Why I Love It Here!
Ireen Ahmed
B.A.-M.D. and Scholars
Anthropology and Religion
"I love the diversity in the community that surrounds the college. There's the big Caribbean community on Flatbush Avenue and the Orthodox Jewish communities down Avenue J. If you go down to Coney Island, you can get the best Pakistani and Indian food that you could find anywhere, super cheap! Brooklyn is like a little global community that is great fun to explore!"
Ilya Ryvin
Macaulay
Film
"My favorite spot on campus is the lawn. It's great to just sit on the grass and talk to friends. Another place I like is the Film Department. We chat while sitting on the comfy couch, share ideas, and just have fun conversations!
"I think the best thing is honestly the people that you meet. There is real camaraderie among the honors students. Everyone spends time in the honors lounge, which is this great little hangout spot. You are always seeing the same people and you cement some strong friendships. I know that I will leave college with really good friends.
"Another thing I love are the small classes. I heard before I applied that Brooklyn College is more like a small liberal arts college and that you really do have small classes. I didn't believe it until I actually saw some of them. Outside of the Core classes, which might have 30 to 40 students — which still isn't that many — I had classes with maybe 18 students. The professors knew our names by the third week, and there was always a really good back-and-forth."
Noia Efrat
Scholars
Psychology and Psychodynamic Theory
"Brooklyn College is a place where, if you can envision something, you can actually get what you've planned. It is very malleable in that way. It's not a place that defines you when you first get here, but it's also not a place that makes it impossible for you to define your own route."
Seth Nadler
Scholars
English
"When I initially saw the list of Core courses I would have to take, I thought they would be boring. Now that I have taken a few classes that I would not have otherwise taken, like classics and art history, I can say that they have been really fun classes and I have learned a lot."
Sunny Liu
B.A.-M.D. and Macaulay
Undecided
"The first time I set foot on the Brooklyn College campus, I was actually shocked at how beautiful the campus is. You come down Flatbush Avenue — which is not always the prettiest of streets — and then you step on the campus, and it's like wow! The campus looks just like what you envision college to look like.
"As a Macaulay honors student, I just love the cultural passport. The passport is this little ID card that has a list of museums on the back, and you get into all of those museums for free. It gives you an excuse to be a tourist! I mean, I grew up in New York City, and the first time I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge was in college! In my first semester, I saw an opera, an Alvin Alley performance, and my first Broadway show. Having the passport encouraged me to explore now instead of putting it off for later."
Marina Malmoud
Scholars
Economics
"The best part of the Honors Academy is the attention that the advisers pay to each individual student and the doors that they open for you. Because of this support and encouragement, I became a Watson Fellow, which has given me the chance to explore different occupations and interests and is helping redefine what I see as my career path. I certainly don't think I would've been afforded this opportunity had I not been in the honors program."
Josh Barocas
Macaulay
Psychology and Music
"My favorite thing about the Honors Academy is the amount of support that it gives. It's what makes me feel like I'm not just a needle in a haystack. I know that there are people behind the scenes who know me by face, know how I am doing in my classes, and keep me in mind when they learn about internships and other opportunities. It's very comforting to know that there are people looking out for me."
Matt Vann
Scholars
Political Science and Broadcast Journalism
"For me, the best part of being in the Honors Academy is being exposed to all of these wonderful intellectual resources. There is the Honors Academy director, Dr. Schwebel, who is there for you no matter what hour of the day. And it is great being around people who are overachievers, people that want to do some good things in this world. We have great brainstorming sessions and some of the best conversations about politics, the sciences, medicine and journalism. Everyone is just really academically and intellectually focused."