Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
Academic Bridge Program (ABP) is constantly growing and reaching out to the community and forging partnerships with different local and international institutions to further improve its services and attract more students, ABP Director Dr Bryan K Lewallen said as the institution welcomed students to All Qatar Universities Fair on Thursday.
ABP, a centre of Qatar Foundation, is a pre-university programme established for high school graduates from Qatar and other countries in the region.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the All Qatar Universities Fair hosted by ABP on its premises on Thursday, Dr Lewallen said while all universities within Education City is popular among the students, around 30 percent of them choose to study abroad with the UK as a popular destination.
"We have about between 20 to 30 percent of students from ABP complete their studies in the UK each year and some in the US. Also, there are more students of ABP now choosing to study in the US than five years ago when I arrived here. We have signed MoUs and articulation agreements with over 20 universities in the UK that allow our students who met the requirements to go straight into Year 1. We are also looking for more opportunities for students and signing agreements with universities in the US,” Dr Lewallen said.
Last year, ABP began its second Academic Bridge Programme in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence and the Qatar Armed Forces. ABP graduated 286 cadets from their new programme and all were admitted to university or college either here in Qatar or overseas, particularly in the UK and the US.
On the second year of the new initiative, Dr Lewallen said it is even better.
"We are constantly reaching out and working with different organisations and helping to provide the services that we do here in the Education City. We want to continue working on agreements and we are now negotiating some new agreements that we are hoping will come to fruition. We are reaching out and we are never comfortable staying where we are. We are always on the look for what else we can do that would further benefit the students,” he said.
The All Qatar Universities Fair participated in by different universities in the country attracted a huge number of students. The initiative was aimed at providing opportunities for students within ABP as well as throughout the community to be able to find out the available options and alternatives for those who wish to study in Doha and the types of majors they can study in different universities that fit their needs and interests.
On the developments in the education landscape in Qatar, Dr Lewellen lauded the leadership of the country for bringing in the top universities through Education City and in creating an environment that highlights the importance of education for the people of Qatar.
"The Academic Bridge Program in Education City will be graduating our 3,000th student. This is our 18th year. What I see is the more education the people are getting and the quality of the education they are exposed to, the better chance they have in raising their children in an environment where education is the most important thing. I think that is something that is going to help bring Qatar even further and boost the diversity of types of jobs and careers that they choose in the future,” Dr Lewallen said.
He also announced that ABP will start its registration for the Fall semester in March. The classes will start in August for the said semester.ALL QATAR UNIVERSITIES FAIR
DOHA
Academic Bridge Program (ABP) is constantly growing and reaching out to the community and forging partnerships with different local and international institutions to further improve its services and attract more students, ABP Director Dr Bryan K Lewallen said as the institution welcomed students to All Qatar Universities Fair on Thursday.
ABP, a centre of Qatar Foundation, is a pre-university programme established for high school graduates from Qatar and other countries in the region.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the All Qatar Universities Fair hosted by ABP on its premises on Thursday, Dr Lewallen said while all universities within Education City is popular among the students, around 30 percent of them choose to study abroad with the UK as a popular destination.
"We have about between 20 to 30 percent of students from ABP complete their studies in the UK each year and some in the US. Also, there are more students of ABP now choosing to study in the US than five years ago when I arrived here. We have signed MoUs and articulation agreements with over 20 universities in the UK that allow our students who met the requirements to go straight into Year 1. We are also looking for more opportunities for students and signing agreements with universities in the US,” Dr Lewallen said.
Last year, ABP began its second Academic Bridge Programme in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence and the Qatar Armed Forces. ABP graduated 286 cadets from their new programme and all were admitted to university or college either here in Qatar or overseas, particularly in the UK and the US.
On the second year of the new initiative, Dr Lewallen said it is even better.
"We are constantly reaching out and working with different organisations and helping to provide the services that we do here in the Education City. We want to continue working on agreements and we are now negotiating some new agreements that we are hoping will come to fruition. We are reaching out and we are never comfortable staying where we are. We are always on the look for what else we can do that would further benefit the students,” he said.
The All Qatar Universities Fair participated in by different universities in the country attracted a huge number of students. The initiative was aimed at providing opportunities for students within ABP as well as throughout the community to be able to find out the available options and alternatives for those who wish to study in Doha and the types of majors they can study in different universities that fit their needs and interests.
On the developments in the education landscape in Qatar, Dr Lewellen lauded the leadership of the country for bringing in the top universities through Education City and in creating an environment that highlights the importance of education for the people of Qatar.
"The Academic Bridge Program in Education City will be graduating our 3,000th student. This is our 18th year. What I see is the more education the people are getting and the quality of the education they are exposed to, the better chance they have in raising their children in an environment where education is the most important thing. I think that is something that is going to help bring Qatar even further and boost the diversity of types of jobs and careers that they choose in the future,” Dr Lewallen said.
He also announced that ABP will start its registration for the Fall semester in March. The classes will start in August for the said semester.ALL QATAR UNIVERSITIES FAIR