<p>An NYUAD admission officer told me that in response to an email I sent about Omeir contacting students :"… It is unlikely that you will hear from us until next week, except if
we find that we need something additional."</p>
<p>So we need to be a little patient. Yes I think the Portal gives enough information about the dress code. It is be mostly casual.</p>
<p>@Plotinus
NYUAD plans to offer SAT courses? That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that. NYUAD must be pretty bad at marketing. Anyway, back when I was at high school , a group of selected students got invited to some NYUAD event. I don’t know whether that was a candidate weekend or something else, but what I can tell you is that the students were told that they didn’t have to take the SAT. Perhaps that’s due to the students’ being from a public school that doesn’t offer the College Board’s exams. My guess is that NYUAD asks students from American or international schools to take the SAT and whatnot. Asking public school students to take the SAT is an extremely dumb idea, because those students come from a starkly different academic environment. To be honest, students from public schools would never even consider going to NYUAD because it simply doesn’t offer what those students are looking for. These students would never bother taking the SAT for some random college they aren’t interested in. This creates a problem for NYUAD, since it has to meet a quota to please the funders. As long as a public school student has good grades, the person is immediately tracked down. I remember getting harassed by NYUAD quite often, even though I had nothing going for me other than a good GPA. To keep a long story short, the locals from public schools are held to much lower standards. </p>
<p>Private schools, on the other hand, force their students to take the SAT. A number of schools have a minimum SAT math score required for graduation. However, these students don’t really achieve ground-breaking scores (there are exceptions, of course). Maybe NYUAD is trying to hide these students’ scores by not displaying the 25th percentile? Perhaps NYUAD is attempting to raise these students scores with the SAT prep courses (the public school students are a lost cause)? It makes some sense, because these students would submit their SAT scores in any case. Might as well keep the numbers high, I guess?</p>
<p>Another possible explanation could be the local high school’s weak certificate and standards. The Thaaniwiyah A’ama is a rather weak certificate that can’t get a student into a number of schools throughout the globe, especially Britain (I just couldn’t apply to the British schools that I wanted). Maybe the SAT prep courses is to improve the public students’ ability in English and other subjects to a reasonable standard? I suppose that’s possible, but I doubt it. The public school students just won’t take the SAT, no matter how hard NYUAD tries. Moreover, it’s a much better idea to just use the IELTS, since most people have to take that exam to enter local colleges. This is a possible theory, but I think the previous one makes more sense.</p>
<p>NYUAD doesn’t receive many local applicants. It has a few students from private schools, but not much more than that. The number is small (I’m don’t know the exact number, even though I should). However, if it’s anything like Sorbonne, then I’d guess the percentage of local students is in the lower teens, most likely a little lower. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that I have experience in the educational field, but I have experience in human capital (employment, education, etc.). I had to learn a lot about education in Abu Dhabi, in terms of enrollment, degrees offered, faculty, graduates, dropout, attrition, special needs, employment rates, etc. The job involved dealing with all colleges in AD and learning what each college’s pros and cons. NYUAD was ,by far, the least cooperative college. That wasn’t a good move on their side; it shows that they have something to hide. I shouldn’t describe NYUAD’s administration’s problems anymore than I already have, but I can say that my experiences with NYUAD’s administration are extremely negative. </p>
<p>Actually, I got accepted ED to Wharton, and I plan to attend next Fall. I haven’t decided on a major, but Business and Public Policy interests me.</p>
<p>I find it a little hard to believe that all those people who were admitted to NYUAD without SAT scores did not actually take the SAT. It is much more plausible that they took the SAT, did not do well on it, so did not submit their scores. Everyone knows that a good SAT score will help an application. Here is an exchange between two people from another NYUAD thread on CC:</p>
<p>“SAT/ACT for NYUAD
Are there many people who’ve been recommended AND applied for NYU AD WITHOUT giving their SAT/ACTs??
Because it isn’t listed as a requirement, but I’m slightly apprehensive about whether it will hamper my chances of getting thorugh.”</p>
<p>“Don’t send them if they aren’t high. Their average is 710-730 for each section on the reasoning test. Most of the EDers who got in did not send.
