NYU Shanghai meets with candidates

The first candidate weekend of New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai) concluded Monday, and three groups of applicants separately took part in the special 24-hour interview session from Friday, testing the waters of a new pattern of international cooperation in higher education in China.

Events were held in a closed environment to make sure students could focus on the interview process. The session started when they checked in at the appointed hotel, followed by a dinner where they were introduced to faculty.

Candidates then underwent a full day of activities including team assignments, mock classes, panel discussions and written tests, all of which were in English. Students also had the opportunity to interact with NYU alumni and special guests.

A total of 500 students stood out from the thousands of applicants from 10 provinces and municipalities including Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Henan, and Shandong to compete for 151 admission slots for 2013. They were randomly assigned to six groups to participate in the candidate weekends.

Innovative interview process

The administration office of NYU Shanghai said in a press release Tuesday that teamwork, analytical and critical skills, creative thinking, leadership and interpersonal communication skills are the key criteria for selecting promising candidates from the event.

"Students will be scored A or B according to their performance. A-class students will be admitted if they pass the line for top universities in the college entrance examination in June, while B-class students will be evaluated based on exam scores, general qualities and other criteria to get admitted," said the release.

"We didn't disclose many details before the event to let the students prepare, in hopes that they would present their genuine characters and challenge themselves," said Yu Lizhong, president of NYU Shanghai.

Several applicants contacted by the Global Times expressed their excitement over participating in the event, saying that the activities were challenging but interesting. Some said they were impressed that the school asked them to bring a meaningful personal item to the event rather than award certificates.

"It was encouraging to hear President John Sexton share his life experiences," said a candidate from Hangzhou.

However, students were not allowed to comment on details of the event due to a confidentiality agreement to ensure an even playing field for the next three rounds of candidates in mid-March.

One of a kind

NYU Shanghai, managed by New York University and East China Normal University, is the first university in China to be run jointly with an overseas school, and it has independent legal status. It was officially founded in Shanghai in August last year.

The first admission event prompted discussion of the prospect of "real Western-style" higher education in China.

"I'm going to pay attention to its development for my daughter from now on. She thinks it would be great to go to a world-class college without having to leave home," a mother in Shanghai told the Global Times.