Nishant Mohanchandra, a Computer Science GAF at NYU Shanghai’s Academic Resource Center (ARC), recently graduated as part of the inaugural class of NYU Abu Dhabi. At Abu Dhabi, he was deeply involved in student affairs including being a Resident Assistant (RA) and a student interest group leader, and graduated with a BS in Computer Science. OCA got a chance to catch up with him and ask him a few questions about NYU Abu Dhabi and his experience as a member of Abu Dhabi’s inaugural class:What did it feel like to be the inaugural class of NYU Abu Dhabi, and to be one of the first students of an NYU portal campus? Honestly, at the time, it didn’t feel like much. I had applied to a range of colleges and NYU Abu Dhabi was just another college I was applying to at the time. Then I went to their Candidates’ Weekend and I saw what they were trying to do and what their ideas were, and it was very different from everything else I had been exposed to. When the time came to finally get admitted and start my first day of school, it was a little terrifying because my class was the first one on campus, there was no prior record or experience, everything was started from scratch…it was frightening, but in a good way. It was an adventure. What kind of struggles did you face as the inaugural class? Building the school as the first class was both a struggle in some ways, and a good experience in others. As there were no seniors, there was no frame of reference so we had to start everything ourselves. It was the beginning of a lot of new things, for example the GAF program was started that year, and the first group of GAFs were all hires from NYU New York who had never been to the Middle East before. A lot of things had to be made up as we went along, which can be exhilarating for some people but it was also an exciting challenge: like if we wanted a new curriculum, how would we go about that, and what would that actually mean? What should we be doing? We naturally faced a lot of start-up challenges, but it definitely an experience worth having. What was the relationship like between New York and Abu Dhabi when the school was initially created? How would you describe them now? The first year was interesting…in the beginning, relations with New York were quite a challenge, especially because they didn’t know a lot about us and we didn’t know a lot about them and that led to a lot of misconceptions. It might also have been because of a general symptom of initial perceptions of the Middle East. There was also a widespread perception that NYU tuition money was being used to fund all of our scholarships, but that actually isn’t true. So there were definitely complications in the beginning: we weren’t sure what to think of them, they weren’t sure what to think of another NYU campus more than 5,000 miles away from Washington Square. However, as the campuses and students got to know each other more, misconceptions and miscommunications ironed themselves out to a certain degree, and our relations are much better now. After a year of having only your class be a part of the school, what did it feel like when the younger grades started coming? Honestly, having new freshmen come in was a relief. 150 people in one class is great because you have a very tight-knit community, but things can get lonely after a while, especially in a campus that is actually meant for and can house several thousands. This relief was also accompanied by a feeling of happiness that yes, there are two grades now, we are real school, it’s not just us! What did it feel like when four years later, you looked back and saw how much your school had grown? Relief magnified. When the second class came in, we thought “Yes, we are a real thing now because at least we have sophomores and freshmen.” Looking back four years later, this feeling became stronger because we went from having only one class of 150 students to four classes of 600. The best part is that we have alumni now, so you can already see the permanence of the institution coming up and the impact we have made, even in the subtle things like keeping the next-door supermarket running 24/7. Are there any parallels you see between your class and the inaugural class of NYU Shanghai? There are tons of similarities between the inaugural classes. Just like us, you guys came to something that didn’t exist until you got here, and I anticipate a lot of similar start-up challenges NYU Abu Dhabi also faced. But you also have to consider location, which plays a big part in how different our experiences will be: Abu Dhabi and Shanghai are two completely different areas with completely different geo-political landscapes. NYU New York’s perceptions of Abu Dhabi are colored by the location, and since China is very different from the Emirates, several things will be different like certain challenges you’ll face and how you can tackle them. One thing that I expect to be similar are the start-up challenges, like starting our own unique curriculum from scratch, and creating an institution that reflects us as people.What was NYU Abu Dhabi’s reaction when NYU Shanghai was initially created? A bigger relief – and though I can’t speak for everyone at NYU Abu Dhabi, I think there was a pretty positive reaction because it proved that Abu Dhabi wasn’t just a freak experiment that failed, clearly something went right here that they were doing it again in another city. And that felt great.What do you think of the perception of NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai being sister schools? There is definitely some merit to that statement, because the initial-start-up challenges will be common and as our campuses get to know each other more, as we have more exchange of students and teachers, there will be a deeper connection formed between the schools. Exchange has