American Conference and Expo

The American Education Conference and Expo, which began yesterday, is being held for the first time at the Dubai Knowledge Village. The three-day event has brought together more than 70 accredited universities from the US.

"They are reaching out to local UAE and expat students to tell them about educational and scholarship opportunities," said Hilary Olsin-Windecker, Public Affairs Officer in the US Embassy.

Parents and students have the opportunity to meet university representatives to discuss how to apply for different majors and how to get scholarships and financial aid.

"Scholarships will be given to particularly outstanding students who have their papers ready when they come to the fair," she said.

A lot of time and effort has gone into the planning and coordination of the mega, not-for-profit event being organized by ISN - the International Student Network. ISN is a 10-year-old Philadelphia-based American education promotion company.

Against the backdrop of the new SAT, it is of immense significance that a presentation by the College Board has been incorporated.

This will be of great value to all those tense young adults who are concerned about the new test and have a million questions waiting to be answered.

Current trends show that students from this region are increasingly opting for business and engineering. With is in mind, some of the sessions have these subjects in focus.

Student visas, another area of concern for most students, are being explained in depth, putting to rest all the fears that plague students of the region.

Lina Al Labban, Educational Adviser at the American Embassy, said: "We are very glad that students have a chance to interact with universities that have come from the US especially for this expo. Students need to know that this is a unique opportunity."

Having over 70 options to choose from is indeed a rare opportunity. The organisers are hoping that university representatives will make admission decisions across the table.

So hit the road, and get to the Dubai Knowledge Village this evening.