AUC Holds Its First Face-to-Face Open Day for Prospective Students
The American University in Cairo (AUC) held its first face-to-face Open Day yesterday to allow prospective university students to discover AUC and explore its 39 majors and 55 minors. Students managed to meet faculty from every department, learn about the University’s campus and facilities, and watch a live witty student performance explaining liberal arts education. More than 1000 Egyptian, Arab and international students and parents visited AUC’s award-winning New Cairo campus, had a tour around it and visited the schools' booths. They also heard from influential alumni about their AUC experience and how it jumpstarted their careers and opened opportunities.
Throughout the day, students navigated their way through AUC’s programs with faculty from the different departments to get the insights they needed to choose their path. Students also got a chance to meet with admission representatives to answer their questions on admission requirements, application procedures, and other admission-related questions. The open day also allowed the prospective students and their families to inquire about AUC’s Liberal Arts education approach, learn about AUC’s Freshman Program and explore various fields like humanities, social and natural sciences, and languages through the core curriculum.
In his remarks, AUC President Ahmad Dallal welcomed the prospective students and their families and recalled, as an undergraduate to the American University of Beirut, his feelings of uncertainty as he was trying to decide what he wanted to become. “The hallmark of an AUC education is how it allows you to pursue different passions like I did. And equally as important — even if you only have one clear passion — it equips you with a wide enough view of the world so that you can successfully navigate the complexities. The problems and opportunities of the future — from climate change and pandemics to artificial intelligence and urban development — require thinking outside the narrow confines of one major or one field,” he said.
In her presentation about the AUC experience before the audience of the fully packed Bassily Auditorium, Magda Mostafa, associate professor of design at AUC’s Department of Architecture, noted that AUC is much more than the learning that happens inside the classroom. “The entire campus is your classroom and the city is our laboratory- with spaces to explore all your talents and interests- not only through what you study but all the activities, sports, clubs, and communities you will be able to engage with and participate in,” said Mostafa. Mostafa also highlighted AUC’s partnerships with over 200 universities worldwide that open the opportunities for students to be exposed to different cultures and points of view. "And this makes AUC not only a gateway to the region but a pathway to the world,” she said.
Visitors also heard inspiring success stories from AUC’s notable alumni, who talked about their AUC experience and how it contributed to them making it big in the real world. Alumni included Mohamed Shelbaya ’90, chairman and managing director of PepsiCo International, Egypt; Farida Temraz ’12, ’18, CEO, designer-in-chief, and founder of Temraza and Yaseen Abdel-Ghaffar ’10, founder and managing director of SolarizEgypt.
During the Open Day, visitors had the chance to learn about AUC's different schools, including The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUSS), the School of Sciences and Engineering programs, the School of Business, and the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Statistics showed that prospective students came from a diverse set of high school backgrounds, most of whom are American high school diploma students, followed by British diplomas, thanawiya amma, and various other diplomas.