New Foundation students get ready for next step

Dr. Sheila Qureshi, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry (front right), Dr. Rachid Bendriss, Assistant Dean for Student Recruitment, Outreach and Foundation Programs, and Dr. Mary Anne Baker, Director of Assessment and Academic Achievement, with members of the new cohort of Foundation Program students.

Students who are to join the Foundation Program in the next academic year spent a week at WCMC-Q during their summer break to prepare for the rigors of college life.

Eight students attended the Pre-Foundation College Readiness Program from July 13-17 to take introductory classes in college-level chemistry and biology, learn biology lab skills and receive coaching in advanced writing and reading techniques.

The students also had the chance to quiz current students about life at WCMC-Q, as well as learning about the history of medicine and strategies for learning success.

Dr. Rachid Bendriss, Assistant Dean for Student Recruitment, Outreach and Foundation Programs, explained the importance of the program.

“The step up from high school to college is quite significant in terms of the English reading and writing skills that are required and the difficulty of the basic sciences the students will be learning,” he said.

“To cope with the extra level of difficulty and with their new environment it’s very useful for new Foundation students to visit us for a week before they formally begin their studies. They can get to know the college and some of our faculty, experience some basic science classes, and we can teach them some very useful learning strategies that will make them much more effective and efficient students when they join us.

“It’s a great opportunity for new Foundation students to hit the ground running.”

WCMC-Q’s Foundation Program is a one-year course that equips students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need to undertake the college’s Pre-Medical Program, which in turn leads to the four-year Medical Program and a U.S.-accredited MD degree. This year, a total of 20 students are to begin the Foundation Program in the Fall 2014 semester.

Student Alanood Al-Jalahma, who graduated from the Gulf English School, was in attendance on the course. She said: “It was really interesting to learn about the history of medicine and it has inspired me to want to know more. I also enjoyed the practical side of the readiness program, such as learning lab skills, and I’m looking forward to using them when the program starts.”

Mohamed Ahmed, a graduate of Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Thani Secondary School, also attended the course. “I’m very motivated by the idea of becoming a doctor and helping people,” he said. “Medicine is a huge field and I’m sure the Foundation Program is going to be very challenging so I have appreciated the chance to prepare for it. I feel ready for the next step now.”