New Student Orientation Prepares the Class of 2024 for a Return to Campus at QF

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) just launched a comprehensive New Student Orientation (NSO) that will run virtually July 12 through August 20  for the largest incoming cohort of first year students in the school’s history, in the latest signal that QF-partner institutions are gearing up for a successful fall semester despite the public health crisis.

Through a combination of pre-recorded modules and online engagement with staff, faculty and current students, this year’s six week long virtual NSO program, called Hoyas 101, aims to provide 141 new students with the resources, guidance, and strategies needed to thrive at GU-Q. Members of the Class of 2024 will be bonding with their classmates, learning about clubs, activities, and cocurricular and research opportunities, putting together their course schedules, and preparing for the exciting four years to come. 

In his welcome address to the new students, the dean of GU-Q, Dr. Ahmad Dallal, stressed the need for future leaders who would take on the task of building a better future for humanity in light of ongoing global turbulence. “You were chosen to join GU-Q because you demonstrated a number of excellent qualities. But the one that makes you truly a Hoya is your willingness to work for positive change in the world,” he said. 

The NSO program is organized by Assistant Director for Student Programs Uday Rosario, who said, “This year 30 GU-Q students will be mentoring incoming students as Orientation Advisors, which is twice as many as last year, to make sure we provide our largest incoming class with the best possible introduction to our program and our community and to make sure they have access to all the resources they need to succeed.”

Reflecting on this year’s theme, “Multiculturalism in a Digital World,” International Politics major Malak Elmoh, one of the two students helping to organize the program as NSO Coordinators, said: “We are looking at accommodating and sustaining diversity to encourage healthy dialogue and discourse regardless of differences.” The Class of 2024 will be joining a diverse student body at GU-Q of more than 40 different nationalities. 

Culture and Politics major Heba Mohamednor, the other NSO Coordinator this year, predicts that future NSO’s will continue to include virtual elements. “The transition to college life can be very stressful, even without the challenges of a pandemic, because there is so much new information to take in. Offering aspects of the program online means students can go at their own pace, and still have time to engage with their advisors and with other members of their incoming class for a smoother transition that doesn’t overwhelm them.” 

The Hoyas 101 program will culminate in the annual New Student Convocation ceremony, a formal initiation into Georgetown’s academic community.