Last Friday evening, Feb. 27, marked the start of the 2015 Candidate Weekends. While NYU Shanghai admits half of its student body through these Candidate events, many international students (apart from Peer Ambassadors) are largely unfamiliar with what goes on during these mysterious weekends. The entire event spans two days and includes a welcome dinner, a sample class, a campus tour, a team building activity, an interview, and plenty of information sessions sprinkled in between. Freshman Weiyu Wang, who went through the process this time last year, outlines,"It is basically an interview combining many activities. It’s different from other Chinese universities.” While some international incoming freshman have already been admitted through Early Decision I, the wait for Chinese students until they hear back from the University has just begun. Why is it necessary for half of the student body to go through Candidate Weekend, while the other half follows the standard American method of submitting some standardized test scores, an academic record, an essay or two, and a list of extracurriculars? Freshman Jingnan Cao has some insight: “In China there are a bunch of people you can pay money, and they will write the essay for you. Most Chinese students if they are hardworking and they are doing good at Gaokao (高考) they won’t think about studying for the SAT's or TOEFL. Even if their English is really good they can never reach that high of a level to write a super professional essay.” Essentially, Candidate Weekend is NYU Shanghai’s way of reconciling drastically different education systems to even the rocky admissions playing field for all parties involved. But it’s not just about fairness; there’s a lot more thought behind the experimental event. The NYU Shanghai website describes Candidate Weekend as an opportunity to see if students are “the right fit for the unique university.” There are staff representatives every step of the way to evaluate potential students not only on English ability, but also on their “capacity to be a leader” - their interaction with peers, energy, and curiosity, as Cao puts it. These qualities are not typically regarded with any importance in traditional Chinese admissions. Therefore, it's normal for most students to overlook them, making evaluative events like Candidate Weekend necessary to observe qualities the Gaokao cannot measure. The Admissions department also stresses that Candidate Weekend is not a purely one-sided assessment. It’s beneficial for prospective students to engage with NYU Shanghai to learn more about it before committing. They have the opportunity to see the school first hand, as well as to ask questions to peer ambassadors and faculty. Cao thinks that an intensive campus visit is required, as “some people are not suitable for our school. They are very traditional, and it will make them crazy if they see what happens here.” At a trailblazing global university, sometimes temporary divergence is the best path to long-term convergence. As long as Chinese University admissions continue to operate almost entirely on Gaokao results, a separate Candidate Weekend for Chinese seniors will be indispensable for admissions to see if students are the right fit for NYU Shanghai, and vice-versa. This article was written by Isabella Baranyk. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Bella Farr