“A lot of sophomores told me that course registration was like the Hunger Games,” said Aymane Omari, Class of 2026.

It may seem like teenagers fighting to the death couldn't possibly compare to students waking up early, opening their laptops and selecting courses of interest. Yet, incoming first years from the Class of 2026, the largest class in NYU Abu Dhabi history, have reported difficulty in signing up for required classes, receiving emails requesting to drop courses to prioritize other students and, in an overall lack of support, stilted communication from the university. This rendered the first year class registration process to be a much more chaotic experience than a simple “click to enroll” situation.

The most pressing issue, according to those interviewed, was the limited spaces available in courses that were prerequisites or mandatory, such as First Year Writing Seminars.

“If you [take] in more students this year then maybe there should've been arrangements to make sure these students had a place in a class,” said Talia Al Darrai, Class of 2026. She also touched on how the increase in class size has seemingly become a burden rather than a testament to a wealth of resources, voices, stories and culture that NYUAD hopes to foster.

Aryam Al Hosani, Class of 2026, elaborated on the idea that first years who joined this year are at a disadvantage when it comes to course selection, pointing out that students in previous classes have had greater access to required first year courses. “I heard … [in past years] every single freshman has had the opportunity to take FYWS [in their first semester] which we didn't have, I know more than half of us are taking the colloquium instead.” Students felt that this leaves them at a huge disadvantage, as they are ill-prepared for the writing standard that is expected of them in their courses in the following semester.

In addition to not being able to enroll in first year class requirements, students also expressed dismay about emails sent to them over the summer a few days prior to orientation. Several students were asked to drop out of courses in order to make more space for those who needed these courses to complete their intended majors. These emails sparked outrage on online forums, as well as a flood of new memes on Instagram. This serves as a reflection of student frustration and poor anticipation of the consequences of having bigger class sizes. In addition, these emails beg the question of whether it is valid to ask students to drop a course that doesn’t fit their majors despite being promised a liberal arts education.

“I woke up early to register for [Math 1000A] and I managed to get in, so I should be able to keep my place if I choose to,” said Al Darrai, who was asked to drop the class for the sake of Engineering majors who didn't manage to get in, when she herself is required to take math to fulfill a psychology requirement.

“I felt very conflicted because … I didn't want to take [Math1000A] and I was so close to dropping it, but I do need it for my intended major,” commented Aryam Al Hosani, who intends to major in Political Science. “I know that it's a prerequisite for other courses, and I felt it was unfair to ask of me to drop that course. I found it to be peculiar because we all go in undecided.”

Many students were perplexed, having believed that NYUAD encouraged its students to take their time when considering their major in order to explore all their areas of interest and receive a well-rounded, liberal arts education. Students found it ironic that NYUAD seriously kept track of majors they filled out on the common application, which was only meant to be a formality.

Furthermore Al Darrai pointed out that asking students to delay courses for the sake of others was a risk. “They still could change their minds and end up in a different major that may not coincide with them needing math … nothing is really set in stone,” said Al Darrai about the students whose majors were being prioritized.

On one hand, there is only so much that could be done about accommodating the amount of first years this year, yet the size of the class of 2026 shouldn't be taking away from the opportunities for students to find their passion. This is particularly disappointing for those who applied to NYUAD for the sake of remaining undecided in their first year.

“I know some freshmen [stated that] one of the reasons that made them come to NYUAD is because they would be able to choose their major afterwards [and because] some courses had a high demand they couldn't do that,” said Omari. He relayed his own experience of not enrolling in Foundations of Science, a requirement for the Electrical Engineering major, which was what he wanted to study when he initially applied before changing his mind.

“NYUAD did not provide as much communication as it should have … the fact that we needed to create an announcement groupchat said a lot about communication,” added Omari, which goes to show that there needs to be more emphasis on making sure students understand the curriculum at NYUAD and what courses to prioritize.

“The solution that comes to mind is offering more sections, especially for courses that are in high demand, math being one of them,” said Al Hosani.

Speaking with students has pointed to the hypocrisy that exists in discouraging students from exploring liberal arts education opportunities that are central to the culture and identity of NYUAD as an institution in order to accomodate bigger class sizes and rigid requirement lists. I personally can think of many solutions that could help students. To start, the Academic Resource Center can hold an information session to help the Class of 2026 navigate requirements, and NYUAD can increase class sizes for required courses to allow students to fulfill them. Additionally, existing resources such as the First Year Dialogue sessions and academic mentors could be utilized as a tool to inform students about course requirements rather than leaving them in the dark about things that could affect their long-term journey at NYUAD.

Many students felt that this situation could have been dealt with in a better way than it was, ranging from communication issues to more proactive problem solving. Hopefully, NYUAD is able to prioritize accommodating for big class sizes in the coming years in classrooms, dorms as well as other infrastructure.