<p>Your points are indeed very valid since u have direct experience of it all unlike the wishful thinking of those attending & the hype. I appreciate you sharing it here & thank you for the concern you have with regards to that. </p>
<p>The UAE Govt is not going to fund a univ. (& students too) without ensuring that a large chunk of their kids studied there. Why would they? And thats what lowers the bar as i can bet that they wont score beyond 500 in any of the SAT tests. Unless they segregate these UAE kids things are bound to be mediocre. </p>
<p>Is there some hope for majors into which UAE kids will not enroll into? Perhaps the science and engineering majors could escape this phenomena? Please do elaborate your take on that Ivyleaguer. Some majors seem designed to herd them off away as i am sure NYU is aware of this and has worked out something…</p>
<p>NYU AD has a lot on offer unlike most other US univs in the GCC which offered very few majors. And none of them offered scholarships to students from the US. So in a way they seem aware of the problem and are attempting to handle that by arranging for a large (critical) mass with good credentials to attend so as to keep the bar high. This could also discourage the rare but brave UAE kid who may venture into a science or engineering stream to scurry back to say Arabic or Political science major. Do you think this would work?</p>
<p>I am not an expert on NYUADU, nrousep, but from my look at it, it appears no different from any U.S. affiliated school in the GCC, despite the hype. And we know the UAE loves hype. Dubai hyped itself quite nicely into nearly insurmountable debt.</p>
<p>I agree with ivyleaguer. I have lived my whole life in the UAE. The country is not ready to host a good university. A university depends greatly on its setting. It will take decades for the UAE to play host to a viable university. Lebanon is years ahead of the UAE culturally and even its top university is only average by US/European standards.</p>
<p>whats the % of UAE kids at your UAE school Ivyleaguer ?</p>
<p>UAE kids have been kept to 5% at NYUAD and that i think will at worst lower the bar by 5%. But can they retain or contain this % ? How many will transfer out & for what reasons next year remains to be seen. its only then that NYUAD fans can start thumping their chests. Till then, its a gamble, but a gamble worth a shot given the pampering from the Abu Dhabi Govt. & the enthusiasm from NYU</p>
<p>one reason for transfers next year could be the fact that Abu Dhabi is a small city that could bore the kids quickly after the fun in Dune bashing & boating dies out. Dubai nearby (an hour by car) was more exciting once as a shopping destination. But its in ruins now financially. Clubs & bars there are not what clubs & bars are in the US. But kids keen on academics should not find that a problem as NYUAD has thrown in generous participation from its other overseas campuses to keep the 4 years packed. </p>
<p>NYU officials seem certainly very aware of the history of US univs in the region and have apparently worked their way around these potholes on the way to establishing a Univ here. I dont think any other country would have handed them this much cash anyway. </p>
<p>hey, I’m studying there this year. This thread was a great read and it brings up important points. I’m not as worried as some people about academic quality. If anything, the education will be above what I deserve at my age or would get at other schools. There are no TAs, only tenure-track PhD’d profs at a 2:1 kid-prof ratio. We get to live with the teachers, so they’re basically stuck with imparting their wisdom on us. Lots of professors were hired from ivyleaguer schools/USNews darling schools. NYU profs who wanted to teach at Abu Dhabi had to go through a selective application process because there was so much enthusiasm for the project.</p>
<p>I take the PR propaganda and mission statements lightly. Anyone can talk the talk. Still, it looks achievable and I’m glad to be involved. NYU has had a lot of practice making study abroad sites with the whole global network situation.</p>
<p>While the level of education isn’t a problem, I AM a bit worried about the level of government support we’re leaning on. It helps that John Sexton is very much involved with the school’s coordination with Abu Dhabi and has been working on education in the UAE for a few years now. His values and motivation appear to be fantastic. I’ll be taking his course this year so I might see if his beliefs and intentions are absolutely genuine. I’m guessing yes, the guy’s impressive.</p>
<p>The Govt of Abu Dhabi is funding NYUAD!
the other campuses of other univs(basically in dubai) do not have any support from the Dubai govt.
The Abu Dhabi and Dubai govts are diff!
and thts the actual difference!..I mean, thts the reason y other univ campuses are dying out and NYUAD would be holding strong for the coming decade, at least!</p>