Georgetown summer program prepares high school students for university success

On August 4th, 30 high school students who took part in this year’s Georgetown Pre-College Summer (GPS) program were recognized for their accomplishments in a closing ceremony held at the University’s Education City campus. GPS, a program unique to Georgetown University in Qatar, is designed to give local high school students a head start in the university application process.

Over the course of three weeks, the GPS program gave high school students a competitive advantage and valuable experience developing and practicing the academic and personal skills necessary to successfully meet the challenges of university life. The schedule included full-time classes taught in English, as well as college entrance exam preparation and one-on-one mentoring from Georgetown’s own college students and staff.

“GPS is an incredibly beneficial program for students in the final years of high school, because it offers them a chance to experience the academic demands and social environment of university life,” said Jacqui Snell, GU-Q’s educational enrichment manager and program organizer.

“For many students, this is the first introduction to the pending transition in their lives, and can make a significant difference in how well they do in the next stage of their educational careers. Dedicating three weeks of summer isn’t easy, and we want to make sure that these students are recognized for their dedication to education. We also want them to know that after graduating from GPS, they can always consider GU-Q as their resource, whether they enroll here or not,” added Snell.

The Dean of Students at GU-Q, Brendan Hill, presided over the award ceremony, which featured speeches from two participating students. The classes, taught by GU-Q staff and alumni, included topics in English, reading, research, note-taking and presentation skills, with particular focus on preparation for university applications. Courses in math focused on applying math to economics with an emphasis on algebra, precalculus, and calculus.

Students were also given a sneak peek into the International Affairs majors offered at GU-Q through lectures, seminars, and activities organized by GU-Q staff. “A little taste of each of the majors enables students to determine whether GU-Q is the right place for them. It’s a very useful exploratory period for students regardless of whether they ultimately attend Georgetown, because we are teaching students how to make the best choices for themselves,” said Snell.

For the first time, this year’s GPS curriculum included preparation for the ACT college entrance exam, in addition to the SAT. “We found that many local students take both the ACT and SAT tests, so we decided to accommodate both needs. The standardized SAT exam has also been changed, so we made sure that our curriculum was updated to reflect those changes,” said Snell.

More information about this year’s GPS program as well as information on how to enroll in future classes are available on the GU-Q website.