They’re really not a requirement.”</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/new-york-university/1062381-sat-act-nyuad.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/new-york-university/1062381-sat-act-nyuad.html</a></p>
<p>From what I know, it looks to me that the NYUAD SAT scores are all over the map. People are also very reticent about saying what their scores are. We have Delusion2016 who reported:</p>
<p>SAT: 2050
Math II: 670 Biology: 790</p>
<p>These are quite respectable, but not even near the range claimed in NYUAD’s PR.</p>
<p>KiwiKid, who is attending NYUAD says he did submit SAT scores, but does not tell us what his scores are. </p>
<p>nrousep whose son is attending NYUAD, says the son could not take the SAT because there was no bookstore in his neighborhood selling an SAT prep book, and also because it was too late. But the son took the SAT Subject Tests in Math and Physics (in time), and so he registered on the CB website where you can order an SAT prep book and also take the Official SAT Online Course. </p>
<p>To Cardgames: Congratulations on your acceptance to Wharton. I guess YOU have good SAT scores!</p>
<p>The NYUAD SAT Prep course is a summer course in Critical Reasoning, Math and English, designed to prepare high school students to take the SAT and ACT. It is called the NYU Abu Dhabi Summer Academy, and it lasts 2 summers. The first summer the students study 3 weeks at NYUAD and then 10 days in Florence; the second summer they study 3 weeks at NYUAD and then 10 days in New York City. Here is the link to the job announcement: </p>
<p><a href=“http://nyuad.nyu.edu/pdfs/job-AD-Summer-Academy-Math.pdf[/url]”>http://nyuad.nyu.edu/pdfs/job-AD-Summer-Academy-Math.pdf</a></p>
<p>@ plotinus</p>
<p>Thank you. It isn’t just Wharton; it’s actually the Huntsman program. I’m double lucky. My scores also involved many miracles. Actually, lserendipity is the only thing that keeps me going… </p>
<p>I agree that it’s not really plausible that most students who got into NYUAD didn’t take the SAT. NYUAD attracts people who are interested in American schools, so it just makes sense that those students took the SAT. I also think that the scores are all over the place, both for SATs and GPA. I believe a lot of cherry picking is going on to present the numbers in a misleading manner. However, the diversity of students play an integral role here. I don’t think NYUAD really cares that a student from X country did well on the SAT. It cares that the student is great in the academic context that he/she grew in (I still think NYUAD is playing with its numbers). I would love to know NYUAD’s true numbers, but sadly, NYUAD didn’t participate in the higher education census that was conducted in Abu Dhabi (even though every other school did). </p>
<p>That summer program will most likely flop, unfortunately. The timing is just wrong. The program overlaps with another program that offers a more attractive deal to students. The other program (program b) is basically a study-abroad (six weeks)program that offers a huge stipend to the participants. Moreover, program b is known for being more of an educational vacation than a serious learning experience, so teenagers are more likely to choose it over NYUAD’s program. Program b also is an English and leadership program, and NYUAD failed to make a clear distinction between its program and program b. Worst of all, it is using a nomination system, which is the exact same thing the other program does. Also, it doesn’t make sense to be preparing 10th and 11th graders in this country for the SAT. Most of them can barely speak English, and you want them to take the SAT? You must teach them more basic skills, not how to take some test. The program seems unrealistic. This seems like publicity more than anything else. I actually participated in program b when I was in high school. If NYUAD’s program is anything like program b, then NYUAD’s program is nothing more than a glorified holiday. I need to ask someone who participated firsthand to take this program seriously. (Caveat: it’s only for Emirati students.)</p>
<p>@cardgames</p>
<p>What you’ve been saying is very interesting and definitely something to think about. Especially things about prestige and the future of the school. I guess it is kind of an academic risk to attend NYUAD, but as one of the parents on another page said his/her daughter loves it. So, it’s not a complete failure yet I don’t think. But definitely it’s something to think about when you’re choosing between NYUAD and ivies. So, I’ll be thinking about all of this as I go visit in two weeks and critically think through some details. But I won’t need to if this is the only school I get into haha.
I don’t know what the deal is with the SAt scores so I skimmed that section, but it does seem like NYUAD offers some great opportunies with its diversity. You have to admit that the variety of students that one might encounter in NYUAD will be vastly different than any school in the States. Also, for me I want to learn Arabic and have a vision in working in the middle east so it might be a good idea to attend NYUAD.
