Study Away at NYU Shanghai offers students an amazing opportunity to travel, make new friends, explore academic interests, and expand language skills. Students from other universities are drawn to study away in Shanghai for a variety of reasons, both personal and academic. Hear some of their stories on how studying in Shanghai has shaped their worldview.
Christian Gil ’26
Hometown: Freeport, NY
Campus: NYU College of Arts and Science
Major: Politics, Minor in Chinese and Linguistics
Why did you choose NYU Shanghai as your study away site?
I'm learning Chinese and [I thought] if anything, it makes the most sense for me to study abroad here and to try and improve my skills. I was able to get into the Intermediate Accelerated class. I'm really happy about that. Also, this is my first time being in Asia.
What were the best things about studying in Shanghai?
There’s more of a tight knit community here at NYU Shanghai. The smaller student body has its benefits. You talk to more people. Over here, people care a lot more about social interactions because you see them every single day. And honestly, you feel much more integrated into the community. All the friends I have here right now, I had no connection with, I met everyone here.
The food! It’s been really great. I really enjoyed the halal food in China. I tried barbecue, I tried the halal food, even little snacks here and there…food was a big thing for me.
If you want to see the real China, you have to get out of Shanghai. I hit four cities during Spring Break. When I went to Shangri La in Yunnan, it was an absolutely eye opening experience. I arrived the first day and it was just completely different from anything I've ever experienced. I've never been really up in the mountains before, besides visiting Bogotá, Colombia, where my dad’s from.
What challenges did you face during your study away?
The standard for academics here is very important, and it's very important to keep your grades up. Here, I feel a sense of the closer proximity to the teachers. It is the teachers teaching the students, and class participation is important. My classes are less than 20 people. Typically 15 max, sometimes less.
It puts the pressure on a little bit more, but it makes you try and internalize the curriculum a little bit more. If you're taking the classes that you like and you want to push yourself, I feel this is a perfect option.
What advice would you have for students to get the most out of their study away experience in Shanghai?
You need to travel. Get a group of friends and get out of Shanghai. Travel to another city every three weeks. [Take advantage of] the accessibility of the high speed rail and regular trains, even flights are cheaper. Domestic travel is super cheap compared to the United States. I’ve been to Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Chengdu, and Chongqing. I’m going to Beijing in two weeks and then hopefully I'm going to Huangshan this weekend.
What's the one thing all study away students in Shanghai should do?
Learn a little bit of Chinese. It'll help. But the common language at NYU Shanghai is English and it’s accommodating. If you don’t speak Chinese, you can still absolutely enjoy it.
Ava Johnson ’26
Campus: Spelman College
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Major: Economics
Why did you choose NYU Shanghai as your study away site?
I didn't necessarily expect to have an interest in China coming into college. I wanted to register for Spanish, but it was full. I thought, I'll take Chinese, why not? And then I just really liked the class and I liked my professor and we were a small class, so we got close.
I'm the vice president of my school's Chinese Culture Club. I go to a Historically Black College, so it’s mostly Black students at our school. [The Chinese Culture Club] is mainly a place for people who are either taking Chinese classes or just interested in some aspects of Chinese culture.
I thought maybe I'll just hit up China now that I’m doing the language. It was a mix of I was doing the language, and then I started becoming more active in the Chinese Culture Club. And I was getting the opportunity to go experience East Asia in general.
What’s been the best part of your experience here?
Traveling with my friends. I've been all over China so far. I’ve been to Harbin, Chongqing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Beijing, Haikou, and I'm going to Zhangjiajie this weekend. I’ve just been traveling around. I don't know when I'll be back, so I might as well! Even though I was nervous as a visiting student—I didn't know anybody, right— everybody has been really friendly, welcoming, and nice. So just traveling with my new friends that I've met has been really fun.
I got here during the Lunar New Year, and study away students can sign up to visit a Chinese student and their family. It was so nice. I got to go and meet her family and play card games and she made us a big feast. And I still hang out with her, to this day we try to meet every other week and we can go get food and it's nice to go with her and see her perspective.
What challenges did you face during your study away?
I did have to have a little bit of a learning curve when it came to getting used to the NYU system. Because there's so few visiting students, sometimes it's kind of assumed that [we know].
I took a conversational Chinese class here, so it kind of forced me to get out of my bubble. It was definitely hard at the beginning trying to figure out Wechat, Didi, Meituan, all these apps that are in Chinese, just trying to do that, especially during Lunar New Year when everything was closed.
What advice would you have for students to get the most out of their study away experience in Shanghai?
I was trying to do the best I could to be prepared, but you just kind of have to learn it on the spot. I would just say be really extroverted as a student. I'm an ambivert, but I can sometimes be on the more introverted side when I'm in new places. I'm lucky that I have a good friend group and people that I can talk to. As a visiting student, you definitely gotta get out of your bubble a little bit, just go up and talk to that person first, because they will most likely be nice. I did the Language Peer Mentor Program which is really nice. It's a good way to make friends with Chinese nationals.
Check your emails and check your newsletters and sign up for everything, because the Study Away program staff do a really good job of having events in Shanghai that people overlook. I did dragon boat racing on Saturday and went to an art museum.
What's the one place all study away students in Shanghai should go?
I’m a cafe person, so go to Anfu Road. Get on a bike and ride around. I love Chongqing. You gotta go there and get the spicy hot pot. Go to the Harbin Ice Festival, there’s nothing like that in the world.
Liana Rego ’25
Campus: NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Hometown: Connecticut
Major: Film and Television and East Asian Studies
Why did you choose NYU Shanghai as your study away site?
