The problems with studying abroad at NYU Shanghai

Every year NYU Shanghai welcomes both regular and study abroad students into its halls, presenting them with the opportunity to study in one of the top financial capitols in the country. In the program’s vision and mission values found on the NYU Shanghai website, students are encouraged to discover, explore, and let their curiosity guide them. This is the vision for most students who opt to study abroad: to discover the culture that they have been immersed in. It is by consistently interacting with the host country that one is able to make these discoveries and integrate into the community.

Therein lies the problem of NYU Shanghai. While dorms in NYU Paris or NYU London are located in the center of the city, the NYU Shanghai campus as well as dorms is located far away in the Pudong province on the Eastern bank of Shanghai. Imagine if at NYU New York all of the freshman dorms were suddenly in Queens and the campus down at the bottom of Manhattan in the Financial District. You’re still in New York, but you have schlep a lot more to get anywhere.

Originally students were pleased with their accommodations. And who wouldn’t, with a standard double costing a mere $3,548 a year in comparison to say the NYU Brittany double that costs $14,060 a year? The rooms are fully stocked with kitchen supplies and there’s a cleaning service that comes to clean the common area. Arguments as to who took out the trash last are finally resolved.

“I value having my own space and also loved the spacious kitchen that was well stocked – so I feel very comfortable once at home,” said Brian Greco a sophomore living in NYU Shanghai who was lucky enough to get one of the spacious singles.

“It’s probably some of the nicest living arrangements that one will ever receive in college”.

But even Brian admitted the distance from the school was a bit of a let down.

Brian Greco’s spacious penthouse penthouse

NYU Shanghai’s website says the commute from the Green House dorm in Pudong is only 15 minutes by bus. But as sophomore Katherine Garrity can attest to, the commute can range from anything to 20 to 40 minutes by bus and you’ll be out of luck if you don’t catch one.

Katherine told me: “The buses barely run, so even if you have a late class, you have to be on the bus early or you have to spend money on the subway”.

Then in regards to entering actual Shanghai one encounters an entirely new set of issues: “As far as tourist attractions and popular places like the French Concession, you’re looking at 7+ stops on the subway (which closes at 10:30, so if you want to go out, you’re taking a cab both ways) and about a 45 minute cab ride to most places,” says Garrity.

The distance and transport means it’s difficult for students to discover and explore the culture and sites of Shanghai – which for most was their original motivation for going there in the first place.

Picture by Kati Garrity. The view from the school.

“It’s harder to integrate if someone isn’t making an active attempt,” said Daniella Loftus who is currently studying abroad in Shanghai. It’s not all bad though – and it’s true many students thoroughly enjoyed their time abroad in Shanghai and were able to surpass the transportation issue in order to discover the culture of the city.

However, the question still stands: would it have been an even better experience if the dorms were in a less remote area? No doubt the rooms in themselves at NYU Shanghai are some of the best options that NYU as a whole has to offer. It’s a great price, very spacious, and well looked after. Despite that, surely the point of studying abroad is not about having a really fantastic apartment? Maybe a location closer to the city will be smaller and not as fancy as the location at Pudong, at least you’re there in the thick of it. Studying abroad should be about experiencing the culture from the minute one wakes up in the morning to the second one falls asleep.