Anyways Congrats for getting in the Wharton!</p>
<p>@Plotinus, the only reason I hadn’t mentioned my SAT score in my last post was because I had posted it previously in the thread and I had thought anyone who was that interested would have looked back that far. I sat the SAT once and got 2330. My SAT-II subject tests were 800s in Chem, physics and MathII, and I only sat those once too. My educational background is a public school in New Zealand, where I took the UK A-Level system in maths, physics, chemistry and German. I do believe my scores are above the average (though I do also know those who have scored higher than me in the SAT) at NYUAD, but like I said before not everyone submits the SAT (though I disagree with the other post before which said ED-Iers did not submit the SAT - honestly, no one would really know except in admissions, though I can say that most of the people I did talk to during the CW last year had done the SAT).</p>
<p>Also, I think you are right when you say that NYUAD is aggressively head-hunting US high school students - but do keep in mind they are agressively head-hunting other countries’ high school students too. My high school in NZ is considered one of the best public schools, and so there was a NYUAD representative at my school some time in March before I applied and this is how I learned of the institution. I did my research, decided to apply, and was accepted - let me tell you that I most definitely had my concerns about studying in a foreign start-up in the Middle East, but my research (and conversations with the then-freshmen) convinced me that it was definitely a worthwhile institution.</p>
<p>I keep stressing this, but I think everyone seems to misunderstand what is meant by the SAT-optional thing here. SAT-optional is different in the States because US students have little option other than the SAT in terms of standardised testing. What I mean is, US applicants to US SAT-optional schools can likely just get by with their high school grades. At NYUAD, if you look at their testing requirements, [NYU</a> Abu Dhabi - NYU Abu Dhabi Testing Requirements](<a href=“http://nyuad.nyu.edu/admissions/testing.requirements.html]NYU”>http://nyuad.nyu.edu/admissions/testing.requirements.html) this is not possible. You may submit the SAT, 3 subject tests, 3 APs, etc but the key requirement is that “Students may instead elect to submit results from a nationally accredited exam that is considered locally to signify the completion of secondary education and is administered independently of the student’s school.” This rules out high-school grades as being sufficient for admission. I personally submitted a whole stack of examination systems (SAT, subject tests, A-level results, NZ’s own nationally-standardised system) but I guess I probably wouldn’t have submitted a low SAT score if I had better A-level scores. But the point is, I would have had to submit something. I think Plotinus is right to suggest that average A-Level, IB scores etc should be displayed, but I think because the overwhelming majority of students submit the SAT, this means there may only be <20 A-level students, say, in each year (this definitely seems true to me, based on inquiries about other students’ backgrounds) and so an average is somewhat meaningless.</p>
<p>Regarding diversity - I think it is unfair for each side to say the other side’s diversity or lack thereof is nothing special. Having never attended Yale, I cannot say how their diversity manifests in terms of student experiences. However, those who have never attended NYUAD cannot do that either. Because of the nature of the NZ academic calender (which follows the calendar year, not the US system) I attended my local university for one semester. There, we have an enrollment of 40000 with around 5000 internatioanl students (this proportion is fairly consistent with Yale etc, at roughly 10%) and I can tell you that I never met a single international student. There are probably more countries represented there than at NYUAD, but if you never interact with them it never really affects you. When I came to NYUAD, I was so surprised at how much you would interact with other people who have different backgrounds - it was a bit overwhelming at first, but it is really something to be treasured. Perhaps the best indicator of this is that most people tend to band together in ethnic groups in the first few weeks, simply because of familiarity (birds of a feather flock together), but now people mingle a lot more and the ethnic divide is much lessened. There are still certain languages commonly heard in the dining hall (encouraged by the language table system, which are weekly meetings aimed at students or native speakers of certain languages) but overall, class discussions are certainly very lively. I hear a lot of (“in __<strong><em>, we do </em></strong> unlike your country”) which I don’t mean in a parochial sense, but rather we learn that there are many ways of looking at things - and not only that, we also learn what those ways are and how they affect matters at a national level.</p>
<p>That said, NYUAD is not for everyone, and it shouldn’t be. Like all colleges - people argue all the type about whether Harvard is better than Yale is better than Princeton etc. Is it really inconceivable to see why some people would think NYUAD is better (not necessarily more prestigious, but better for them) than Harvard?</p>
<p>Oh, and I am happy to answer any questions any parent or applicant might have via PM.</p>
