26 Subjects! Choosing Your Major at NYU Abu Dhabi

Growing up, I hated olives. This made my parents despair because we lived in a place famous for its tiny black olives. Now I adore them, especially bright green Nocellara olives. Tastes change! Similarly, all NYU Abu Dhabi students interviewed for this piece chose a different major than they thought they would when they started college.

Seleen originally came to NYU Abu Dhabi planning to pursue the Chemistry major. “It was my dream to become a forensic scientist. However, after a thorough read through of the NYU Abu Dhabi bulletin, I realized the required chemistry course descriptions didn’t make me as happy as I had hoped.” How did she decide on her current Biology major instead? “The summer after my first year, I was lucky to experience a biotechnology internship in a center here in Abu Dhabi. I just fell in love with it.”

I love stopping by food counters in Japanese department stores. They always very kindly give you samples of everything on display. It’s exciting to discover so many fresh new tastes! The liberal arts–style education at NYU Abu Dhabi gives you the opportunity to do just that. Because you don’t have to declare a major before the end of your sophomore year, you can—in addition to the Core Curriculum—take an array of classes across diverse disciplines until you refine your specific area of interest.

Tom went on an incredible journey to find his major. He came to NYU Abu Dhabi thinking he might major in Mathematics or General Engineering. Then he began taking Foundations of Science courses. Since Tom enjoyed physics and chemistry, he thought he had settled on science. But he didn’t enjoy lab work, so he switched to computer science in the fall of his sophomore year.

“During that semester,” Tom says, “I also enrolled in Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature as an elective. As a result, I switched majors to Literature and Creative Writing. After two semesters, I was enjoying it very much and had no regrets whatsoever. I also don’t regret taking science courses during my first few semesters. I definitely learned a lot and was challenged in different ways compared to the humanities.”

I love coriander (or cilantro, if you wish). I also favor nutmeg, za’atar, and celery salt. And I can have it all! Though maybe not in the same dish.

At NYU Abu Dhabi, multidisciplinary minors embolden students to think about complex topics from a variety of perspectives. Alia majored in Computer Science. “It had applications in a very diverse set of fields (social sciences, arts). I also wanted to explore the greater flexibility to take more general electives and minors,” she says. NYU Abu Dhabi students are also able to complete minors during their study away experiences. They have access to a large variety of electives offered at the New York City and Shanghai campuses as well as NYU’s 12 additional global locations.

When Segun joined NYU Abu Dhabi, he leaned more toward theatre and film. He was also torn between his interests in politics and law. After taking his first-year courses, he realized he preferred “a very independent and DIY approach to theatre and film.” So he added a minor in Theatre to his portfolio. “A lot of my free extracurricular time went to engaging with experiences in performance and film. I loved it! Because of how open, receptive, and supportive the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center is, the majors I eventually selected in no way restricted me from experiencing theatre and film in the way I envisioned when first enrolling at NYU Abu Dhabi.”

I grew up in a culture that does not understand spicy food. To this day, I prefer flavor over spice. Still, the gentle persuasion and culinary talents of Indian friends eventually allowed me to discover many favorite new dishes. Peer pressure can make you think you have to be an engineer, an economist, or a filmmaker, too. You may feel you need to be just like the people around you. At NYU Abu Dhabi, you’re encouraged to be yourself when choosing a major in a subject that resonates with YOU—not anyone else.

When choosing his unique combination of subjects, Segun spoke with upper-level students, his academic mentor, and the heads of departments in his fields of interest. “All parties were very engaged in the process and offered invaluable insight to assist me. Having all these resources available made approaching the decision less daunting. I had support and guidance every step of the way.”

Seleen was impressed by the openness of the faculty. “My professors at NYU Abu Dhabi explained to me what careers look like within the sciences, which definitely gave me that last piece of strength to switch majors,” she says. “They were all excited to tell me their experiences and help me with my decisions. Honestly, there is no one better who can give you advice than the professionals themselves. And they are right within reach.”

Alia also met with seniors who “had a more complete experience and could provide me with insight,” she says. What’s more, she recommends “talking to students about their thoughts and experiences but make sure to keep in mind that everyone’s experience is different. Just because something did or didn’t work out for someone else doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for you.”

Like slowly sipping a good cup of coffee or letting a good vegetable stew simmer for hours, choosing your major at NYU Abu Dhabi can take time. This development period can be fun. It can be a period of growth and change. So it can also be stressful.

Segun recommends not rushing yourself. “Don’t feel pressured to shut down the possibility of three or four majors without doing any sort of due diligence,” he says. “NYU Abu Dhabi is very supportive. You can cater to each one of your interests without substantially compromising the end result, whatever it may be.”

Similarly, Alia says she wishes she’d wasted less time stressing out about not knowing what her major was going to be. “As a first year, I had time to figure things out, take classes, talk to professors, and find out what I really wanted to do. But not knowing that scared me a lot in the process.”

Tom encourages “students to be open to exploring different majors and not to force themselves into a major they don’t enjoy.” He also believes if you’re deciding between two majors, you should begin by exploring the one with the most requirements, so if you need to switch out, there is less of a strain.

Finally, Seleen advises to never think you’re not good enough for a certain major. “Never choose a major over another just because you think you won’t be able to do it. It’s unfair not to even give yourself the opportunity to try what you love to do without being so hard on yourself.”

Business, Organizations and Society is the newest major at NYU Abu Dhabi! Integrating business theory and application with key liberal arts principles, the program provides students with a holistic perspective on the interaction and interdependencies between businesses and societies. Students will gain the skills and knowledge to be effective leaders—globally and organizationally—who maintain a focus on innovation, creativity, communication, and teamwork.

Don’t forget, the NYU Abu Dhabi application for admission has three possible deadlines: November 1 for Early Decision I; January 1 for Early Decision II; and January 5 for Regular Decision.

Pro tip: Apply with ample time before your chosen deadline so you don’t panic and miss out if experiencing a technical difficulty on the day it’s due.