Study Abroad: Dilemmas, Decisions and Advice
Listening to French as you walk down the Champs-Elysées. Opening your mind in a stroll through La Serenissima. Losing yourself on the streets of ...
Oct 10, 2015
Listening to French as you walk down the Champs-Elysées. Opening your mind in a stroll through La Serenissima. Losing yourself on the streets of Madrid. These are just some of the experiences NYU Abu Dhabi students may have while studying abroad.
With application results flooding student Facebook feeds, there is a sense at NYUAD that study abroad is upon us. How are students reacting? When it comes to semesters away, what separates a sophomore from a junior, a competitive application from a rejected one?
The academic centers scattered across NYU’s global network promote immersion into foreign environments, as well as the fixed objective of adapting to culture in academics. For juniors who have already studied abroad for a semester, background knowledge can be helpful not just in the application process, but during the actual semester itself.
“My first semester abroad was much more about exploring what Europe has to offer in terms of culture,” said junior Issa Nasr, who spent a semester in London. “This second study abroad, in New York, I am going in more professionally and academically oriented.”
As students swivel from academic exploration to cultural exploration, the role of the tourist can be tempting. Yet one can’t forget academics completely. Nasr is making plans for his second semester abroad with his capstone in mind — a difficult task, but one he is determined to fulfill.
“I don’t expect myself to start writing my capstone during this semester abroad,” said Nasr. “I expect myself to just think of a topic and finalize it. To connect with possible faculty mentors.”
Beyond the capstone project, Nasr added that his time in New York could shed insight on his future career plans, putting him in touch with professional networks he may want to join later.
“I believe I am much more focused now than I was in sophomore spring,” said Nasr.
Not all students have had their applications approved by the Office of Global Education, however. Alyssa Ferreira is a junior but cannot study away this semester.
“I feel like study abroad is an integral pillar of what it means to be at NYUAD, but due to certain circumstances, we don’t all get that,” she said. “It is a bit hard when people come back and talk about their experiences.”
For Ferreira, the potential opportunities of study abroad are not strictly academic; there is time for personal growth as well.
“I do feel we are babied here. We are spoiled at NYUAD, whereas when you are in London or Paris, you have to take care of yourself and learn what it means to be an adult,” she said.
While studying in Abu Dhabi, students may find it challenging to escape the NYUAD bubble and integrate in the wider community.
“Because we are kind of isolated on Saadiyat, all we see are other students, professors, staff members,” she said. “Let’s say I studied in Paris and I did a homestay, or Madrid and had my own apartment — it would be a lot easier for me to interact with the city itself.”
Nevertheless, Ferreira said she still feels as if she is getting some part of the study abroad experience simply by being in Abu Dhabi.
“At this point, I don’t feel like I am missing out on too much, because technically being in Abu Dhabi, this is abroad for me. It’s not Brazil, it’s not the U.S. or anywhere else I am from. Although it does feel like a boarding school at times,” she concluded.
Carol Brandt, Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Education and Outreach, echoed this sentiment. She highlighted that the Saadiyat Campus is an international community in itself.
“What is crucial is engagement with difference, which can also be achieved right here on the NYUAD campus in our highly culturally diverse student body,” wrote Brandt. She added that in the U.S. only two percent of students study abroad.
“At NYUAD, all students have the chance to study abroad in semesters or [January] Terms or even in summer, through internships or undergraduate research abroad,” wrote Brandt.
Brandt added that, when it comes to choosing sites, students are always dealing with a wide range of factors.
“Students tend to select sites that are recommended by their major[s] for their relevant course offerings,” she wrote. “Many students choose a site because they want to advance their proficiency in a foreign language.”
For sophomores, exploration is key. Working to immerse oneself in a new environment is no easy task, and must be tackled from different angles. So is the case with sophomore Roland Folkmayer, one of the few film students going to Ghana.
“I would like to immerse myself in the culture … and this is wonderful because I can do it through my main hobbies of film-making and literature,” he said. “I think Accra will help me grow as a person. Everyone keeps telling me it’s an eye-opener, and I truly believe them.”
Folkmayer has already made plans to take a documentary film-making course, in which he will embark on filming projects about Operation Smile, a charity for children with cleft lip and palate.
“This is an illness I was born with, too, and I want to discover that illness through the eyes of the community in Accra,” said Folkmayer.
Arthur de Oliveira is a contributing writer. Email him at feedback@thegazelle.org.
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