<p>@KiwiKid</p>
<p>Would you mind explaining what NYUAD students do out of classroom? Also, are NYUAD students able to secure internships? If yes, where?</p>
<p>@Plotinus</p>
<p>The SAT prep program probably has nothing to do with NYUAD’s applications or requirements. It’s most likely ADEC’s (Abu Dhabi Education Council) idea to raise Emirati student’s competence in English and math, and NYUAD complied because we fund it. There are no ulterior motives, nor is the program related to NYUAD’s requirements.</p>
<p>To Kiwikid:</p>
<p>Sorry, I started following the thread only just recently so I had not seen your SAT scores. I see they are excellent. (Although not quite at the NYUAD 75th percentile, which is 2350.) Indeed, it is clear that NYUAD has a few students with very high SAT scores. It also has two or three faculty members with relatively high academic credentials. My concern is that NYUAD PR uses these few students and few faculty members to create the impression that ALL the students and ALL the faculty are of this caliber. I have had a number of high school students tell me that they, and their guidance counselors, believe that the SAT scores of ALL NYUAD students are higher than those of Harvard, and that NYUAD is more selective. On the basis of the NYUAD rep’s presentation and other publicity NYUAD, the students and guidance counselors believe that every student who is admitted to NYUAD would also be admitted to Harvard (or similar), whereas some students who are admitted to Harvard are too weak academically to be admitted to NYUAD.</p>
<p>I am not saying that NYUAD is not a good place, because I know nothing whatsoever about NYUAD. But it looks to me as though NYUAD has something to hide, especially in relation to the SAT scores of its students.</p>
<p>Why does NYUAD publish the 75th percentile without the 25th percentile? The 75th percentile tells us that 25% of the students who submitted scores got more than that number, and 75% got less. But HOW MUCH LESS? NYUAD is just lowering a veil of secrecy over the bottom 75% of scores. All other universities lower their veils of secrecy over the bottom 25% of scores (usually the scores of athletes, minorities, and VIP kids), but not over the bottom 75%.) NYUAD is using a much larger veil.</p>
<p>I think an argument can be made that if NYUAD is an AMERICAN university, issuing an AMERICAN degree (with the name NEW YORK UNIVERSITY) on it, the students should take an AMERICAN university entrance examination (the SAT or ACT). </p>
<p>The SAT is a REASONING test, and is VERY DIFFERENT from A-levels, IB’s, AP’s, national school-leaving exams, and also SAT Subject Tests, which are all ACHIEVEMENT tests,and measure how well a student has learned what is taught in class. The SAT measures the ability to think critically and beyond what the student has learned in class. It also tests BOTH VERBAL AND MATH. There are many students who do well on the Subject Tests in the fields in which they are strong, and do much less well on the SAT Reasoning Test, or one part of the Reasoning Test. This is especially true of students who are strong in math but not in English, or strong in English or not in math. For example, a student who is great in the humanities might get 800’s on SAT II English, US History, and French, but 550 in SAT math. Similarly, a student who is good in math and science but not in English, might get straight 800’s in SAT II Math, Physics, and Chemistry, but 550 in SAT CR and W. US universities are liberal arts universities, and so require students to demonstrate reasoning skills in BOTH MATH AND VERBAL. American universities also believe that reasoning and critical thinking skills are crucial to college-level studies, and so require students to present evidence of the level of their reasoning skills.</p>
<p>If NYUAD is not an American university, it may be a fine place, but what meaning does the “NYU” have in “NYUAD”?</p>
<p>If NYUAD has nothing to hide about its SAT scores, then why does it not publish the percentage of admitted students who have submitted SAT scores? This number is included for ALL universities listed in the US News and World Reports Guide.</p>
<p>And why does it not publish the 25 percentile scores for SAT CR and M, as do all universities listed in the US News and World Reports Guide?</p>
<p>About diversity: I am a native New Yorker. I received my PhD from Columbia University. As a graduate student I taught Columbia undergraduates for 4 years.
The student population at Columbia is highly diverse and the classes have students from all over the world, including India, the Middle East, Asia, Russia, Australia, South America. There are also many students from Europe: England, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, you name it. I think NYU in New York is the same. I don’t see that NYUAD has an edge in diversity over NYU and Columbia in New York City, so I don’t see why a student would choose to attend NYUAD instead of NYU in New York for the sake of the diversity of the student population.</p>
<p>To KiwiKid:</p>
<p>I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a few questions, since you seem to be representative of the very elite group of students that NYUAD talks about in its publicity, students who have chosen to go to NYUAD although they have many other admissions offers from prestigious universities such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale.</p>
<p>Did you apply to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, and were you admitted?
