Abdullah Shaar: Faculty support was key to achieving dual degrees 

This month, we are celebrating the Class of 2022, a group of 89 exceptional individuals who received their CMU degrees on May 9.

Today, we talk to Abdullah Shaar, who received dual degrees in biological sciences and computer science and published two research papers during his time at CMU-Q.

Why did you decide to study at CMU-Q? 

In Grade 10, I went to some CMU-Q events with my sister, who was a student here at the time. After every visit, I got to know more about the people and education provided here. The main thing that I liked about CMU is the community. It’s extremely friendly and very welcoming.

You are one of the rare students who completed dual degrees. Why did you decide to do that?

When I applied, I told them that I’m interested in biological sciences, but I also have some interest in computer science. The admission team kept assuring me that this is fine: I could apply to one program and see if I wanted to pursue the other one. 

During my first year, I talked to Professor Saquib and Professor Khaled from the computer science  faculty, and they suggested that I take some computer science courses to see where my interests are. And that’s what I did. By the end of my sophomore year, I had a better understanding of what I wanted to do, and I decided to pursue two degrees in computer science and biological sciences. 

How did you do it? It’s a lot of work to get one degree, let alone two!

It was very demanding, especially at the beginning. It took five years to get the two degrees, and since my sophomore year I was overloading in courses. Whenever I was in doubt, I would go back to Professor Vincent and Professor Ihab and they were extremely supportive. I also had so much support from my friends and family, so everyone helped me to accomplish my goals.

You have been very involved in Arabic debate. How did that start?

I used to debate in high school, and in my sophomore year, Qatar Debate approached me and another student at CMU, Ammar, to see if we wanted to participate in Arabic debating. We were scared at first because all of our studies are in English. Then I realized that Arabic debate was the golden opportunity for us to practice our Arabic language skills. 

We asked Rahaf to join as our third teammate. After some practice, we were able to achieve good things. 

You achieved many good things!

We just won our second consecutive national championships.

And you were named top speaker at the tournament.

Yes, I was named top speaker two years in a row. 

Congratulations! Will you continue with debate after you graduate?

Our team will compete one last time at the International Arabic Universities Debating Tournament in Turkey. 

Good luck!

Thank you.

What will you miss most about CMU? 

Oh, this is a tough one. So many things, honestly. Since we are a very small campus, I was fortunate enough to be very close to my professors and I just understand more at an academic level, obviously, but I also got to know them at the personal level. We feel like a family and I really appreciate that. 

As you graduate, what are your thoughts about your undergraduate education?

The experience of CMU is mainly an academic experience, but for me, it was also a personal growth experience. Yeah, it was an amazing five years. 

The Class of 2022 is made up of 18 biological sciences graduates, 25 business administration graduates, 14 computer science graduates and 31 information systems graduates, as well as one graduate who completed dual degrees in biological sciences and computer science. The graduates come from 23 countries, and 44% are Qatari citizens.