Every year, the Higher Education Department of the Government of Punjab, a province in the Eastern part of Pakistan (capital Lahore), sends the top achieving students of a number of High Schools to visit top Universities abroad.
This year, the delegation of 28 selected students chose to travel to a number of universities in Turkey, Germany and the UK. After their first stop in Ankara (where they visited top higher education institutions), the Pakistani High Schoolers traveled via bus for a day trip to Abdullah Gül University‘s campus in Kayseri, Central Anatolia.
The group was welcomed in the morning by AGU International Office team members Safiye, Yakup and Charlotte. After each student and accompanying professor received an AGU name tag and gift bag, they were led to the Conference Hall for the first half of the program.
AGU International Office team members Yakup and Charlotte proceeded to give the students a slideshow presentation on studying in Turkey, Kayseri and things to do in and around the city, as well as AGU as a unique New Generation University. Students were also informed on the University’s programs, facilities, extra-curricular offerings and application processes.
The team also took the time to show their visitors videos on the Orientation program organized every year for new incoming international students, a skiing trip organized this year to Mt Erciyes Ski Resort (30min away from the AGU Campus), as well as the 3rd Edition of the AGU Intercultural Series, which featured Pakistan and was jointly organized by the AGU International Association (student club), International Office and AGU’s Pakistani students.
Once the presentations were finished, the students had many questions and a full 30 min Q&A session was organized to answer each one of them and give additional information.
The visitors were especially eager to meet with AGU’s current Pakistani students Fuad, Muhammad Ali, Hina, Rohma and Yumna, as well as Azizeh (Iran) and Ahmed (Lebanon), who came to the Conference Hall to answer further questions about student life at AGU and being an international student in Turkey.
Our Pakistani students then led the campus tour for our visitors, to help them discover our facilities, classrooms and lounging areas.
The tour started with a visit to one of the University’s latest lab facilities, the Genetics Lab, where Molecular Biology and Genetics Department members Assist. Prof. Dr. Mona El Khatib and Research Assistant Ms. Yağmur Kiraz showed them lab slides in on of the microscopes and answered questions.
The top-achievers then had the opportunity to discover the newly inaugurated Abdullah Gül Presidential Museum and Library.
Although we are currently off-season, the Pakistani delegation was still happy to visit the — now grass-covered — Erciyes Mountain (3,917m) and its Ski Resort (with a 200km skiable piste masterplan). Together with the AGU International Office, they drove up to Tekir, one of the four gates of the Ski Resort. As a special treat, the Resort Management decided to offer them free gondola lift rides up the first slope, which offered a great view of the mountain range, as well as the still snow-covered peak of the extinct volcano.
The same evening, the delegation would take the plane to Istanbul to continue their university tour. The University was elated to host these exceptional visitors on its campus. The feedback from the Pakistani delegation was very positive and many of them have already connected with our current Pakistani students.
We hope to welcome some of these brilliant minds on our AGU campus next semester and to continue working with the Government of Punjab, Pakistan, to host future exceptional students!