Did you apply to NYU in New York?
To what other universities were you accepted, and why did you turn them down to go to NYUAD? Why did you prefer NYUAD over NYU in New York? </p>
<p>Have you met other students at NYUAD who have turned down offers from Ivy League universities and NYU in New York? What were their reasons?</p>
<p>I would really be grateful for any information you could give me in this regard. I guess I am not very objective because New York is my native city, and all the international students I know who go to school there adore it.</p>
<p>@Plotinus,</p>
<p>I believe the high school students/counselors who think that all NYUAD students have high SAT scores are somewhat misguided. Even when I was applying, I never got that impression - I did think the average was higher than at HYP etc but in no way would that have equated to every single person at NYUAD having a higher score than at HYP. I was an ED-I candidate, so I only applied to NYUAD. Had I been rejected, I would have then applied to Princeton, MIT, etc - but I never sent my applications in for those. However, I do know of other students who got into (and turned down) Harvard, MIT, Yale but came here instead. I don’t know if financial aid would have been a significant factor in their decisions, but it is also the idea of studying in the Middle East, during a period of their rising influence, that made a lot of people want to come here. And the student body here is very close (due to our small size) and so not everyone wants to go to a large school (which NYU-NY undoubtedly is). However, I do intend to spend a semester in NYU-NYC though.</p>
<p>NYUAD appealed to me in a way that NYU-NY did not because firstly, NYU-NY does not offer financial aid to internationals; secondly, the smaller class sizes were very appealing; thirdly, the Candidate Weekend I went to convinced me that my fellow students would be amazing intellectual companions and lifelong friends. This is not to mean that you could not get that anywhere else, but you can definitely get it at NYUAD.</p>
<p>I think you are right about the SAT score percentile listing, though I have no control over that. However, with no disrespect meant to the SAT test, given the amount of coaching that goes into the test (especially in places where SAT is very important, e.g. the USA) its value as an indicator of true scholastic ability is diminished when compared to, say, the interview we have with a faculty member during the Candidate Weekend. I should mention that prospective students also attend a sample class at our CW, where we are pushed to digest (possibly new) knowledge in a class setting and asked to respond to it, which is definitely a test of our critical thinking. A student who has good grades but could not think for himself in class would probably be rejected. I also want to stress that most A-level and IB schools worldwide require taking both English and Maths to some level, so it is not as if an A-level student would only have science courses. I myself took English literature up to AS Level (which is half an A-Level) and then did a full A-Level in German literature. Of course, not all students take a wide range of subjects - these students tend not to apply to NYUAD anyway, and those that do tend to not get in. </p>
<p>I fully agree that diversity can be found at any institution - however, people define the company they keep, and I’m sure you’ll agree that not everyone at NYU-NY wants to, or cares about, meeting and getting to know international students. Obviously, some most certainly do - I daresay these would be a minority of the students - and think of NYUAD as a compilation of all of these such students, i.e. no one here does NOT want to get to know other cultures, unlike in NYU-NYC. Of course, NYU-NYC may have students who are just as, or even more culturally-aware than in NYUAD, but all I mean to say is that those at NYUAD definitely are interested in internationalist values. </p>
<p>I believe that the elite-tier schools, e.g. HYPMS, are all very worthwhile to attend. At some point, comparisons of these become highly subjective. I truly think that any prospective student to any of these universities should visit it to see for themself whether it is truly a good fit for them.</p>
<p>@Cardgames,
There are a lot of extracurricular groups here, ranging from sports, volunteering, adventuring, cooking, etc. I have a summer internship in NYC myself, and quite a lot of people here have secured summer internships. While it’s not like an extremely easy process, based on comparisons with other institutions it is much easier to get an internship here than in other places. This I think is because of the decreased competition due to class sizes here, and also because of the better institutional support (again, due to a smaller class size). There are also some internships offered here in the UAE, as well as in students’ individual home countries- it is really up to the student to decide where he wants to look for one.</p>
<p>I should also stress that I am just a student at NYUAD and anything I say is my view, not NYUAD’s.</p>
<p>Oh, and I was also admitted (with a full scholarship) to my country’s top-ranked university, so my decision to come to NYUAD was not a financial decision (the only extra that NYUAD offers me is room and board), but rather because of the studying environment here. Comparing my first semester at each of the universities made me realise how different NYUAD, with its small community, really is.</p>
