Stranger Things Star Noah Schnapp Talks Starting College, “Happy” Will Byers, & His New DoorDash Partnership

In Stranger Things, Noah Schnapp has taken on supernatural creatures and evil forces from other dimensions as his character Will Byers. Now, Noah is taking on a new beast — college.

The 17-year-old actor just started his first week of college at the University of Pennsylvania as a business major, and has set out to conquer the entire college experience: welcome week, on-campus dorm life, you name it. Last winter, Noah went viral on TikTok after posting a heartwarming video of him and his family opening his acceptance letter to the prestigious Ivy League school. There were huge smiles and so, so many tears.

Ahead of his first semester as a college freshman, Noah has partnered up with DoorDash to help ease his fellow students into the new school year with free coffee during Welcome Week. Through Noah’s partnership, those signed up as members of DashPass for Students are able to redeem two cups of coffee until August 31 at midnight ET. (Learn more about DashPass for Students and the eligibility requirements here.) 

Through a sweepstakes on his TikTok, Noah is also gifting one of his fellow incoming freshman free coffee on DoorDash for all four years of college — all you have to do to enter is comment on under his post with the hashtag #DashofCoffee.

Noah caught up with Teen Vogue to talk more about partnering with DoorDash, to fully unpack his first week of living on the UPenn campus, and of course — discuss what he’s most looking forward to in the final season of Stranger Things.

Teen Vogue: How has New Student Orientation and welcome week been for you so far?

Noah Schnapp: Oh my god, it’s been awesome. I love it here and it’s great to be meeting new people, meeting new faces and building a new network and becoming a part of a new community. It’s such a big transition, probably the biggest transition I’ll ever have to make in my life, but it’s very exciting.

TV: What was moving in like? Was it stressful, or a breeze?

NS: It was stressful, to be honest! Lots of stuff to be moving into some tiny little dorm and my room is actually the size of a closet, but it’s awesome. I love it and it’s really great. I’m starting to adjust now.

TV: Welcome to college. What made you decide to live in the dorms on campus?

NS: I wanted the real experience. I always knew from a young age I was going to finish high school, [and] I was going to go to college. It was never really a question for me, and becoming an actor didn’t really change that. So I committed to it and I’m so happy so far.

TV: Have you decorated yet?

NS: Yes, I have. I’m a big hat guy, so I have a bunch of hats hung up. I love my shoes, so I have my shoes kind of displayed, but other than that, my room’s a big fat mess and there’s clothes all over the floor. So I got to learn how to keep my stuff clean.