already begun, because there are a couple of GAFs here at NYU Shanghai who are members of the inaugural graduating class of NYU Abu Dhabi, and we are here to see that deeper connection form, to experience this portal campus and see how we can help it grow from our experiences. What did graduation feel like as the inaugural class? To me, it honestly just felt like any other day but with a realization at the back of your mind that this is the last day in many respects. There was the obvious feeling of relief that we made it as the first class, we graduated on time and got our degrees. It was amazing seeing Mr. Clinton as the commencement speaker. It was sad at the same time because some of the people who we’ve lived with for the last four years, who we have gotten to know so well, we may never see again because we are all scattered around the world. All in all, it was a bittersweet experience because it was a culmination of the last four years, and it slowly started hitting us that the real walk of life begins now. But I can’t deny that the bonds that were formed in the past four years are life long, now they just have the added dimension of distance and separation. What expectations do you have for NYU Abu Dhabi in the future? I would just like to tell NYU Abu Dhabi to keep fighting the good fight, continue what it has been doing till now because even in these first four years, NYU Abu Dhabi has had a very significant impact on Abu Dhabi. Even in contentious things like the labor rights issues in building our campus, I feel like the institution has handled itself pretty well and has fostered meaningful conversation between all parties in a non-threatening manner. Personally, my expectations for NYU Abu Dhabi is to move forward the way it has in these past four years. Since we have a new campus now, the NYU Abu Dhabi I experienced will be very different from what the students will experience moving forward, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. All institutions change, and I’m expecting NYU Abu Dhabi to continue to evolve and reinvent itself as the years ago on. What do you think about the Global Network University in general, and how involved does Abu Dhabi feel in the GNU? It’s a pretty ambitious project and sometimes when people talk about the GNU, it seems very lofty, one can get carried away in the rhetoric. I obviously believe in it because otherwise I wouldn’t still be a part of it, but I think it’s important to realize that it’s not about being in many locations but about what being in those locations means. It’s about being able to learn and think about what kind of conversations we can foster by being there. Just like Abu Dhabi fostered conversation about labor rights and academic freedom, conversation will definitely pop along issues relevant to Shanghai now that NYU Shanghai is here. I’m a fan of the GNU, and I think there are some things you can only get from a location by actually visiting it. Would you recommend the students at Abu Dhabi to study abroad at NYU Shanghai? Why or why not? Absolutely yes. The city experiences at Abu Dhabi and Shanghai are completely different – Abu Dhabi is much quieter in general, and slightly more isolated. Shanghai as a counterpoint has a much more diverse city culture in ways that can be important to experience. Shanghai has a lot of academic strengths Abu Dhabi doesn’t have to the same degree, and the same can be said about other strengths Abu Dhabi has that Shanghai doesn’t have to the same degree. Therefore, I think it’s important to Abu Dhabi students to visit and study abroad in Shanghai, and the same goes for NYU Shanghai students. I think it will be an enriching experience for both sides. In retrospect, is there anything you would have done different in college or as pioneers of the school? Though I am a perfectionist, I believe that the decisions you make and how you implement them build up to create you as a person. Are there some things I would have differently? Probably. Several smaller things like submitting that homework on time, making sure I was keeping up with all of my deadlines – all these little things that would have helped me have a less stressful college life at certain points. But I actually don’t know I would have anything differently, because if I had, I wouldn’t have become the person that I am today and all in all, things turned out pretty well the way they happened in real life.Do you have any recommendations for the students of NYU Shanghai based on your experience? In some aspects, I don’t know how relevant my experience is to NYU Shanghai because while there are many similarities, I believe the differences are what defines the uniqueness of the institution. However, to the students of NYU Shanghai: just remember, while you will always be in the media, and sometimes it will feel like everything you said is being analyzed or used to represent the school, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. A lot of the pressure I felt in college was pressure I put on myself. People are watching, that is what happens when a big university like NYU builds a new campus in a country completely different from the United States, but you don’t need to be perfect every single second of every single day. Even the emphasis of taking advantage of every opportunity – while it is valid advice, it doesn’t mean that you need to put a lot of pressure on yourself to perform optimally every second. Once in a while, just remember to do something fun, something you love and want to do. Life is not just about getting crazy grades or curing cancer – make sure you leave some time to have satisfying experiences outside the academics area, and grow as a person. This article was written by Lathika Chandra Mouli. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Lathika Chandra Mouli