<p>To KiwiKid:</p>
<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences and insights.</p>
<p>You say: “I did think the average was higher than at HYP.”</p>
<p>Yes, this is exactly what I mean when I say that NYUAD PR misleads high school students and guidance counselors. The NYUAD PR makes prospective applicants think that the average SAT scores are higher than the average SAT scores at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. But as I keep repeating, the NYUAD published numbers do not give evidence that the average NYUAD student has higher SAT scores than the average Harvard student.</p>
<p>According to the 2010 US News and World Report College Guide), at Harvard, fully 96% of admitted students submitted SAT scores, and the 75th percentile/25th percentiles of CR were 780/690 and for M 790/690.</p>
<p>In the case of Harvard, the 75th percentile represents .25 x .96 of the class, which works out to 24%. This means 24% of students at Harvard scored 780 CR 790 M.</p>
<p>What percentage of students at NYUAD submitted SAT scores? How much less than 96% is the percentage NYUAD who submitted SAT scores? That’s what NYUAD is not telling.</p>
<p>We also know that at Harvard, .96 x 75= 72% of the admitted students scored 690 690 or above on the SAT. This gives a lower limit for the bulk of the class. We have no such data for NYUAD. How low do the SAT scores get for NYUAD students? That’s what NYUAD is not telling. </p>
<p>It is not coherent to say that the SAT is not very good as a measure of academic ability, and then to blazon SAT scores all over your PR.</p>
<p>About coaching: Students get lots of coaching for A-level’s, IB’s, national school-leaving exams, and whatever. They also get tutoring for their classes. If you think coaching makes SAT results unreliable, then we cannot trust these other test results or even course grades. </p>
<p>You say that NYUAD applicants prove during Candidates Weekend that their critical reasoning skills are great. If their critical reasoning skills are great, shouldn’t their SAT scores also be great? Personal evaluation of a student by a professor can be informative and give a larger picture, but it can also be subjective and partial. As a parent, I would not send my child to a school filled with students with no SAT scores but who were handpicked by one or more faculty members using whatever criteria they like.</p>
<p>I appreciate, KiwiKid, that you are so candid about the role of financial aid in your decision to attend NYUAD instead of NYU, and indeed to apply ED to NYUAD instead of applying ED to Harvard, Princeton, or MIT. I can completely understand that international students who are not eligible for financial aid in the US, and whose families are not well-off, would choose to go to NYUAD over NYU. Is this generally true of the students at NYUAD with good academic credentials? They are international students for whom attending a college in the US, like NYU, would be an economic strain?</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about New Zealand universities, but no high school students I know are thinking of applying there. How were you able to apply to a university in New Zealand if you applied ED to NYUAD? Did you apply to U. New Zealand before or after you put in the ED application to NYUAD? I thought that was not allowed.</p>
<p>The high students I know whom NYUAD is head-hunting are US citizens. They are able to afford college in the US. The economic reason that was so important for your decision not to apply to NYU would not have the same weight for them. </p>
<p>Making friends is great, but college is primarily about education, and university-level education comes first and foremost from your professors, not from your friends. The most important characteristic of a research university is that the people there are engaged in significant research and are advancing the bounds of human knowledge in their fields. Research requires a critical mass of faculty and students. The student body and faculty at NYUAD are really very, very tiny. I would think this cuts down on many kinds of diversity, such as diversity due to the sheer numbers of people, both students and faculty, people come into contact with at college. Don’t you run into the same 5 or 6 people over and over again in classes, or at meals and activities? 160 people per class seems to me more like the number of students at a small high school than at a university.</p>
<p>OMG plontius i think you’re starting to be a bit vindictive now. I’m from the other side of the globe and even I understand how it’s possible for KiwiKid to have applied to both his national uni as well as ED to NYUAD. It’s because unis in New Zealand and Australia start their first semester in February/March ie the academic calendar is totally different, so he would have been in his first semester of college while applying to foreign unis. I think you’re so preoccupied with faulting NYUAD and demeaning it and its value that you’re starting to sound bitter ughh. and FYI I know Americans AND internationals who got full rides to ivies (and by full rides i mean FULL) and they still opted to go to NYUAD. So please don’t make the statement you made about people choosing to go there due to the financial aid alone.</p>
<p>@Plotinus</p>
<p>“It is not coherent to say that the SAT is not very good as a measure of academic ability, and then to blazon SAT scores all over your PR.”
