Parents, teachers, students and other family members joined together for the Academic Bridge Program’s annual Open House event in Qatar Foundation’s Liberal Arts & Sciences Building - Education City. This event gave parents the opportunity to meet with the teachers of their wards and to learn more about the ABP’s grading system, the academic courses, clubs and activities on offer, and the specific application process for students to gain admission to university next year.
As one of the centers of the Qatar Foundation, the ABP was established in 2001 in order to give high school graduates a transition from high school to university studies. Over the past twelve years, the ABP has served over 2300 young men and women who have attended the English language foundation programme. Nearly 90 percent of those attending have been Qataris, and over 85 percent of the ABP graduates have later attended English language universities in Qatar or abroad.
“The faculty and I encourage every student to apply to at least two or three universities, to study hard and make good grades, to prepare for the university admissions tests, and to submit the application on time,” Director of the ABP, Dr Miles Lovelace, told parents and family members.
“We even conduct practice interviews to help them know how to act in their university interviews, and we help them prepare their applications and essays in their English and Computer Skills classes,” he added.
One in two of last year’s ABP graduates who applied to universities in Education City was accepted, making it the largest number ever admitted from an ABP graduating class. In addition, 109 ABP graduates received places at Qatar University, 8 went onto other universities in Qatar, 35 were accepted to UK universities, 11 went to universities in the United States and 6 went to other universities around the world.
“The ABP also has a full-time college placement advisor who works with students to help them take all the right tests, to prepare an excellent application paper - including an essay telling why they want to study at that university - and to meet the stringent deadlines,” Dr. Lovelace said.
“The Open House was designed for parents of ABP students to familiarize them with the faculty and administrators in the ABP. Several presentations were given by different staff members of the ABP including Dr Miles Lovelace, Director of the ABP and Moza Al Boainain, Assistant Director, Student Services.
The Peninsula
