Fossies. The Sleepless Ones. My cranky roommate. As a school, we have come up with all kinds of nicknames, wordplay and even stereotypes to describe those taking NYU Abu Dhabi’s introductory science course, Foundations of Science.

The student members of the FOS community have clearly not been dealt the best academic hand on campus. Granted, this school-wide perception that FOS students have loads of homework, early morning lectures and problems with teaching methods has been very much supported by FOS students themselves.

According to Dean of Science Dave Scicchitano, the issues are present: Class size nearly tripled since last year from 33 to 89 students, and there has been a consistent problem with large amounts of students skipping class on a regular basis.

“[FOS] is going to be hard work,” said Scicchitano. “But it cannot be a path of misery.”

While he believes that no student should miss class without a viable excuse, he said that university reforms are needed if students are exiting class in what he calls epidemic proportions.

Scicchitano said that next year’s reforms to the FOS curriculum will include offering FOS one and two classes every semester so that students have more opportunities to enroll when they are ready. Additionally, more than one lecture will be held next year as a response to the recent boom of new science and engineering students.

From a student perspective, issues arise from not just class size but teaching style and structure as well.

“FOS is a good course,” said freshman Hazem Ibrahim. “But it could be structured better. I feel like the teaching methods could be changed for the better.”

For freshman Áron Braunsteiner, the real issue has been the class size. He believes FOS to be a worthwhile course as he continues towards his science major but wants a more personal environment for lectures.

As for skipping class, student reasons range from dissatisfaction with the methods of learning to a simple need for sleep.

“It’s early in the morning,” explained Braunsteiner. “Also some people feel like they learn better from the book than the lecture itself.”

“Coming into FOS as a sophomore, I came in with a background knowing that FOS was … a hard course, but I tried to come in with a clear mind,” said sophomore Jose Varias. “The entire FOS program is flawed. The students know it. Some staff know it. The fact that aspiring engineers and physicist have to learn about biology is complete nonsense. That should not be the mentality, that it should be taught just to be taught.”

In Varias’ opinion, the most serious reason for students leaving class is the FOS system itself, whose flaws have led students to no longer see purpose in what they are learning.

Earlier this year, Scicchitano and other FOS academic leaders held a meeting with FOS students to hear their current grievances with the program. In response to what they learned, the faculty added review sessions and made minor changes to the lecture system.

As a school in its fifth year, with a consistently increasing student body and a new campus, NYUAD is still in its infancy when it comes to the science program. Yet FOS has succeeded in some areas, such as high acceptance rates to medical schools and students coming back from NYU New York study abroad semesters to report favorable comparisons.

Lack of sleep will no doubt remain a constant in a course renowned for its difficulty and time commitment, but hopefully the years to come will see further improvements to NYUAD’s science curriculum.