AUC Open its Doors To Prospective Students

By: Vereena Bishoy
@vereena_bishoy
Photo courtesy of the Office of Marketing Communication and Public Affairs, AUC.

The New Cairo campus buzzed with excitement and anticipation as prospective students stepped into what could become their second home for the coming four to five years to attend the annual Open Day.

Held on March 1 to introduce high school students and their parents to AUC’s academic and social prospects, the event was a spectacular return to life for a campus that just one year ago was largely empty due to the pandemic.

Bartlett Plaza was packed to its brim with prospective students and their parents from more than 50 high schools, exploring campus and stopping at the booths to learn more about the offered majors and the university system.

“I am impressed honestly; the campus is beautiful, and the people are so friendly,” said Rana Walaa, a parent of a prospective student.

Other parents shared a similar thought. Another mother, who refused to disclose her name, communicated how this event did indeed help her better understand the university’s system.

“It was beneficial because I found out new information that was not displayed on the university’s website. When you meet the people, and you speak to them, you benefit more,” she said.

Executive Director of Communications at the Office of Marketing Communication and Public Affairs Hanan Omary told The Caravan that this was AUC’s first all-AUC on-campus Open Day. Last year, due to Covid-19, AUC launched its first all-AUC [Open Day but] virtually.

Omary said that in previous years Open Day events were primarily focused on the School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE). In contrast, this year’s Open Day involved all the academic programs from all four schools.

“It also showcased many other aspects about AUC that prospective students may not be aware of or had access to. This included having a full campus tour, [speaking] to students in different student organizations, engaging with other students and services available at AUC, such as Career Center, study abroad opportunities, and [a] better understanding of the liberal arts education,” explained Omary.

She said the event was organized in collaboration with all the university’s cornerstones in a committee that included the four schools, many of the university’s offices, some student programs such as the Student Ambassadors program and Student Event Coordinators as part of the day’s engagement.

“[The] setup on Bartlett Plaza for all the engagement spots were planned and laid out in a manner intentionally to avoid high traffic and crowding and [to provide] more tables for higher capacity majors,” said Omary.

Other measures were taken, like asking all those on campus to keep their masks on, providing masks on campus, and maintaining social distancing throughout the orientation session, both inside and outside.

“[Being] inside Bassily Auditorium [meant abiding] by the limited capacity but also opening up multiple live streaming rooms,” added Omary.

Omary shared that they are currently in the process of receiving feedback.

“Generally, the feedback so far has been very positive. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and that is what is needed to ensure a better experience for next year,” stated Omary

High School senior Maria voiced her pride in becoming an AUC student one day.

“I came here because I love AUC so much; all my ambitions are to enroll and get accepted at AUC as a Business major. So even  if I did not end up at AUC, it is already good enough for me to have taken part in such an event,” she said.

She explained how coming to this event has motivated her to study harder, so she gets accepted because being an AUC student is an unmissable chance for her.

Others, however, were slightly overwhelmed by the variety of majors and the size of the campus.

Yomna Ayman and Jana Salma are two potential students whose favorite moment of the day was chilling under the shade of one AUC’s trees after walking around campus grounds.

They revealed that they came unsure but left even more uncertain.

“We did not find it totally useful because we are still very unsure about what major we want,” they said.

However, that did not extinguish their lively spirit to join AUC as they sought comfort in the community since they described it as a comfortable, relaxing, and healthy environment.

Academic Advising Officer Nourhane El Maraghi sees the day as a total success.

“I have to say, it [the event] is really good because it connects the prospective students with the university,” explained El Maraghi.

She stressed the importance of prospective students meeting people in person to better understand the admission process, more about each major, and the entire AUC system.

“You can tell that there is positive feedback from the students and their parents because they do not leave until they understand everything,” added El Maraghi.

What bewildered her most was the scale of the event, as she explained that there was always a time to meet prospective students but never in that big of a setting, so this ‘new look’ left her impressed.

“It was a very good opportunity that is very much needed, especially after Covid and how everyone was home,” added El Maraghi.

Mai Sherif, the Student Service Director, said she was really happy to see students again after meeting on Zoom for nearly two years.

“Overall, as an office we are so excited to have this event as it was a very fruitful experience,” concluded Sherif.