Qatar University (QU) welcomed its students for the first day of the fall 2023 semester and a new batch of students in various colleges, wishing them a distinguished and motivating university life ahead to accomplish achievements and successes.
This year, QU received about 30,000 students, including more than 6,000 new students at various levels, faculties, and academic disciplines. During the past two weeks, they completed online orientation, which included a comprehensive presentation of the various university procedures and services.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency on this occasion, the Director of QU’s Student Activities Department Abdullah Hamed Al Mulla congratulated all students on the start of the new academic year and wished everyone success in achieving their goals, visions, and aspirations in teaching and learning.
The university encourages their new students and wishes them a successful start filled with enthusiasm and aspiration towards achievement and excellence, especially as they enter a new important phase in their academic lives, he added.
Al Mulla also urged all students to be serious, diligent, and persevere starting from day one and to invest their time at the university to acquire and develop their academic and non-academic skills and build a promising future through knowledge.
He stressed that all facilities are ready to receive students and provide the required services, including the student affairs’ new building.
He said that the new building is characterized by a wonderful design, and it consists of two separate sections for males and females, making it easier for the students to practice various cultural and social activities and to hold student activities comfortably. It will also provide multiple opportunities to discover the talents and interests of students and provide them with support and assistance in all academic and service aspects.
The Director of QU’s Student Activities Department also indicated that the building will provide a variety of vital services and facilities that enhance the work and study environment and allow spending free time practicing various hobbies.
He noted that the presence of the various Student Affairs departments under one roof is an incentive to provide better services and enhance communication between all departments, which ensures high quality of services and saves time and effort for students to move between the university buildings and they can make better and faster use of the services provided by Student Affairs.
Al Mulla called on all students to participate in extra-curricular activities and get involved in university life, stressing that QU views extra-curricular programs with great importance and considers them an integral part of the overall student experience and student success in general as complement the classroom experience and enhance knowledge, social and cultural experiences, and professionalism in general.
He explained that the Student Activities Department in particular, and the Student Affairs in general, are keen to cooperate with various international educational institutions to provide various opportunities for students in various fields and disciplines within a distinct scientific, social, and cultural context to ensure access to specific learning outcomes that are in line with the institutional strategies and the university’s goals.
He stressed that the university constantly encourages students to seize these opportunities and benefit from these programs by registering and participating. They also provide appropriate guidance and counseling and the necessary facilities such as financial and logistical support and others. This opens new horizons for leadership and empowerment and contributes to the discovery and development of individual talents.
He also stressed the importance of participating in the various events hosted by the university annually and benefiting from the continuous introductory programs and workshops that contribute to introducing students to Qatar University and facilitating their integration into university life, while making full use of the resources to enhance their educational and personal experience.
Al Mulla reaffirmed important dates for students, indicating that the beginning of the academic semester coincides with the start of the period of adding and dropping courses, which lasts until the end of August, as well as receiving books, which continues until Sep. 28 and can be done by booking an appointment or delivery via Qatar Post.
He pointed out that the Student Services Department, which has moved to the Unified Services Center in the new Student Affairs Building, will provide the following services to students (monthly, emergency financial assistance, partial or total payment of tuition fees, external financing for financial aid programs in cooperation with some partner institutions and charities in addition to the service of postponing the payment of tuition fees).
QU has previously announced the dates for applying for financial aid for insolvent students in two periods, from Aug. 27 to Sep. 7, 2023, and from Sep. 24 to Oct. 5, 2023.
Source: Qatar News Agency