Submitted by Sam
With the most challenging academic year in living memory now coming to a close, the question is what the 2021-2022 school year will look like, and how students can prepare.
During the 2020-2021 school year, NYU put in place a comprehensive plan to keep faculty, students, administrators, and other individuals affiliated with the university safe. At the same time, NYU still adhered to its long-held academic values and practices. Doing so required NYU to be creatively flexible and accommodating.
The 2021-2022 school year will be different. Students who wish to attend NYU campuses in New York and elsewhere in person will need to adhere to health requirements designed to protect the well-being safety of the NYU community as much as possible.
Incoming students may also wish to prepare themselves academically by making use of resources available to them now.
Health Requirements for the 2021-2022 School Year
The oncoming school year will demand new health and safety requirements. These requirements are meant to substantially lessen the risk of infection on campus and in nearby communities, and make a return to in-person campus life as safe as possible.
All students who plan to attend NYU campuses in the US, besides those who are exempt due to religious or health reasons, will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Students will be able to register for classes before being vaccinated, but the goal is that all students will be vaccinated before the fall 2021 semester begins.
Students in New York should be able to be vaccinated locally. Another option for students is to get vaccinated at NYU’s on-campus vaccination site.
For some students living outside New York, vaccinations may not be as accessible.
NYU’s local site staff will be able to work with students who will not attend the fall semester in New York access the vaccines elsewhere. International students and other students outside New York who for whatever reason cannot access the COVID-19 vaccine should be able to get vaccinated upon arrival in New York State, or at NYU’ local vaccination site.
Academically Preparing for the 2021-2022 School Year
Despite NYU’s comprehensive plan to ensure that students who attended NYU through the 2020-2021 received the same quality of education that NYU offered before the pandemic, students did not have it easy. Nor did students at the secondary level.
There are resources available for incoming and returning students who wish to prepare themselves academically for the coming school year. Students may wish to familiarize themselves with syllabi—if possible—before the semester starts, or they may wish to hire a math tutor. Once students are vaccinated and have in-person access to NYU, they can also take advantage of NYU’s many academic services.
These services include NYU’s Academic Resource Center, the Writing Center, and the University Learning Centers.
The Academic Resource Center (ARC) is a good place to start. Its front desk can direct students to other academic resources that meet their needs, such as academic coaches, study skill workshops, and tutors.
The pandemic has been extremely hard on all university students, but with vaccinations proceeding swiftly across New York, there are reasons to be optimistic about the coming school year. By using all of the resources available, students can ensure that when classrooms welcome students this fall, they’re ready to start learning.