Several weeks ago, smartphones the world over buzzed with excitement as thousands of inboxes received the coveted email: “Congratulations! We are very happy to inform you…”. Of the thousands of emails sent, a select few-- less than five-hundred to be exact-- were offers of admission to New York University Shanghai. These offers of admission came with a paid trip to visit the campus and explore the vastness of Shanghai. Andre Lucas, an admitted student from Oklahoma, was one of the lucky few selected to participate in the annual festivities that took place this past weekend. Arriving at Pudong International Airport on April 9th, Lucas was immediately struck by the enthusiasm of all those in attendance, “When I stepped on to campus and met everybody for the first time, I knew that NYU Shanghai was the the exact place I was meant to end up. Everyone shared the same mind set and the upperclassmen made me feel so welcome.” This past event marks NYU Shanghai’s third annual admitted students weekend, and traditions have begun to establish themselves within the confines of the 72-hour period. A city-wide scavenger hunt took place on Sunday afternoon, with nothing but clear skies to aid prospective students in exploration. On Sunday evening, students and faculty alike sported cocktail attire as they sailed the Huangpu River in one of Shanghai’s world-famous Dragon Boats. Although this past weekend maintained the grandiose allure of all those before it, there was a shift in the atmosphere that many are attributing to changes occurring within the university itself. Ben Zhang, a student volunteer and current freshman at NYU Shanghai, discussed the financial concerns expressed by many of the admitted students for the Class of 2019. “I heard from many people that the financial aid they received was not enough,” Zhang commented in an interview with On Century Avenue, “they were offered more competitive packages at other schools, such as Cornell, and those students expressed that money would ultimately affect their college decisions.” In addition, there were other subtle changes that affected the weekend. Richard Zhao, a current sophomore at NYU Shanghai with plans to study away next semester, commented on the excitement and bittersweet reality of the NYU Shanghai tradition, “It's exciting to see that a lot of people are committed to this new school and are willing to experience something that they would have never experienced before. It's also a bit sad because I won’t be able to see them until my senior year.” The “Study-Away-Gap” is a phenomenon unique to the NYU Global sites. As most students plan to fulfil their study abroad requirement during the fall and spring semesters of their junior year, a surreal social anomaly will begin to affect the student body: juniors will become nearly non-existent; and, in the Fall of 2016, seniors will return from abroad never having met a large portion of the student body. Nevertheless, New York University’s experiment in higher education will continue into the next academic year. Spotted in the B1 cafeteria of the academic building was a group of prospective and current students. Surrounding a small lunchroom table, they fervently discussed the possibility of implementing an Integrated Social Science major into the NYUSH curriculum. Oscar Fossum and Alhan Fakhr, the students behind the potential ISS major, described its recent development and the way in which they have both assisted with its design. Although much remains unclear about the future of the institution, one aspect of the college is unmistakably obvious: the Class of 2019 will be the people to help shape its future. This article was written by Lily Korinek. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch.