NYU Abu Dhabi

NYUAD:

Hello there! I’m Aaryan. When I was applying to University and I told people my first choice was NYU Abu Dhabi, the ‘Abu Dhabi’ part of it raised a few eyebrows. I can understand why my choice may prompt a few question marks, and I hope I can answer some of the questions you might have and convey why I think I made the right choice. So, here goes. My name is Aaryan Sharma and I’m a first-year student at the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), and here are some reasons why there’s no other place I’d rather be:

• Don’t be deterred because it’s outside the UK and North America – Studying here was an unconventional choice, but you should not let that affect your decision. Just because a lot of your friends want to study in the US or UK doesn’t mean that’s the right choice for you too, so don’t be afraid to try a different path.
• It’s not a satellite campus – I just wanted to clarify this. NYUAD is not a subsidiary of NYU New York, it’s a completely different institution, in its mission, academics, administration, basically everything. You can think of NYU as an older sibling and NYUAD as a younger sibling. They’re related and share a name, but they’re different entities with different identities.
• The UAE is more progressive and multinational than many realise – in fact, less than 12% of the population of the country are actually Emirati, so there’s a lot of international and cultural diversity in the country
• The campus is amazing – The campus is small, but it’s really beautiful, with modern architecture and wonderful facilities, from state-of-the art research labs, to innovative auditoriums, to a football field that professional team practice on.  
• Specialised undergraduate institution – NYUAD is currently almost an entirely undergraduate college, and what this means is that as undergraduates, we get opportunities and access to resources that most undergraduates wouldn’t have. We can use the research labs for projects, and we are also then the focus of professors’ attention.
• It has the nicest students – Maybe in admission they just pay more attention to what kind of a person you are, but I was just amazed by how nice everyone is. All the students here are super friendly and even all the upperclassmen are incredibly warm and welcoming.
• The close community feels like family – NYUAD is a small University. My freshmen class has a little over 400 students. What this means is that you can get to know almost your entire class and most faces are familiar. You can form strong connections with people since you will keep encountering the same people around campus, forming close bonds.
• Incredible diversity – It’s amazing that there are over 115 nations represented in a group of just 1500 students. This means that everyone you meet has a different background and you get to interact a lot with people from other cultures
• Everyone is unique – The largest single nationality (Emiratis) just make up 15% of the University. Unlike a lot of colleges in the US with a lot of locals, there are no large single homogeneous groups, which means that every student who comes in is totally unique, the experiences we share together while here are unique, and we leave even more unique than before
• You feel at home – The college really makes incoming students feel welcome. Marhaba is what we call our orientation week and the word means ‘welcome’ in Arabic. It’s a fun-filled week where the college and upperclassmen organize events, performances, outings, and games for us to settle in. Additionally, through the first year, there are several events organized for freshmen to enjoy
• The University takes care of us – While here, you really feel like a valued member of the community. We are well looked after, and we can see this now more than ever with the college’s coronavirus response. Where most colleges have shut and asked students to leave, we have been allowed and even encouraged to stay on campus. They are providing all essential services and the institutional support systems are quite amazing. At the same time, we were given the option of going home if we wanted, even giving us a travel allowance and making all classes online to facilitate this
• Student leadership – There are several opportunities for all students to play a role in shaping the community experience on campus, and I have found the students who do this to be quite inspirational role models, who have been excellent leaders and contributed a lot to the community
• Flexible academic program – I’m a Physics major, but I’m still not 100% sure of this. The flexibility of the program means that I can still switch to another major and be able to complete my degree on time
• A rigorous curriculum – The flexibility doesn’t take away from the depth of the program, and each subject has a great depth of instruction, from technical fields to the arts. This does mean that the academics are quite challenging, but that is the best way to learn
• As a Physics major, I could take courses on the Meaning of Life and Sports and Society – There are a lot of fun, interesting courses that allow you to explore new subjects outside of your main area of study too
• Great faculty – The unique vision of the University means that it attracts a lot of pioneering, passionate professors, and chances are, every student here will encounter multiple professors who could transform their educational experience
• Small classes – Because the student body is small, the class sizes too are very small. This is what I think makes the level of education on par with even the very best American Universities. One of my Physics classes this semester has only 3 students! This allows for great engagement with professors and I’ve learned so much more just because we get very individualized education, which is extremely conducive to learning
• Learning outside the classroom – Because there is so much diversity and everyone has a unique background, there’s so much to learn from every interaction with others. Simple conversations can challenge your beliefs and become lengthy philosophical discussions, and as such, it’s a very intellectually stimulating environment
• Professional/academic opportunities – There are plenty of internship and research opportunities throughout the 4 years, as well as opportunities for jobs on campus. As a result, seniors get great opportunities after graduation too, and the NYU name is useful here. And the professional and academic development of the program are validated externally by alumni job placements and the fact that NYUAD produces Rhodes and Schwarzman scholars almost on a regular basis
• Global education – With the diversity of students and faculty, we already get a pretty global education just here on campus. But additionally, being an NYU college means that students get the chance to study away for a semester, sometimes two, in any of the 13 NYU global sites. There are also trips through student clubs for competitions. In January term (3-week course), many classes have trips for a few days or take place entirely in cities abroad.
• Sports – There’s a wide range of sports available on campus, played both competitively and recreationally. Everyone is not just encouraged, but actually required to complete PE requirements and so everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate. This means no matter how good or bad you are, or even if you’ve never played the sport, you’re always encouraged to join. I’ve tried rock climbing, which I couldn’t do before, as well as taking up touch rugby, and we even have a professor on the team. And despite not being great at it, whenever I go for football practice, I’m always welcomed by the coach, and it’s one of the best communities on campus. So, we are not only given the chance to participate in a variety of sports, but the warmth of the community carries over to the sports field as well.
• Extracurricular activities – There are lots of events and activities to participate in on campus. There are several opportunities for people to participate in dance, drama, and music performances, regardless of any prior experiences. And there are several student-led clubs to meet people and try out new hobbies and interests, from languages to gaming to debate.
• Our facebook group is called the Room of Requirement and our vacuum cleaners are named after Star Wars villains – need I say any more?
• Accessible education – NYUAD makes education accessible to all, regardless of circumstances. So, it’s especially good to consider in terms of financial feasibility as they are a bit more generous with financial aid than most US Universities.
• New universities are often worth consideration – what my experience has taught me is that new, small universities in general can have great value. Be it NYUAD, Ashoka, Yale-NUS or any other college, they are worth consideration. This is because they will usually have a bright, ambitious vision for the future, and they get a clean slate to build their own community and identity. This allows for a great community with many opportunities and the students will be valued and looked after.

Overall, NYUAD is a place with everything I wanted from a college. It has a wonderful community that makes you feel at home. At the same time, it pushes you out of your comfort zone via exposure to different communities, beliefs, backgrounds and encouraging you to try new things, be it sports or subjects, alongside a high quality, rigorous academic program. That’s why I think the college experience here will be one of the greatest opportunities for growth and learning that any student can have. Given the remarkable student body, it may not be easy to excel here. But here, we grow, and it’s not difficult to be happy.