Brooklyn College
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Business, education, humanities, behavioral science, and performing arts. Oh, and creative writing, like whoa. I mean, come on, I have my own book imprint.
- I don't want to brag, but my graduate program is just as good (if not better) than my undergraduate program. Okay, I kind of wanted to.
- I cook a mean traditional NYC-style thin crust pizza.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Woody Allen's complete works on DVD: Most of your professors will be like this guy. Get ready.
- MetroCard: How boring would it be if you went to school in NYC and only stayed within walking distance of your apartment?
- Slow cooker: There's no good food in the college's immediate vicinity. Just bein' real.
- Copy of Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Know your social justice-speak.
- Google Translator: Is that Creole, Spanish, or just a really crazy Staten Island accent? CUNY BK keeps it diverse.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- Insane popularity. One in twenty Brooklynites have been to me—but don't let my experience intimidate you.
- Small classes. Hate to point fingers, but most state schools don't got that (*cough* UC Berkeley *cough*).
- Leafy green campus and immaculate lawn in a highly urban area.
- I have a highly ranked graduate program that's great for preparing young urbanites for experience and certification in NYC professions. For example, Brooklyn College sends the highest percentage of qualified teachers into the NYC public school system than any other college.
- I have a world-renowned creative writing program.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'm probably on my way to a poetry reading at a coffee shop that a professor invited me to, stuffing some Afghan food in my mouth with some classmates at this new place off the Church Ave stop, seeing a comedy show in Manhattan, having a much-procrastinated studying session with my econ pals, or wandering around Brighton Beach wondering how the heck I got there.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Starbucks. Or, more realistically, the copy shop next door where you can print out your work before class.
- Ditmas Park restaurants like The Farm on Adderley.
- The giant Target adjoining the Applebee's at the corner of Flatbush and Bedford Ave.
Quirks:
- I have major old-timey intellectual street cred. If you were a beatnik in the 1960s, you hung out with me. Don't you want to bring that style back?
Famous Alumni:
- Alan Dershowitz, lawyer and film-inspirer
- Paul Mazursky, influential director
- Shirley Chisholm, politician and first black and female candidate for presidency (bam!)
- Frank McCourt, best-selling author
- Annie Baker, innovative playwright
- Phillip Zimbardo, social experimenter
- James Franco, pain in the butt