Yu Lizhong, chancellor of New York University Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Liberal arts education

Three years ago, while in senior middle school, Dong Jiaqi received a high score in the college entrance examination, which would enable her to enroll in one of China's top institutions, Fudan University. But instead she opted to study at NYU Shanghai.

"I thought the liberal arts education that NYU Shanghai offers would give me more opportunities to explore," says the 21-year-old senior student. "So, I opted to spend the first year of college discovering my academic interests before choosing my major."

The university gives students the freedom to spend their first two years on taking core liberal arts courses so that they can spend their third and fourth years to deepen their fields of study.

While studying at NYU Shanghai, Dong attended writing workshops and took a variety of courses, including global perspectives on society and interactive media arts, to broaden her horizons. She also spent her summers doing research on digital marketing and social issues to explore her research interests.

Dong later followed her interests and majored in business and finance and interactive media arts. She participated in projects related to her specialty such as creating interactive maps on Shanghai street food and marketing food products online.

Dong's academic endeavors at NYU Shanghai helped her develop an interest in food research. "I want to apply for the NYU's PhD food studies program after graduation," she says.

"Every student is different," says Yu. "We try to offer a variety of resources for students to choose and design their own academic development track."