When Katherina Klaunig from Texas was looking at universities, even she never imagined she may end up in Abu Dhabi.
“Why would I go all the way from the US to Abu Dhabi for college? People always question why would you do that. I would have never imagined it also," she said.
But after visiting New York University Abu Dhabi for the first time during candidates’ weekend – where shortlisted students are invited to spend time there to get to know the university and the city - she had made her decision.
She is just one of a number of students joining its campus from an increasingly diverse list of countries.
Last week, NYUAD welcomed 361 students into its Class of 2021, a diverse group of young men and women representing 88 nationalities and speaking 71 languages. About 11,500 applicants from around the world applied.
UAE Nationals and Americans make up the two largest groups of students by nationality, while for the first time, the class includes young people from Iceland, Liberia, and Tajikistan.
For Ms Klaunig, the high quality of education and enthusiastic professors was behind her choice.
“They are passionate and all the students are overly engaged," she said.
“My smallest class has five people and the largest has 14 people, so definitely there is more attention.”
Also the diversity is like nowhere else, where the student body consists of 15 per cent Emirati, 15 per cent American “and the rest are from all around the world. Since everyone is a minority there are more fields for interaction."
“NYUAD has a more international student body and liberal arts education and because it is so young, students have a lot of power and influence and being part of how the university should look like,” added the 19-year-old, whose triplet sisters are back in the States.
Katherina's decision is a reflection of how the diverse student body at NYUAD is a key strength in attracting the best students.
From Trinidad and Tobago, Gabi Branche was looking for a university where she can engage in many activities and mix with as many nationalities as possible.
“For the past two years I have been living in Germany, going to an international school that accepts students from 90 countries and focuses on sustainability and global mentorship.”
Then one of her teachers at her school back in Trinidad and Tobago, told her about NYUAD and when she did the research she realised it has all those elements.
She has been playing hockey, five types of dance, debates, piano and volunteer programmes since she came two months ago.
“When I came here for candidate weekend, I really liked the school, and all the activities and even the application process here was a lot friendlier that I enjoyed having the multiple layers.” The 19-year-old said the stages of the admission process are more of a holistic process.
The NYUAD director of admissions, Anna Dechert, said the outreach style followed by NYUAD where they go in person to identify top students at schools in any region of the world, and then fund shortlisted students to visit campus ahead of making their final decision, enabled them to beat Harvard in numbers of students who say yes to their offer.
“After the candidates’ weekend is when we make our final decision about who to admit. And of the students we admit 80 to 85 per cent say yes to us. "That rivals Harvard's yield, which is typically the highest in the world," she said.
“This year we both got around 82 per cent, last year Harvard got 81 and us 83."
And even though some get admitted by Oxford and other top universities, “they see it as a more compelling option, and every year we have students who reject those top universities and choose NYUAD”, she concluded.
Maryam Al Khalili, 17, from Afghanistan was glad to find an environment that is similar her culture and traditions back home.
“I am from Afghanistan and the UAE is an Islamic country so I feel at home, and the culture and traditions and they have comparable norms and values.
“And Abu Dhabi is delightful for me," she said.
“I thought before that I would study at either the American University in Paris or the American University in Kazakhstan.”
“But when I heard about NYUAD it was my first choice and I only applied there,” she added.
For Al Reem Hosani, an Emirati who is from Ruwais, NYUAD was the closest place to home where she could feel she was “in a different world”.
“And the main reason I chose it is because I found more chances to travel with it abroad, more than other universities in the UAE.”
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The%20specs
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
