In the fall semester, the registrar’s office announced they would be revoking the petition for a third semester abroad. Due to a sizeable backlash, particularly from the sophomore class, the school went back on its word and brought back the possibility of three semesters, however strongly encouraged against it. This decision still left many students feeling uncertain about how realistic their chances for three semesters abroad really were. On March 5th, students received notice of where they would be spending fall semester. While current sophomores were anxiously awaiting their decisions for their first semester abroad, a handful of juniors were waiting to hear about their third. When decisions were finally released, a few juniors found themselves pleasantly surprised upon receiving their email granting them a third semester abroad. Tahreem Waquar, a Social Science major with a focus in Psychology, will be spending her third semester abroad in Madrid. She spent Fall 2017 in Prague and is currently in New York. She was not expecting to get a third semester at all, given that she felt the school made it seem a third semester would only be given if absolutely needed. “I didn’t have a solid reason to do a third semester. I thought I would be able to come up with a minor or internship for credit in a particular site, but I couldn’t. I just wrote how I really wanted to experience another site before I graduated,” Waquar said. She continued on by adding how she emphasized that when enrolling at NYU Shanghai, she did so knowing she would get the chance to study away in three different places. Waquar also noted that she had finished the majority of the requirements that would require her to be in Shanghai. Ibrahim Saeed, a Business and Finance major with an Economics minor, will spend his third semester in Washington D.C. as part of the Global Leadership Scholars Program. He spent Fall 2017 in London and is currently in New York. He’s eager to build a larger network in the United States and is looking forward to meeting new students and industry professionals. Saeed will also hold an off campus internship next semester. “To be entirely honest, I was skeptical about whether or not I would be accepted for a third, but it never hurts to apply anyway and things worked out,” Saeed said. Catt Kim, a Business & Marketing major with a Chinese minor, will head to New York for her third semester. She spent the fall in Madrid and is currently studying at Trinity College in Dublin as part of NYU’s International Exchange Partnership. In her personal statement, she included that as a business major, she really wanted the opportunity to study at Stern. Kim also mentioned the importance of spending time in the American business hub to make connections, learn more about the American business culture, and interact with new students and professors. She plans on taking her third semester, but it hasn’t been an easy decision. “I really did wrestle with it because I miss Shanghai a lot and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen my friends. I wasn’t sure if I was even going to get the third semester but I wasn’t too worried about it. Going back to Shanghai wasn’t a bad option,” Kim said. She concluded by adding she was surprised and is excited for the opportunity to study at NYU’s home campus. This article was written by Isabel Adler. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: NYU Shanghai