<p>"About coaching: Students get lots of coaching for A-level’s, IB’s, national school-leaving exams, and whatever. They also get tutoring for their classes. If you think coaching makes SAT results unreliable, then we cannot trust these other test results or even course grades. "
<p>“You say that NYUAD applicants prove during Candidates Weekend that their critical reasoning skills are great. If their critical reasoning skills are great, shouldn’t their SAT scores also be great? Personal evaluation of a student by a professor can be informative and give a larger picture, but it can also be subjective and partial. As a parent, I would not send my child to a school filled with students with no SAT scores but who were handpicked by one or more faculty members using whatever criteria they like.”
<p>“I appreciate, KiwiKid, that you are so candid about the role of financial aid in your decision to attend NYUAD instead of NYU, and indeed to apply ED to NYUAD instead of applying ED to Harvard, Princeton, or MIT. I can completely understand that international students who are not eligible for financial aid in the US, and whose families are not well-off, would choose to go to NYUAD over NYU. Is this generally true of the students at NYUAD with good academic credentials? They are international students for whom attending a college in the US, like NYU, would be an economic strain?”
<p>“Research requires a critical mass of faculty and students. The student body and faculty at NYUAD are really very, very tiny. I would think this cuts down on many kinds of diversity, such as diversity due to the sheer numbers of people, both students and faculty, people come into contact with at college. Don’t you run into the same 5 or 6 people over and over again in classes, or at meals and activities? 160 people per class seems to me more like the number of students at a small high school than at a university.”
<p>NZ universities are definitely not internationally-renowned but they’re not particularly bad. I was allowed to apply to it because ED is an American concept and so they allow internationals to apply for a uni in their home country (lest they don’t get in into the ED school and miss the application window for their home country’s universities).</p>
<p>To all:</p>
<p>I really know absolutely nothing about why students go to NYUAD, whether the money is important or not, what other options these students have, what their SAT scores are, or anything at all. I did not make any statements about any of this, but only asked questions. I also know nothing about the academic calendar in Australia, or what the deadlines are for applications to universities in NZ. All I know is that to apply ED I via the Common Application, a student has to sign a contract that he or she will not apply ED to any other university, and will also immediately withdraw any pending applications to other universities if and when the student is accepted (usually by December 15 of the year prior to enrollment). So students who are accepted ED I do not generally get offers from any other universities. This is why I was surprised. </p>
<p>I think I was confused because I have been following the forum only a short time. So KiwiKid enrolled in college in NZ (in February, is that right?) after he received his ED I admission to NYUAD on December 15? This is really a very different situation and timing sequence from the US ones, and I am not sure how the ED I contract would apply to it. Because the ED contract says the student has to withdraw all other college applications upon receipt of an ED I offer. </p>
<p>As I have already said, NYUAD is very aggressively recruiting students, especially American students, in my area, and some of these students, including my own son, are interested in the program. It was only for this reason that I began to do some research. The information I have found has raised some questions in my own mind. These questions have to do mostly with the advantages and disadvantages NYUAD might have to offer in comparison to certain other US universities for American students who can afford to go to university in the US. I realize that I am asking some pointed questions, but I think this is only what any responsible parent and educator would do. I am very grateful to anyone who has any information to share to help me answer these questions, and to correct any misconceptions I may have.</p>
<p>The thing about NZ universities is that they are all public, so it’s not like the US system. We literally know from the moment we apply whether we’ll get in (we must meet the minimum grade amount) - this is typically in November, but it can be as late as January. Most US colleges allow internationals to apply for their home country university despite the ED agreement (because if we don’t get in ED, we may not have a chance to apply for our home university). This is consistent with Yale, Stanford etc. Typically, if you read the fine print in the ED agreement it only applies to US institutions. Because I graduated in November I asked for, and got, permission from NYUAD to do one semester at my local university before I came to NYUAD. I was not allowed to transfer credits, and so this semester was purely for “fun”/to ease the transition to university.</p>
