DOHA, QATAR – The largest group of students to date have just completed the Summer College Preview Program (SCPP) at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The 62 high school juniors and seniors were steered through a four week program aimed at preparing them for the college admissions process.
The program, now in its 7th year, also offers an all-round experience of what life is like at an elite institution and exposes prospective students to college-level courses to strengthen their academic backgrounds.
Participants are taught university-level math and academic writing, ultimately preparing them for the SAT exam. Personal and professional developmental workshops give students an edge on their college applications, whilst English classes equip students for the admissions interview, application essay and personal statement.
Every Saturday, student-led fun activities took place, immersing students into Carnegie Mellon University traditions such as a trivia quizzes, football matches and various Carnegie Mellon carnival activities.
“I applied for the program because I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the Biological Sciences major taught at CMU-Q as well as to improve my score on the SAT exam. I really enjoy working in the lab and taking part in the extra-curricular activities. And we had a football match against Georgetown, which we won,” said a participant from the International School of Choueifat.
This year, CMU alumni from Pittsburgh took on the role of instructors in biological sciences and business administration and offered first-hand insight into life at the university.
Bertrade Mbom, SCPP project leader in biological sciences said, “I participated in a similar program when I was in high school, it’s a really great opportunity for students to be exposed to college level academics and get a real sense of what life is like at a high level university.”
“I want students to learn more than just the tools and techniques, I want them to understand the long term potential of the research and the impact it can have globally.” she added.
Each participant selected a practical project aligned with one of Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s majors – biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science or information systems.
Students who enrolled in the business administration project worked together to develop a business plan and experienced the roles and responsibilities that real life business executives encounter.
Other students got a taste of computer science through working on the theory of design and programming.
This year, the information systems program showed students how fun and applicable the program is by working on Android smart phone applications.
The poster presentation style finale saw students presenting biological experiment results, business plans, android applications and fully programmed robots.
“We are really proud of all of the students who have participated in SCPP. Over the last four weeks, the students have worked extremely hard and have shown that they have the capabilities and potential to go on and become successful Carnegie Mellon Qatar students,” said Damian Dourado, manager of pre-college programs at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.
SCPP has proven it can guide students though the admissions process, with more than 40% percent of SCPP participants enrolling at Carnegie Mellon Qatar after completing the program.
