With only 300 students making up each grade, the NYU Shanghai student body experiences asocial dynamic drastically different from most other universities. Here, we refer to the vast majority of our classmates by their first names, are familiar with each other’s personalities, and even can identify most roommate pairings. Unlike most campuses where students have to shuffle across common grounds to attend class in multiple buildings, NYU Shanghai students spend their academic hours travelling up and down the fifteen floors of a singular building. We dine in the same cafeteria, snack in the same cafe, and lounge on the same sixth floors. With such a tight student body, is there room for cliques at NYU Shanghai? OCA decided to find out. The most apparent division within NYU Shanghai seems to be the divide between Chinese and international students, though many report that the separation has disintegrated with the progression of the school year. Freshman Maike Prewett explains, “In a place like NYU Shanghai you need groups to gravitate toward people that make you feel comfortable. I don’t classify groups into cliques, and I like to just move around. However, there are definitely Chinese students who are a lot more integrated with international students than others, and a some international students integrated more with Chinese students than others. Mostly, though, Ithink people are really approachable here. I don’t see cliques as a big issue.” However, some students have a different perspective. When asked what she thought of a divide between Chinese and international students, Chinese sophomore Ellen Zhang commented, “I think the divide has decreased but it depends on the individual. For example, by taking classes together, we (international and Chinese students) can form friendships. But for students who don’t want to step out of their comfort zone, I think the divide is always there. After a year here, the culture shock has become less influential and I think everyone is more ready to welcome each other, but there have already been some friend circles formed which makes it harder for outsiders to get involved.” Aside from the general divide between Chinese and international students, the NYU Shanghai student body is composed of a multitude of different nationalities, language, religions, and cultures which can easily lend themselves to the formation of cliques. An important question to be raised is whether or not friend groups have the same meaning and social implications as cliques. A friend group typically refers to common close individuals, whereas a clique seeks to exclude outsiders from entering the group. Does NYU Shanghai experience either of these social phenomena, and are they harmful to NYU Shanghai’s goals for multinational education? Sophomore Defne Inhan of Turkey weighed in on her thoughts on student body factions: “Cliques occur in any group, I guess. The most obvious clique is by nationality, and then the other major one is language. Even if I’m not the same nationality as someone, just because our languages are similar and we’re from the same region, I might feel closer to them.” Although some students, like sophomore Itmum Momin, note that despite the existence of friend groups, individuals still feel comfortable mingling amongst a wide variety of students. Itmum explained, “There are definitely friend groups, in that people have a set of individual students they enjoy hanging out with, but that doesn’t mean there is exclusivity between those in the friend group. I have a couple friends I really like to spend my time with, but that doesn’t mean there are cliques and that I can’t join other friends who I don’t usually see.” Sophomore Annie Seaman raised another important factor in forming circles of friends at NYU Shanghai: a student’s major. She maintained that “This year since we [sophomores] are taking more major based classes, cliques have shifted a bit too, just because you spend a lot of time with the people in your classes. However, our community is very close and I never feel excluded, it’s just some relationships are stronger than others.” As the majority of students at NYU Shanghai live far away from their home and are often relatively isolated from their local culture or language, friendships provide a sense of support and stability. But at the same time, rigid friend circles can often isolate both the members within and outside a group and limit cultural exchange. While divides between nationalities, cultures, and languages still occur in NYU Shanghai, we appear to be moving in the direction of maintaining close interpersonal relationships, while providing a base level of mutual friendship between all classmates. This social environment seems to closely mirror that of NYU Shanghai’s mission: To provide a climate in which students develop tight bonds across a multitude of cultures, while keeping an open perspective about those outside one’s immediate circle. This article was written by Lizzy LeClaire. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Alondra Olivas