New York University certainly isn’t new and unheard of— its campus in Abu Dhabi however, is quite a different story. According to the school’s website, NYUAD is completely funded by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. The school has also pledged to provide financial aid so that that no student or family takes on debt to attend the campus in the Middle East. That aid includes tuition, housing, travel, and even health insurance.
“This is a totally new school with a global concept,” Pivirotto said. “There is no way my family could pay for that kind of education so I’ve been speechless for the past two weeks.”
Speechless that is, until you ask him to talk about the excitement of traveling around the world for college, and the daunting task of even applying for such an innovative and exclusive opportunity. While some seniors are considering whether or colleges and universities out of state are too far from their comfort zone, Pivirotto has already made up his mind about traveling far away from home for school. Sure there were thoughts of Princeton and Harvard, but this college-bound kid really had his heart set on a campus half a world away.
“I always wanted to go to a school that allows me to travel abroad and this school is abroad so that was a big and exciting notion for me,” Pivirotto said. “I really want my career to have an international focus, whether that is law, relations, or business; I want to travel to different countries and NYUABD is a starting point for that.”
Pivirotto was looking for a “vigorous challenge” because he “didn’t want college to be easy.” And that’s a good thing, because to say the application process for NYUABD was grueling is a vast understatement. Even with a 4.54 GPA and an IB program under his belt, Pivirotto wasn’t a shoe-in candidate. This was an admissions process like no other, with essay after essay and interview upon interview. Pivirotto was directed to a Facebook page to socialize with students from countries like Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Then there was the candidates weekend during which he was flown free of charge to Abu Dhabi for another round of essays and interviews.
“They want to know who you are personally, not just academically because one of the most important factors in deciding who got to go was how far you were willing to go for it,” Pivirotto said. “You had to really want it and I am very proud of that.”
A theatre buff and passionate public speaker, Pivirotto found out he was accepted to NYUAD the same day he had planned to mail off his other college applications. For the easy going Pivirotto it was exciting to be able to put down the pen and paper and know that his college career path was set out before him.
“I’m not dissing America at all; I just love the thrill and experience of new cultures and different people,” he said. “It’s indescribable the feeling of walking down a street next to people in traditional garb and knowing we are all there to learn and grow.”
