“What do you do?”
It’s a common question in New York City.
As a student, this question can be troubling, especially when the person’s reaction to your response is a predictable one.
“I go to Eugene Lang,” I say.
A pause. A long, uncomfortable pause. Questions begin running through my mind, familiar ones I’ve visited several times before. It seems that many people have not heard of Eugene Lang.
I wonder if my decision to attend Lang was the right one. Does it really matter if people have not heard of the school?
In the process of realizing that no one knows what Eugene Lang is, I have taken to creating responses that will provide me with more entertainment than would attempting to prove that Lang does indeed exist.
“I go to Parsons,” I sometimes say, looking up at the person’s impressed face, continuing with what I would describe as more of an improvisation than a lie.
“Yeah, Fine Arts,” I continue. “I guess I want to be an artist! What a funny thing to say out loud, but yes. My medium is paint. We’ll see how it all goes.”
I’m sarcastic, but that usually alludes the other person in the conversation. I want the conversation to be over as soon as possible. This is New York. Time is precious.
More and more, I decide not to explain that yes, Parsons is an established and well known design school. It has educated many successful and creative individuals. But it is not Eugene Lang.
I interviewed 10 Lang students to see if others are having these same experiences I have.
Nine out of 10 of the students said that people they’ve spoken to tend not to know what Lang is.
“I usually just say, ‘The New School,’ because more people know what that is. But if I do say Lang, they will say, ‘Oh, what is that? I’ve never heard of it,’ or ‘who is Eugene Lang?’, things of that nature,” said Tiggy Flaherty, a sophomore at Eugene Lang.
Nine out of 10 of the students also said that they mention Parsons to help others recognize Eugene Lang or The New School. Not Parsons The New School For Design, not Parsons School of Design, just one, small little “P” word: Parsons.
Each and every time I say Parsons, the stranger’s face lights up. They know Parsons. They have heard of it before, so they go on to assume that the Lang student they are speaking to must actually go to Parsons.
“I usually respond with ‘The New School’ and then I tell them ‘Eugene Lang,’ and then I just tell them about Parsons because everyone knows about Parsons,” said Shana Sanichar, a freshman at Eugene Lang.
Constantly explaining the existence of Lang gets old very quickly.
“I mean it can be a little annoying, but I guess I can understand. It’s just frustrating to have to constantly explain sometimes,” Flaherty said.
The BAFA program at The New School allows students to attend Parsons and Eugene Lang at the same time in order to receive a dual degree. However, the BAFA students I interviewed said they went with the easiest answer when they are asked about which school they attend.
“I always definitely mention that I go to Parsons first,” said Yasmin Kaytmaz, who is in her first year of the BAFA program. “A lot of the time I won’t even mention my Lang major because it’s too confusing, especially since a lot of people haven’t heard of Lang.”
Eugene Lang is as much a part of The New School as Parsons. Like Parsons, Lang offers a variety of resources and notable faculty members. The tuition is the same for both colleges. Yes, Parsons has a larger student population, but its size does not determine its importance over other divisions of the school.
The New School as a whole has been a progressive university since it was founded in 1919. It has been set apart from other universities because of it’s unique teaching methods and offered courses. Those who are familiar with it know it is not a big university like NYU or Boston University. However, many of the students I interviewed said they do not attend the New School for the popularity of its name.
“I’m not going to the school so people will have name recognition,” said Daniel Hunt, a Lang sophomore.
Perhaps the lack of knowledge surrounding The New School and Eugene Lang is a good thing. What makes Lang unique from other schools, even Parsons, could be what makes it a better fit for the students here.
“I do feel like I hear a lot of people question The New School in general, like walking by they say, ‘The New School, what’s the old school?’ said BAFA student Jordan Delzell. “I feel like it’s kind of the New School’s shtick, it’s kind of what makes them different.”