Candidate Weekends Return to NYU Shanghai
NYU Shanghai’s Candidate Weekends are back! After four years’ pause due to COVID-19 restrictions, students from high schools in mainland China arrived on the New Bund campus from March 16 to17 for the first of three weekends of activities to showcase NYU Shanghai and assess whether they’d be a good fit. This year, NYU Shanghai’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions has invited 1,300 students and their families to attend one of the six day-long programs.
Calling it NYU Shanghai’s signature admissions event, Executive Director of Recruitment, Admissions, and Financial Aid Vicky Yang said the return of Candidate Weekend (for Chinese nationals) and next month’s Admitted Students Weekend (for international students) is crucial for both NYU Shanghai and admission applicants to decide if they are the right fit.
The sessions function almost like a matchmaking process, she said, for students to choose NYU Shanghai and for NYU Shanghai to choose them. Applicants participated in a number of activities on campus to evaluate their suitability for NYU Shanghai’s unique brand of higher education. From campus tours led by Chinese and international student ambassadors, a sample class taught by NYU Shanghai faculty, ice breakers, teamwork activities, writing assessments, the range of activities provide the admissions team with a holistic assessment of the students’ abilities on a range of metrics while allowing students to learn more about what an NYU Shanghai education has to offer.
“We're not just looking for one type of student,” Yang explained. “We're really looking for open-minded students who embrace a global perspective, who appreciate or will take advantage of immersion in an English language and diverse [environment].”
Yang added that for Chinese national students, many of whom have grown up in the Chinese educational system, NYU Shanghai’s unique educational model may be new and unfamiliar. Visiting the campus ahead of the upcoming Gaokao (China’s university entrance examination) allows them to see firsthand what it means to attend a university “where east meets west.”
In his opening address, Vice Chancellor Jeff Lehman told the students that if they attend NYU Shanghai, they should be prepared to learn from each other as much as from their professors. “The students here are super smart, interesting people, and unbelievably diverse,” he told them. “Students here come from more than 70 different countries. That means every day our students are spending at least a couple of hours interacting intensely with people who grew up in a different culture, people who hold a different passport, and people who have a different perspective on the world. That's hard work.”
A high school student from Xi’an said she was as impressed with the modern architecture of the New Bund campus as she was by Vice Chancellor Lehman’s words when he spoke about the importance of critical thinking at NYU Shanghai. “It really struck a chord with me,” she said. “I want to use my brain not just to find one answer, but to really think.”
A student from Guangdong Province, who is interested in studying science, said he was impressed by the all-English language environment, which was quite different from his high school. “I am looking forward to doing experiments in the lab using all the advanced equipment and instruments I saw there,” he said. “I think I’ll have a great platform here for scientific research.”
This year, for the first time, Candidate Weekend offered programming for parents and family members of admissions candidates as well. Parents went on campus tours, spoke with representatives from the Center for Career Development, and learned more about the admissions process.
A Shanghai parent accompanying his child said that he was impressed with the American-style feel of the campus design as well as the session on post-graduation career paths. “We learned that NYU Shanghai graduates are known for their communication and cooperation skills,” he said. “Traditional universities focus on academics, but it seems that this school also values cultivating students with skills in communication, cooperation, and innovation.”
He added that hearing firsthand from current students about interactions with faculty and creativity in the classroom showcased NYU Shanghai’s unique aspects. “I really could see that the students at this school have a positive mental outlook. That’s what I’m hoping for, for my child,” he said.
Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen and Chancellor Tong Shijun will address admissions candidates at upcoming Candidate Weekends from March 23 to24 and March 30 to31. NYU Shanghai will welcome its admitted international applicants for Admitted Students Weekend from April 26 to 27.
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