Four days before I hoped to be in Abu Dhabi for Candidate Weekend in March 2020, I was informed that the in person event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 developments globally. I was still excited, but the transition to a virtual format was far from ideal.

“I was sad that it was cancelled and I was confused with what the platform would be, how it would work with the timezones… and it wasn’t made clear until the last minute,” shared Addie Mae Villas, Class of 2024. “It was confusing and worrying.”

However, for other prospective students, the online format provided an equal opportunity for applicants to tune in and participate from all around the world. “I live in Eastern Asia and by mid-February I had already experienced the contagiousness of Covid-19 as it was the most rampant here. I was worried about travel restrictions and my travel to Abu Dhabi,” mentioned Terry Chen, Class of 2024. For Aditya Balakrishnan, Class of 2024, Candidate Weekend was on the same day as his board exams, and was only able to attend because of the virtual format.

Amy Kice, Director of Admissions at NYU Abu Dhabi, hoped to reinstall a message of hope for future candidates.

“The virtual Candidate Weekend draws on some of the best aspects of in person Candidate Weekend, but translates it to the virtual space,” she added. “Unfortunately, we haven’t yet found a way to recreate the Dinner in the Desert online, but the key components that help a student to get to know and understand NYUAD will be there.”

For me, the weekend took place from March 20 to 22 and consisted of mandatory informative sessions, a live question-and-answer panel with Vice Chancellor Marïet Westermann, optional Campus Life webinars and prerecorded video content on sample classes.

Attendees from the virtual Candidate Weekend noted that one of the most rewarding aspects of the virtual setting was the more light-hearted and unstructured panel where applicants were given a platform to have their questions answered by students, faculty and admission representatives. Some students mentioned that, to an extent, it bridged a connection between them and the university, making it easier for them to gauge whether NYUAD would be a good fit for them.

“We had many opportunities to understand the life of an undergraduate through the information seminars, [that were] a bit intensive and took a lot of energy but [regardless] were very informative,” recalled Lindy Luo, Class of 2024.

Similar to the virtual Candidate Weekend held last spring, Kice mentioned that the Facebook group will remain a key platform for upcoming events where candidates can directly connect with current students and other applicants before, during and even after the weekend.

Over the last eight months, the virtual model has also seen developments for upcoming virtual Candidate Weekends. “Students will be able to meet and interact with one another during the virtual Majlis session,” Kice explained, emphasizing this new interactive component.

Prompted by a pandemic and forcing the first ever virtual Candidate Weekend in the history of NYUAD, prospective students were left to grapple with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty. Specifically, the transition to an online format created a greater ambiguity with respect to the assessment criteria by which candidates were being evaluated.

“Throughout the weekend I held on to this thought of unknowingness, I didn’t really know where I’d be assessed so it was overwhelming,” noted Chen. “I made many speculations that are now ridiculous and I laugh at myself today, as I thought they were monitoring our cameras and looking close at our Facebook posts.”

In response, Kice mentioned their decision to gradually dial back the evaluative nature of Candidate Weekends. “The bar to be invited to Candidate Weekend is very high, and throughout the admissions process, our admissions team conducts a rigorous evaluation of every application that includes both qualitative and quantitative markers,” she emphasized. “What we have never wanted was for Candidate Weekend to be a disqualifier for admission — to have a student’s accomplishments over the course of their education boil down to their participation during Candidate Weekend.”

Participating in the virtual programme, Luo and Villas acknowledged the challenges with establishing a virtual presence and finding meaningful friendships during their Candidate Weekend.

For Luo, the online space was considerably less immersive than how she imagined the in-person event would be, making it harder to engage with the content. “I have social anxiety going online,” she described. Adding to this, Villas stressed that she was concerned because of the reduced opportunities for applicants to interact with one another. “I did not necessarily have that connection that a ton of people talk about where they’re so excited to come back to campus because they felt so at home [at NYUAD],” she explained.

As Covid-19 continues to bring unforeseen consequences for in person Candidate Weekends, Kice said that the Admissions team is working hard to sustain the long-term viability of the NYUAD hallmark programme no matter the circumstances.

“We can’t predict the future — especially not during the pandemic — but our every intention is to continue to offer prospective students a rich Candidate Weekend experience with access to both familiar and new traditions for a long time to come,” said Kice.

For all, the long cherished tradition of Candidate Weekend is still a unique and crucial part of NYUAD’s admissions process. This leads us to the simple question: How do we, as candidates, maximize our virtual Candidate Weekend experience?

Having to sit in front of a screen for the course of three days can be exhausting and oftentimes stressful. To avoid burning out, Luo advised candidates to strategically plan their schedule beforehand: complete the reflective writing assignment without delay to allow yourself to have ample time to submit the work, but also ensure that the last day is not too packed.

“Candidate Weekend can often help crystalize what the candidates have come to find so appealing about the opportunity to attend NYUAD,” noted Kice. To maximize the opportunity to inform whether NYUAD is the best choice for you, keep an open mind, willingly participate and absorb the information provided, and in doing so, ask as many questions as you want!

If the virtual experience is unable to accommodate all your queries and you seek more information, Kice has outlined other options: after the weekend, candidates can always contact admissions counselors and Institute of International Education partners and stay up to date through their social media and web presence, information sessions or email outreach to prospective students.

Balakrishnan underlined the possible pitfalls if future applicants equate their experience to those of March 2020 Candidate Weekend students. “It’s different from our situation. There was only one virtual Candidate Weekend for the Class of 2024 which meant that others had already experienced campus life,” he shared.

Remind yourself that the entire cohort of future Class of 2025 students will experience the event virtually, and that you are all in this together. To get to know the people you may be spending the rest of your four years with, initiate conversations, create Messenger group chats and host video calls while keeping in mind different time zones. And most important, be yourself.

While it is ideal that candidates attend most sessions, Luo recommended applicants to prioritize their wellbeing. “Don’t force yourself to be active if you don’t feel comfortable doing so,” she added.

The virtual Candidate Weekend, however unfortunate, only left me wanting more. As most of us also attended our first semester online, we have begun our NYUAD journey at the crux of disruption. But we have embraced such disruptive times, endured through it and continue to find creative ways to have a wholesome first year experience. And, for that, I am honoured to belong to the Class of 2024, virtual Candidate Weekend and all.