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BACKGROUND:

Over the past several years, Jordanian students have shown a growing interest in studying engineering and science in US universities. Given the highly competitive and complex nature of the university admission process, coupled with the ever-expanding international students’ application pool from China, India, and other countries, Jordanian students have struggled to secure scholarship admission to US universities.  It has became clear that there is a pressing need to clarify admission processes to these students, and inform them of the key components that make up successful application packages for both admission and fellowship. Information and clarification are necessary because understanding the process for securing research scholarships continues to remain a challenge for most of them.

For Jordanian students to obtain their fair share of annually granted scholarships, they must be professionally prepared and equipped with the information necessary for presenting applications in a manner that assures a reasonable chance of success. Unfortunately, today's general applications for graduate admission from students in the Arab world lack completeness, clarity, and technical strength to compete with applications from China, Japan, India and South American countries.

A complete application package to graduate school in the US must include: A completed application form, the admission fee, GRE and TOEFL scores, undergraduate transcripts, a mission statement, three letters of recommendation and a professional resume. All the above items must be clearly and fully presented. Resumes, letters of reference, and mission statements must be professionally written. Also, for any admission and/or scholarship application to have a reasonable chance of success, students must present an exceptional file that stands out when compared to other applications normally processed during each competition cycle.

To help address the above challenges, Connect.JO abroad network is organizing a special, dedicated workshop. A team of panelists, consisting of faculty members from US universities and industry, will participate in the workshop program that will address issues related to MS and PhD program admissions in the US, clarify the processes for obtaining industry internships, and discuss critical, new research topics in engineering and science.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES:

1. Help students understand graduate admission processes and requirements in US universities.
2. Identify key elements of successful applications for admission with/without scholarship, and explain how to present a complete and accurate application file for graduate school.
3. Inform students of hot-research topics and scholarship opportunities in engineering and computer science.
4. Advise students on possible industry internship opportunities in US companies.

Workshop Participants:

1. Dr. Nasser Kutkut, CTO of Advanced Charging Technologies ACT, and Instructor of Business Administration, University of Central Florida.
2. Osamah Rawashdeh, Associate Professor Oakland University Michigan.
3. Dr. Khalid Rustom, VP of ACT and Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Central Florida
4. Dr. Issa Batarseh, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Central Florida
5. Dr. Rami Rihani, Senior Manager with Accenture – one of the world’s leading organizations providing management consulting, technology and outsourcing services.

Specific issues to be discussed:

1. Application requirements and procedures.
2. Types of assistance and grants available.
3. Research topics and opportunities available.
4. Preparing a resume for maximum impact.
5. Tips on taking the GRE and TOEFL exams, dates, locations, and grading.
6. English as a Second Language (ESL) centers.
7. Tips for government sponsored or private students.
8. Preparing for graduate school, once admitted.
9. Starting a new academic life in a different culture.
10. Introduction to honor programs.

During the workshop, the student will have the opportunity to learn firsthand:

• How to prepare a C.V.
• How to address important questions in the application form for graduate admission
• How to prepare a mission statement
• Examples of poor, average, good and excellent application packages
• Current research topics in engineering and computer science
• What it takes to secure industry internships

The workshop will be followed by an open discussion during which specific issues and concerns will be addressed. Possible recruitment of highly qualified students may take place.

Here are the details:

• Date: Sunday August 9, 2015
• Location:  Kempenski Hotel – Amman, Jordan
• Duration: 9am till 3:30pm.
• Who should attend:

Engineering and computer science majoring students who are interested in:

• Pursuing MS and/or PhD degrees in US universities
• Learning more about opportunities for research and teaching assistantships.
• Learning more about today’s hottest and most heavily funded research projects.
• Summer semester internships in US industries.

For those Jordanian students interested, please email your CV to events@connect.jo