AUS launches university summer prep programme

High school students can now experience college life during the summer break through the American University of Sharjah's (AUS) inaugural student summer outreach programme. The programme, set to begin next week, was put together by the AUS achievement academy. It is aimed at students aged 16 to 18 or those in grades 10, 11 or 12 and will help better prepare them for university, both academically and socially. "We are trying to reach out to the community and target as many students as possible to prepare them for the future," said Lina Hejjawi, Coordinator of the outreach programme. "At AUS we currently have a major problem with new students and their TOEFL scores because they can't get scores high enough to be admitted into university." AUS admission requirements are based on a students' Grade Point Average (GPA) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Hejjawi added that although students may meet the GPA requirements, some can spend up to a year in the institutions bridge English language programme before they are allowed to begin studying for their chosen major. Rami Hassan Al Qasim, 17, is a student at the New World Private School in Dubai. He has signed up for the AUS summer programme primarily to strengthen his English language while still at school, in order to reduce his university years. "I know some English but not enough to study at university," he said. "I want to strength my English before I go to university to study engineering. Sadly we see students enter university without knowing what to expect from their professors in terms of standards," said Hejjawi. She added that the idea of the programme is to help students to avoid playing catch-up when they enter university, but instead gain a head start. The programme is scheduled to start on June 19 and run until July 21. For Dh4,700, students can spend five hours a day, primarily improving their English and Math skills. Students will be immersed into the university experience, complete with a student ID card which will allow them access to selected campus facilities. For an additional average cost of Dh2,000 students can stay at the AUS dormitory, for the duration of the programme. From / Gulf News