Doha: Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) has welcomed its new intake of students hoping to become the physicians of the future.
The college held a week-long orientation programme for the students, some of whom have joined Foundation Programme and others the six-year integrated Medical Programme, beginning with the pre-medical curriculum.
The orientation programme featured daily icebreaker sessions to help new students get to know one another, demonstrations of how to use WCMC-Q’s digital library, and advice on key study techniques and time-management skills.
The students also learned about the college’s computer services and were advised on academic integrity.
Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean, WCMC-Q, said the intake of new students was one of the highlights of the college year and that they would be the first to experience the new, six-year medical programme.
He said: “All of our students are driven by intellectual curiosity but a new cohort really brings a breath of fresh air to the college.
“Their excitement and enthusiasm is palpable and their thirst for knowledge is inspiring. They have a state-of-the-art facility at their disposal and an experienced world-class faculty to teach them.
“Even more exciting is that they will now experience a new, integrated medical education programme.
“They will still spend two years perfecting their scientific knowledge with a pre-medical curriculum, but they will no longer have to apply to join the medical curriculum.
“Their transition will be automatic, assuming they have met appropriate promotion conditions. Having seen and met many of our new students, I have every faith that they will do just that. I have no doubt that our new students — Qatar’s future doctors — will make us proud in the coming years.”
Fifty-four students have been enrolled in the six-year integrated medical programme and 30 percent of them are Qatari.
Orientation exercises also gave students the opportunity to contributed to the community.
The doctors of the future served food at a lunch for maintenance and catering staff and helped gather and pack items for local charities helping the needy.
Abdulla Al Thani has embarked on the first year of the six-year medical programme. He said orientation had been a great way to meet his peers and had also been informative, preparing students for their future lives at WCMC-Q.
“The orientation week was fun and included important information about college life.
“I am looking forward to having a very successful six years here and passing all my courses and exams.
“I’m also looking forward to getting a high score in Medical College Admission Test, which will be a year from now,” he added.
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