklyn, across the bridge from NYU’s main campus in Washington Square. Because of this distance, students often need to partake in a small commute to attend the different events happening in the main campus, for which NYU has provided provided a free shuttle bus service between SOE and main campus called The NYU Trolley. Located in the heart of downtown Brooklyn in the Metrotech Area, NYU Poly is composed of 4 buildings: Rogers Hall (RH), Jacobs Academic Building (JAB), Wunsch Building, and Jacobs Building (JB), which, located at 6 Metrotech, is the main building housing the majority of the classrooms. Having 5 floors, JB is also home to the gymnasium, cafeteria, and different laboratories. Rogers Hall and JAB meanwhile have 8 floors. The Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology, the Pfizer Auditorium, and the game innovation lab are located at 5 Metrotech, which has 4 floors, and NYU MAGNET is located at the 8th floor of 2 Metrotech and is home to the media and game network facilities shared between NYU and Polytechnic. Wunsch Building contains NYU Poly’s admissions office and also often hosts several school events. Most of NYU SOE’s administrative departments are located in 15 Metrotech like the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Office of Sponsored Research, and Information Technology. 15 Metrotech also hosts the Incubators in its 19th floor.

NYU SOE has 2 dormitory buildings, Othmer Hall and Clark Street Residence Hall. Othmer Hall is located one block away from Rogers Hall and has 18 floors with suites and apartments. It houses over 400 NYU SOE students, mostly underclassmen. The residence includes student lounges, study rooms, and laundry facilities. The Clark Street Residence Hall, on the other hand, is located in Clark Street which is a 15 minute walk from Rogers Hall. It generally houses upperclassmen and study away students.

There are many restaurants located around Poly such as Chipotle, Five Guys, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, Tio Pio, Au Bon Pain, Shake Shack, Dallas BBQ, and Potbelly. Fulton Mall is located a couple of blocks away, where different stores are located. Atlantic Mall is located 2 stops away on the R train where the Barclay’s Center is located. The Brooklyn Piers are a small walk away from campus.

NYU Poly also has a vibrant student life, which several on-campus clubs and programs, community service initiatives through NYU Serves: The Poly Project, and several leadership opportunities such as Student Council and the Mentorship Program. Students can also join NYU’s university-wide programs such as clubs and other initiatives. The best way on campus is to go to the Club Fest that happens at the beginning of each semester, where all the university-recognized clubs come to represent themselves and recruit members. Other than club fest, NYU Poly also has several other annual traditions such as International Diversity Education Week (IDEW) and Womens’ Summit. Whether you are studying here for a semester, a year, or all four years of your undergraduate degree, NYU Poly promises to be a welcoming place that provides the best of both worlds: being in an Engineering specific school while being connected to the greater NYU campus and the Global Network.

To find out more about the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, check out their website at http://engineering.nyu.edu/.

This article has been written by Gabriel Ruiz, studying Mechanical Engineering at NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering as part of the Class of 2015.Photo Credit: Wikimedia