Think about Blair Waldorf living in her apartment on the Upper East Side on the ever-so-popular TV show, “Gossip Girl,” going to a private school and only shopping at designer stores. Or, “Sex and the City’” with Carrie Bradshaw in her West Village apartment always out partying and shopping. Many of us grew up believing in the Manhattan fantasy and the luxurious lifestyle that allures viewers. Still, as I grew older, I started to look at the city through different lenses. The decision to move to the Big Apple impacts each person differently. While some will love their time there and find incredible opportunities, others will hate the fast-paced environment. Before making the decision to study away during college, or move there after graduation, you should understand what the city has to offer and not be misled by the glamour.
Janelle Sessoms (she/her), a fashion writer for L’Officiel USA, who studied away for the Spring semester in her junior year and now works in New York City, agreed that “A big part of anyone coming to New York for an extended period is to not walk in with exceedingly high expectations because New York is heavily romanticized,” she said. “So, you have this idea of what New York should be. Walk in with an open mind and I feel like your experience turns out even better.”
Pierce Bartman (they/them), a fashion photographer who has been working in NYC for about three months. According to Mike Winters in an article for CNBC– New York City is the country’s most expensive city, almost double the national average, so budgeting is definitely a need, even for grocery shopping. Bartman added, “I go pretty far to go to Trader’s Joe, the only price-stabilized place, which is the same price wherever you go in the country. In Cleveland, that was an expensive store.”
It does not stop there. According to the New York Times, New York City has the highest average price for one-bedroom apartments in the country ($3,980). Bartman continued, “Most people I know are paying a minimum of $1,000. A lot of the people that I know in Manhattan are paying way more than that, but Brooklyn is growing there too.” Among cheating scandals and friendship betrayals, the biggest lie “Gossip Girl” ever told us was that Dan Humphrey was poor when he lived in a $2 million Brooklyn loft.
Logan Diener (she/her), a senior fashion merchandising major currently studying away in New York for the fall semester, also lives in Brooklyn. She rented an AirBnB because she found student housing too expensive and chaotic.Even if Brooklyn is nowhere near “calm”, Diener commutes to Manhattan every day and it has worked out so far.
Samantha Flucht (she/her), the owner of the children clothing business Sammy Whammy’s who studied away for a semester in New York City, also agrees that the living crisis is real. She paid $1,600 for a dorm with a communal bathroom and had two meals included per day. “It is tough to have finances because you are almost positively not going to have time to get a job, so you need to have money kind of ready,” Flucht said.
Sessoms added, “Budgeting is very crucial. It is very important to keep track of where you are spending your money, but even though it is expensive you can still find a way to live here within your budget, whether it is a small budget or a big budget. That should not deter anyone from coming here.”
On the other hand, NYC has amazing career opportunities and it is easier to meet people and network when the market is saturated. Bartman agrees, “Everyone is here, but also everyone is here in a positive way. There is no better place to be trying to do what I am doing than here.” Still, the connections were not immediate and the fashion photographer had to start from the bottom and work their way up through networking.
Sessoms, on the other hand, could go anywhere she wanted since her job is remote: “Fashion media, in general, is so digital heavy” she said. “You can do it from your computer, you can go anywhere. I do think that it helps to be in New York because you are conveniently located in case there is something in person, but you don’t have to be here.”
Flucht also thinks the opportunities while studying abroad were unique to New York. While she only hoped to get an internship, which she got in the children’s company, Egg New York, Flucht also participated in New York Fashion Week with a PR company and landed a job at Egg New York’s store in Michigan.
It does not mean you will not find opportunities in Ohio or somewhere other than New York. Diener said that you can also do remote internships and it is about what you are looking for. If you are like her and enjoy the big city environment, then New York could be the place for you. She added that networking can be done remotely these days through social media.
However, balancing school work, internships, fashion week and free time can be exhausting. Diener volunteered for three fashion shows and said she is busier than expected, but it is inspiring to see industry professionals who do what she wants.
Social media also plays a role in glamourizing NYC. On TikTok, many people share their recommendations on restaurants, stores, bars and more places exclusive to the city. It can feel overwhelming and even pricey, but while there is always something to do in the city, it does not mean everyone is always busy. Sessoms added that there were days when she just stayed in after work and was not hopping on the subway to go somewhere.
The good side of studying abroad in New York is that it is a test run, “so you can come here to study abroad and you can decide that you hate it and you can still get a lot out of it and learn a lot, but you don’t have to commit to moving here after graduation,” Diener added.
Even with the downsides, Sessoms, Bartman, Diener and Flucht all agree that moving to New York City, whether to study away or after graduation, was worth it. They gained more than work experience but also grew as people. Ultimately, each person needs to analyze the pros and cons and go with an open mind, without expecting the experience to be like an episode of “Gossip Girl,” and they just might surprise themselves with all the city has to offer.
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Hi! I’m Annie Gleydura, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.
