Day of celebration for successful WCMC-Q foundation students
June, 2013
Dr. Kuei-Chui Chen, senior lecturer in biology, demonstrates laboratory
techniques to the students.
Future students have spent a week at WCMC-Q gaining an insight into what life at the college is like.
High school students who have been accepted onto the foundation program for the academic year 2013-14 arrived at the university on 9 June for an introduction to the rigors of medical education.
The four-day pre-foundation college success program featured introductory sessions on college life, academic reading, critical thinking techniques and professionalism. The new recruits, who will join the full-time Foundation Program at the end of August, also learned basic laboratory skills and sat assessment tests to pinpoint their academic strengths and weaknesses.
Program coordinator Dr. Rachid Bendriss, lecturer of English for academic purposes, explained the overall aim of the course.
"The whole purpose of the program is to provide a smooth transition from high school to college for the students," he said.
"We want to give them a head start in their studies by letting them know what is expected of them when they begin the course, so that they can spend time over the summer preparing."
After an icebreaker session on the first day, the students took Accuplacer tests – a suite of diagnostic tests that reveal ability in math and English. A highlight of the course came on the second day, when the students spent time in the biology laboratory learning to use precision pipettes, as well as starting a bacteria culture in a petri dish.
Nasser Binmarzook receives his certificate of participation from
Dr. Kevin Smith, assistant dean for pre-medical education.
The students were also taught how to target their academic reading to achieve learning outcomes more efficiently and learned techniques for successful academic writing.
Doha British School student Noora Al Hail said the program had been of great help to her.
"It really has been a successful program for me,” she said. “I got the opportunity to meet my new classmates, and it gave me an idea of the environment at the university and what life will be like here."
The program ended with a presentation of certificates to the students in recognition of their participation in the program.
For Nasser Binmarzook, a student at Musab Bin Omair Secondary Independent School for Boys, said the program fuelled his dreams of becoming a doctor in his chosen field.
He said: "I do have ambitions to become a doctor and if I work hard enough I hope I will be able to become a neurological surgeon.
"I found the program really beneficial and I especially enjoyed the time in the lab. It was a great way to be introduced to the world of biology and I’m looking forward to learning more."
