Good education closer to home

American universities that make up the Education City showcase programmes on offer. Bhavna Purswani reports

The Qatar Foundation held an exhibition in Dubai on 'Discover Education City', comprising of stalls and representatives from all the universities that make up Qatar's Education City: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of the Arts, Weill Cornell Medical College, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Also present was the Northwestern University School of Journalism and Communications, which will be offering undergraduate programmes in Education City from fall 2008.

The regional presence of such established names in education is excellent news for students and educators.

"We were seeking students from the GCC region, which is why we chose to locate in Qatar. We are now accessible to a large number of students in the region who come to us from countries like Bahrain, India, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan," said Noha Al Afifi, media relations officer at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

Application process
Applicants can apply in the traditional way or online by completing an application form and mailing it along with all the necessary documents to the universities.

Who is eligible?
Students are selected on the basis of their GPA and SAT scores. Some universities require a TOEFL score as well.
"Requirements are the same as the main branch of the university, making us highly selective and competitive," said Al Afifi.

Scores required vary from university to university. Minimum criteria can be obtained from the universities directly.

Closer to home
"Due to my interest and desire for a strong education, I never actually considered studying within the Middle East. In my senior year at high school, I chose to apply to several universities in the US and the UK," said Laith Algaz, UAE national and business administration student major at Carnegie Mellon University.

"However prior to applying to the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh, I discovered that there was a newly established campus of the renowned school in the nearby country of Qatar," he said.

"Although I was accepted to my top choices, I ended up choosing Carnegie Mellon Qatar because of both its location and small student-to-faculty ratio."

Like Algaz, many students in the region stand to benefit from the close proximity and high level education offered at the Education City campuses. Educational standards need not be sacrificed in favour of proximity anymore.

"I have learned to live independently and my responsibility has grown. I have been able to do that while being a 50-minute flight away from my home in Dubai.

"I have returned to Dubai on many weekends to visit friends and family and enjoy the ability I can be both alone and close to my friends and family at the same time," Algaz said.

Scholarship opportunities for UAE nationals

All UAE national students who have been selected to attend the universities are eligible to apply for a scholarship granted by the Ministry of Education, Abu Dhabi.

Students who wish to apply need to contact the Division of Sponsorship in the Ministry. Those still in high school may be able to obtain application forms from their school.

Requirements differ according to the level of education, although all applicants must have excellent exam scores.

High school seniors applying for an undergraduate scholarship are required to sit the CEPA examination at the National Admission and Placement Office.

Those applying for a masters scholarship must present their bachelors degree qualification. All applicants are required to submit a passport copy as proof of nationality.

Courses on offer
University Programmes offer:

• VCUQ: Graphic Design, Fashion Design and Interior Design.
• Cornell: Pre-Medical and Medical Programme
• Georgetown: Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service.
• Texas A&M: Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering.
• Carnegie Mellon: Business administration, Computer Science and Information Systems.