<p>Plotinus, I most definitely understand your position. I hope my posts have not come off as rude! I did a similar researching process when deciding to apply, including asking current students. I would recommend your son to apply RD if he is really not sure, and the CW, should he be accepted to that, would help him make up his mind. That way, he can see for himself the type of environment he’d be living in and the type of faculty, fellow students, etc that he would be studying with.</p>
<p>To KiwiKid</p>
<p>Thank you for your explanation. Your answers have been really helpful and not impolite in the least.</p>
<p>The problem with leaving fact-finding to the Candidates Weekend is that the Candidates Weekend is attended only by the students, who are very young, impressionable, and ingenuous. A teenager is not likely to know much about the university academic system, about what is real and what is hype, what is permanent and what is only happening during that weekend to create a certain impression. A teenager is relatively easy to influence by flattery, attention, special favors and gifts, exotic outings, meeting with important people, a carefully orchestrated PR campaign. A teenager is not going to ask the pointed questions that I have been asking here about the academic credentials of the faculty and the academic achievement of the student body; and if he or she does, I doubt that teenager will get an admission offer. I would not trust the judgement of a teenager to make a reasoned decision under those conditions.</p>
<p>Well…</p>
<p>I am one of these “young, impressionable, ingenuous and easy-to-influence” teenagers, who cannot “make a reasoned decision under those circumstances.”</p>
<p>And I do NOT consider myself a member of any of these categories at all. When you apply to college, you normally do research. When you do proper research, you normally encounter such threads and, if you are doing that research objectively, you would take them into account. I have read the lengthy conversation here, but do NOT wish to take part of it. I do disagree with certain claims, but that’s just me. I know that NYUAD probably is an academic risk, yet I have looked at most of its pro’s and con’s and it still works perfectly for me.</p>
<p>I would also like to say that I myself would not trust the judgment of a parent. This is MY college career, it is I that will be studying, it is I that will be living in that place for an x number of years. The fact that someone is older does not implicate a more rational judgment going beyond “I want my kid to be closer, let’s find a flow in everything he wants that we don’t like for some reason.” If we assume that teenagers are naive, we should not necessarily deem parents unbiased.</p>
<p>To amk:</p>
<p>You are quite right that I may be biased. I would be really grateful if you could help me see things in a more unbiased way, especially since you have more information about NYUAD than I do about what happens at Candidates Weekends, and do not think that they are designed to fool ingenuous high school students.</p>
<p>For example, I read on a blog that the interviews at the current Candidates Weekend are being conducted by the ex-foreign minister of Greece. As I am sure you already know, the entire government of Greece (including this ex-foreign minister) resigned a few months ago in disgrace in the middle of an enormous corruption scandal involving massive falsification of Greek budget data. Greece would now be bankrupt if not for a massive bail-out undertaken by the other governments of Europe, a bailout that is hurting every ordinary EU citizen through pay cuts, tax increases, social welfare cuts, and other austerity measures. </p>
<p>The reputations of all members of that government, as well as the Greek economy itself, are in ruin.</p>
<p>Why has NYUAD invited such a person to conduct college interviews of high school students? What kind of leadership qualities does he represent, other than corruption, deception, and the ability to bring his country to the brink of economic ruin? </p>
<p>Why do you think he accepted this job? </p>
<p>What impression do you think high school students attending Candidates Weekend have when they are interviewed by the ex-Foreign Minister of Greece?</p>
<p>Thanks again for helping me to be less biased.</p>
<p>I think that to a certain degree, high school students are still those adjectives that Plotinus used. I think that students have critical thinking skills to discern some things, but not others. There is a definite academic risk, but the question is if we are willing to take that risk to see if it’s a success. It’s a big risk for sure, but some people need to be pioneers. And some of us might be fit to pioneer. I think it would good to have this kind of discussion after the CW to see if we have been wooed and swayed by the flattery and orchestrated PRing. Maybe we are wooed by their genuine uniqueness. Maybe not. As for me, I’m glad I’ve read some the posts just to keep some things at the back of my head so that I’m not completely won over by this visit (I’m not saying that I’m one of those “young, impressionable, ingenuous and easy-to-influence” at least I believe not to be). I wonder what I will think after this trip.</p>