The first time I went to college I went to Ohio State University. In the middle of campus we had this humongous oval of grass, with paved walking paths criss crossing in every direction leading to all the different buildings that walled the perimeter. It is where the students gathered and it was mostly sheltered from the rest of the world by its location. Not New York University, there oval is Washington Square Park and it is by no means cut off from the world, they share it with the rest of the city. Which is one of the things that makes the school unique, and let’s them charge steep tuition, which I guess is good for your education.