AUC International Graduate Fair: A Virtual On-Ground Experience
As graduation dates are approaching and many professionals are planning the next steps in their careers, The American University in Cairo (AUC) held its annual International Graduate Fair on September 24, 2022. The event was held virtually, combining elements of a physical on-ground graduate fair welcoming registrants from inside and outside AUC. In addition to information sessions that were held for six hours straight, virtual booths were available for attendees to ask questions to the visiting universities, and a one-hour personal statement workshop was hosted by the AUC Career Center. The event hosted more than 650 registrants and included 40 global universities and seven funding organizations aiming to provide all applicants with all needed information on application processes, scholarships, funding and much more.
The information sessions held by the hosted universities included a lot of unique graduate programs as well as unique scholarship opportunities. NYU Abu Dhabi University held an information session about its two master’s programs (MFA in art and media and MSA in economics), which are two programs that are unique to the entire Middle East region. Adding to this, the Sawiris Foundation also presented a unique scholarship opportunity, arts and culture scholarship. It is the first scholarship in Egypt that advocates solely for arts and culture, funding programs including visual arts, film studies and performing arts.
It is important to highlight how many universities emphasized the presence of a student-support-focused environment, among which is the University of Huddersfield. “We have it all here, so you are definitely in good hands,” said David Cliffe, University of Huddersfield representative, as he went over the list of available services and events for students; welcome week, job shop, career services, medical center, etc. He elaborated further by accentuating the presence of many global student societies and clubs and the presence of many extracurricular activities for students ranging from playing a sport to a Harry Potter fan club.
What made this year’s AUC International Graduate Fair special is the presence of many universities offering hands-on professional experiences, including but not limited to the University of Sunderland, University of Westminster, Esade Business School, Salus University, and Yale School of Management. “We provide the professional qualifications you need when working with children. We work with 500+ schools from the UK towards the East, and you can connect with everyone via international conferences,” said Elizabeth Hudson, a University of Sunderland representative, when explaining the different offered children’s education programs offered by the university. Maria Derlipanska, Yale School of Management representative, added, “Our objective is to be the producers of elevated leaders. Our curriculum is very interdisciplinary in nature because it goes beyond just the business field, and it enriches your entire learning experience.”
Many of the representatives of the hosted universities expressed great delight in being able to participate in the AUC International Graduate Study Fair this year and to utilize all the features offered at the fair. Martyn Davies, a University of Leicester representative, highlighted, “Egypt is a big country where we get a lot of interest across North Africa. It is a very prestigious university- The American University in Cairo, so it is great to be involved. I love the idea that even though people do not have much time to ask questions, they can always come to the booth afterward to ask their questions.” Fatima Al Qubaisi, Khalifa University representative, also expressed pleasure regarding participating in the graduate fair, “The session was quite interactive; we had a 10-minute question and answer at the end where there were back and forth discussions. I also like how the fair includes good exposure and big names from the region, so that is exciting.”
Participants emphasized that were really content with their experience at the fair. An AUC undergraduate student mentioned, “I am graduating soon, and this fair was a good chance to start planning my studies. I loved how the information sessions were detailed. Also, the anxiety I had regarding graduate school applications is gone now that I have more knowledge.” This was one of many students who got to participate in the graduate fair, making AUC Career Center succeed for yet another year in holding this event and hosting universities from all around the globe.