Students and parents invited to 'Discover Education City - Qatar'

Admissions teams from the universities at Education City in Qatar will be visiting secondary schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah, meeting with students, faculty and counselors. A university fair will be held on Monday, October 26 starting at 6pm at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The program aims to raise awareness of the academic programs, admissions process, financial aid and scholarship options at Education City as well as the vast resources available at Qatar Foundation to complete an overall positive student learning experience. The event is open to all secondary school students and their parents in the United Arab Emirates, as well as school counselors. The universities in Education City will be exhibiting at Gitex, booth L300, in Dubai from October 27 through October 29.

One of the underlying goals of Qatar Foundation and Education City is to focus and retain the best and brightest youth from the GCC region to become future leaders in the region. By investing in students from the UAE and other neighboring nations, Education City is working to ensure the future prosperity of the region in its cultural, infrastructural and economic progress.

"Qatar Foundation and its university partners are reaching out to high school students in the United Arab Emirates to acquaint them with the world-class education they will receive at Education City. The programs offered at the universities manifest a rigorous curriculum taught by top international educators and provides student engagement that deepens learning and cultivates leadership."

says Dennis Roberts, Ph.D., Associate Vice-President for Faculty and Student Services at Qatar Foundation.

Education City is the flagship project of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. With some of the world's top academic institutions and the finest state-of-the-art facilities, Education City is on its way to becoming an international model for higher education. It is home to branch campuses of six internationally renowned universities: Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Northwestern University in Qatar.

Each one of the universities in Education City has been hand-selected to offer its top programs to students in the Gulf region. The Qatar campuses deliver programs to the same standards and award the same degrees as their home campuses in the United States. Programs include business administration, computer science, information systems, engineering, policy and international relations, graphics design, fashion design, interior design, painting and printmaking, design studies, journalism, communications and medicine.
The advantage of attending a prestigious, specialized university so close to home is appealing to many students in the United Arab Emirates.

Deena Wafadari, born and raised in Dubai, is a freshman at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. After graduating high school, she decided to do some volunteer work in India, where she gained a deep interest in medicine. When it came time to choose a medical college, Wafadari found Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar very appealing. "WCMC is one of the most prestigious medical colleges in the United States," she said.

"And having the campus in Qatar so close to home sealed the deal," says Wafadari. Outside the classroom, she also serves as class president and representative to MSEC-Q, the WCMC-Q student council. After graduation, she would very much like to go where her services would be most needed. "I would like to take part in providing health care in parts of the world that would otherwise not have the opportunity,"

she says. But she has not ruled out returning home: "I would love to go back to UAE to increase awareness amongst the people and to contribute to the standards of the country's health care system."

Representatives from each of the six universities as well as Qatar Foundation will be at the events to explain how the selection procedure is conducted and how applications should be prepared in order to maximize the opportunity for admission. Information about financial aid and scholarship details will also be available. Current students and alumni will provide first-hand accounts of their own special Education City experiences.