One of the reasons I chose NYU was because of its robust study away program. I grew up in white suburbia and as an adoptee, I just immersed myself watching Chinese dramas and books. I always wanted to come to China, not just for a vacation. I wanted to live here.
What was the best part of your experience?
The beautiful scenery. I've traveled a lot in America, almost every region, and I have to say nothing beats Chinese scenery. I'm not talking about the stereotypical landmarks like the Great Wall. [I’m talking about] the natural landmarks. Zhujiajiao, Suzhou — I love watertowns. Yu Garden — it’s so beautiful, so traditional and you feel like you’re in some kind of novel. I don't feel that way in the US. I want to come back. I want to visit every province before I die.
I'm very curious person. I try to travel every week. At least once a month I go to a different province. I went to Harbin. That was crazy. I’m going to Hangzhou this weekend. Next week I’m going to Zhangjiajie.
This is your second time studying away in Shanghai. What were some of the challenges you’ve faced?
During my first time studying away in Shanghai, I struggled a lot. I seldom traveled and I was actually very depressed. I struggled mentally a lot, feeling not accepted for who I am. That's why I try so hard at Chinese, because I want to be accepted, but then I come here and it's all that hard work.
I definitely feel like a foreigner here. I learned Chinese since I was 14. I thought I was so good and I got humbled, real fast. And yeah, that was hard.
My parents didn't want me to come back [to Shanghai] really. I told them I want to do something different, I’m going to change my approach, and I'm going to make sure the second time is better. I'm really stubborn and if I don't like the way something went the first time, I will make sure it goes the way I want until I'm satisfied.
What advice would you have for students to get the most out of their study away experience in Shanghai?
Try not to care so much about what people think of you, especially if you are a Chinese-American. You come here to kind of resolve an identity problem, for discovery. It's a very emotional time. It's normal to feel rejected. Don't let that stop you from having a good time, because you're here for yourself, you're not here for them. You’re not here to impress anyone, you're here for yourself. So do what you want and try to have fun and don't take things too seriously, because when you take things too seriously, you'll regret it.
I think coming all the way here is in and of itself a success, because not a lot of people get to come to China. You flew all the way across the world and it takes a lot of courage to be away from your family and live in a country on your own with a different language. You've got to give yourself credit for learning Chinese, even if you're not perfect.
What’s a bucket list item you think every study away student should experience?
You have to eat at a round table, in a private room in a restaurant, and have a giant 年夜饭 NianyeFan (a big family dinner). You have to eat in a water town, sip your tea, look out at the water and feel like a literati, [enjoy] that 古风 gufeng (ancient style).
Berenice Lara ’26
Campus: NYU Abu Dhabi
Hometown: Tuxtla, Mexico
Major: Political Science
Why did you choose NYU Shanghai for a semester of study away?
I'm doing a Chinese minor. They offer a very unique course here called Accelerated Intermediate Chinese, so it's basically Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 condensed into one course. I'm in China, so I get to practice my Chinese all the time – even when you're in the bathroom, you can read the signs. You're surrounded by Chinese speakers all the time, and this is kind of what I wanted.
What was the best part of your experience?
It's been an amazing experience. It's been fun, but also filled with learning experiences, which is honestly what I treasure. Because of the nature of how the Shanghai campus is, it’s a little bit more independent [than NYU Abu Dhabi], which might not be the feeling that the New York kids get. Here's a little bit more independent, because the campus and the dorms are two different areas.
Everything happens for a reason. Shanghai was like a mini-introduction to adulthood, or a toned down introduction to a more independent life. I've learned to be alone to enjoy my solitude. Every once in a while, I just need my time alone to relax. I've learned how to cook as well. So I feel like all of these experiences of having to do stuff because of necessity have made me definitely break out of my shell and I feel like an adult now. Shanghai was a transformative journey.
Considering that I've only been here for four months, I guess I can say I've done quite a bit of traveling. I’ve been exploring Shanghai on city walks, but I [also] went to Hangzhou, the Suzhou trip for study away students, Nanjing, and the CEL Shandong trip. The food was amazing and I met great people. I went to Beijing as well, and then I went hiking in Taizhou.
What challenges did you face during your study away?
When you're put in a very uncomfortable situation not knowing anyone, being surrounded with people you're not necessarily comfortable with and having to make new friends. I felt like the hardest part about the entire study away experience was learning about myself, learning about putting up boundaries, learning about what I like and what I don't like.
It's kind of like dealing with this difficulty of having to deal with yourself alone, which is not easy, because when you're with friends and stuff like that, you can sometimes ignore stuff about yourself. But when you're alone and you don't know anyone, you're 24/7 with you and your thoughts, and that can consume you sometimes. But I feel like it's part of growing up where you have to just learn how to deal with that and learn about yourself.
What advice would you have for students to get the most out of their study away experience in Shanghai?
Don't say no to a fun trip especially because you don't know when you're coming back to Shanghai or China. If you have midterms, or homework, and you think, I'm not doing this trip, just do it [anyways]. I had two midterms after my hiking trip, and I did amazing in both of them, zero problems. Because after hiking, we would have two hours every night to review.
So if you're coming here, make use of all of your time, especially during the weekends, because the weekends are to rest. And also don't take class on Fridays.
What's the one thing all study away students in Shanghai should eat, or the thing they should do?
At least once, eat breakfast at the NYU Shanghai cafeteria because that's very traditional authentic Chinese breakfast. It’s very yummy. Try the soy milk. It’s amazing.
Take a walk or a bike along the river next to the dorm areas. I did that recently, it was very nice.