Universities and educationists exhibiting at the sixth edition of KT UniExpo Dubai, an enterprising platform whose goal is to help aspiring students realise their education dreams, were overwhelmed by the response the event received on the opening day on Wednesday.
Over 1,000 energetic students, both boys and girls, thronged the Millennium Hotel to take a peek into the future of their personal development.
Hosted by Khaleej Times since its inception, the event saw over 20 leading universities participating and showcasing the best of higher education available in Dubai.
The students had the unique opportunity to meet representatives from leading institutions like the Middlesex University of Dubai, Rochester Institute of Technology, BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, University of Birmingham, Dubai, and Canadian University, Dubai, face-to-face and engage in conversations related to education that could lead to a bright future.
David, a representative of SecureMyScholarship, Dubai, put the event into context when he said: “Our company’s mission is to make higher education more accessible and more affordable by distributing scholarships to all students.
“We are a platform that assists students get to their dream university through scholarships.
“Today’s experience was fantastic. We interacted with a lot of students from all over Dubai who were so positive and interactive and super keen on enrolling in a university,” he added. “We look to help them make their dreams affordable.
“Already we have distributed over $8 million worth of scholarships and hope to reach a $100 million mark shortly.”
Eranda, who works at Middlesex University Dubai’s Admission Office, was bowled over by the number of attendees on Wednesday.
“We received a large number of quality students which is very rare, especially for educational events today,” he said. “What stood out for me was that there were a lot of schools participating, even though it’s the end of the term for most school calendars, which is very encouraging.
“You can’t but help feel overwhelmed as well. It was a very interesting day and I can’t wait to come back on Thursday to see what is in store for us at the university.”
Aqsa Anwar Shahid, recruitment officer at the University of Birmingham, was also impressed by the enthusiasm of the students, who are at a very pivotal stage of career development.
“Education plays a very important role in your personal development. We have everything from the UK campus replicated in Dubai University of Birmingham,” she said. “We place a lot of emphasis on quality education and we understand that well-being is a very important element and we touch base with that as well.
“Our most popular programme is our business, psychology and computer science programmes which received a lot of traction from the visiting students.
“We launched our MBA this year and it was designed to catch a lot of attention and it did,” she added. “From the response we had today it looks like it will be very competitive. We are looking for professionals to come and join this programme as well.”
Wala Alfares, senior enrolment counselor with the Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai, could have been mistaken for being a student with the enthusiasm and passion she displayed during a conversation with Khaleej Times.
Alfares highlighted the benefits of studying with the two-century-old university which has campuses all over the globe.
“Students will receive a degree directly from the US,” she said. “We are also an accredited university by the Ministry of Higher Education and overseas study options are available.
“We were happy to meet students and connect with them today and inform them about the college and programmes that we have to offer.
“The looks on their faces were a joy. You could see that they were genuinely excited about what the future had in store for them if they commit to a good education and this is what makes our job all the more rewarding.”
KT UniExpo continues on Thursday with 23 more schools visiting during the exhibition hours from 8am to 6pm.