Kucuk Gungor Bag, a graduating student in the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality getting his M.S. in Global Hospitality Management, gives us some insight into some of his favorite parts of his NYU experience.
What has your favorite experience at NYU been?
My experience with NYU has been great from the admission to all the way to graduation. If I had to choose my favorite part, I would say just being in class—learning, interacting and networking with classmates. I remember one time when I was in my favorite class, Applied Research Methods, we went way overtime, not realizing how much time had passed as we were so engaged in what we were discussing (how to make tourism more sustainable). I thanked my classmates and my professor afterwards, as that’s the kind of NYU experience I will miss most!
How has NYU shaped you?
NYU has many different ways to shape any student, and it shaped me in many ways. I was eager to learn and had worked over 20 years in the hospitality industry before joining the program. NYU opened my eyes to see the many different tools that the industry has to offer, globally. I am grateful for that!
What are your plans after graduation?
I am currently working as a complex Hotel Manager at Rebel Hospitality. My plans are to grow in the industry and eventually become an executive.
What advice do you have to students entering into the program?
Any time you enter into a new school, new classes and meet new people, it will definitely be challenging. My advice would be to take it slow and use all the tools you have at your disposal. I would remind the new students that the program is like a marathon…and as a former NYC Marathon runner, I can say that the only way to finish a marathon is one step at a time. Treat the program the same way and you will be successful.
What is something you wish you would’ve known when you started at NYU?
NYU has great ways to share information about events/speakers/resources/etc. via email and on student boards. I wish I’d discovered that sooner! It’s important to take advantage of those opportunities.