Despite the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, NU-Q is continuing to work to ensure a smooth transition to university life for students admitted to its Class of 2024.
“Many students are concerned about the events unfolding around us regarding their final transcripts and exams,” said Alex Schultes, director of NU-Q’s admissions office. “We’ve tried to reach out to every admitted student to make sure they are doing well and to let them know that they have a home here in Doha.”
Apart from providing them with access to one-on-one communication with the admissions office, the department also has other ways of engaging new students. “We put together a program this month with five webinars that included current students, faculty, and alumni. The incoming class was invited to join the webinars and ask various hosts questions about the Northwestern experience,” Schultes explained.
“In addition, we are offering personalized sessions with other offices on-campus including business and finance to discuss financial aid, and individual conversations with what we call our ‘admissions diplomats,’ who are current students—many of whom are international students from outside Qatar—who can answer questions,” he added.
Schultes pointed out that the events are planned with the needs of prospective students in mind. “Our admitted students,” he said, “are most interested in learning about various aspects of the NU-Q experience, including academics; social life on campus and around Doha; global experiential opportunities; and the diversity of the student body more generally.”
Admitted students will also be offered the opportunity to enroll in an exclusive two-week summer online course with Professor Rana Kazkaz.
For the fourth year in a row, NU-Q expanded its application pool, receiving nine percent more first-year and transfer applications; enhanced its selectivity criteria, lowering its acceptance rate relative to previous years; and increased the mean SAT score.
Toward the end of the admissions season, the university saw submissions from 331 high schools, colleges, and universities, and 75 nationalities.
