The Students’ Exchange Program at KFUPM is another witness of the level of university students and their superiority and ability to adapt to any learning environment in the outstanding worldwide universities. Many of them achieved higher rates in several of the most prestigious universities worldwide.
Some of the program’s students got 5 out of 5 GPAs at MIT, which is considered one of the best engineering and technical universities in the world. Others got 4 out of 4 in other well-known universities such as Colorado School of Mines and the University of Cincinnati.
The Exchange program provides an opportunity for a group of outstanding KFUPM students to study one semester in one of the world famous universities that has mutual collaborations with the university.
As of this semester, 113 KFUPM students study in a number of world-class universities in North America and Asia as part of the program.
KFUPM put considerable effort into this regionally unique program, and is planning on expanding it. Recently, KFUPM has agreements with 10 of the most prominent universities in the world and is seeking to sign more agreements in the field of student exchange.
The experiment confirmed that the program has succeeded in giving students who participate in its activities; new academic experiences and gave them the opportunity to learn about the study patterns in a number of prestigious international universities.
Student exchange program is part of a package of skills and academic experience that qualifies him to be active member for his community and his country. 40 per cent of university students got this experience through student exchange program or international visits and KFUPM seek to provide all students with this experience in the future.
University met students who participated in the International Student Exchange Program to cover their impressions on the program and the importance of experience.
Sulaiman Al-Matroudi, a student of Electrical Engineering, who spent a semester at MIT University and got the GPA of 5 out of 5 say, that the program allows students to very wealthy experience of scientific, cultural, skill and behavioral aspects. Moreover, when this experience is at MIT, the impact would be greater. Taking an academic semester in the United States and in the MIT adds a lot to your experience, your relationships and your experiences.
"Our university allows us this opportunity and facilitated the application process; the announcement was early, procedures were clear, and there were flexibility to extend the time, and in spite of preferring Mechanical Engineering students for MIT, KFUPM, thankfully, allowed me this opportunity".
"I apply for the program online and finished all the procedures easily. The university provided us cash advance, and when I reach America, I joined the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the United States which is responsible for financial matters."
"I have noticed since I arrived that King Fahd University is known among MIT teachers and students and since we arrived they expected our superiority, and deal with us as distinguished because previous batches left a positive impression at the university."
Al-Matroudi stressed that “if I had not study at KFUPM, I will not achieve that GPA, because the University raises the standards of the student, his performance, and teach him to adapt with any environment and any level of difficulty. When I studied at MIT I felt less pressure because I used to study more difficult and in a more pressure atmosphere”.
Regarding the outcomes of the student exchange experience, he said "the study at MIT will help me to complete my Masters, because I got to know the regulations and got used to the atmosphere there makes it easier for a lot of things, but in terms of the importance of this experience for employers in the Kingdom, I found that
graduating from King Fahd University is the most important criterion for acceptance."
And about the differences he observed at MIT, Al-Matroudi said the desire to learn is the biggest motivation for students to excel there, not the achievement of high scores, or compete with peers. The education there is based on the student who is the core of learning process, and there is a focus on measuring the educational attainment more than the ability to solve problems. Also, getting high marks is easier because the tests focus on the level of comprehension not on the ability to resolve complex issues.
Al-Matroudi added that the duties and projects system puts students in a continuous learning process, and the teaching methods and research projects there help to comprehend, therefore, the student enters the test with greater confidence.
He also noted that there are no many pressures in the tests and MIT deals with the tests less rigorously and without tension; it offers students who are facing special circumstances to postpone their exams, and the tightening measures to prevent fraud and lock mobile phones did not exist.
MIT housing characterized that all housing units independently integrated entity, embraces a library, study halls, meeting rooms and entertainment venues, which helps to frequent communication and activities among students.
He explained that the most important note on the program that the study hours are not calculated in the cumulative average. He continued, "Although we spend a semester in the prestigious international universities in a similar study to the university curriculum, but we didn't benefit from our excelling there in the GPA." This affects the level of the students. Treating A + student same as C + student kills the enthusiasm in outstanding students.
"ALJAMEAA" also met Khalid Al-Ahmadi, a student of chemical engineering, who joined the exchange program and spent a semester at the University of Cincinnati, in which he study 17 hours and obtained a GPA of 4 of 4.
Ahmadi said, "I joined the program as soon as fulfil the requirements as I was interested in the program since joining the university considering it a unique opportunity to outstanding experience."
The exchange program is an important addition, because it is a new experience to prove your ability to adapt to different systems in a short time, gaining experience and projects. Some students achieved patents, and some universities may change your vision of the educational process as a whole.
Conditions for joining the program are easy and any student meets the requirements can join it without selection; Students should be encouraged to join the program because the experience is very useful. Ahmadi said
KFUPM has provided many facilities and the most important is the advance stipend for the period we will stay there; this helped us to prepare for travel until our registration in Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission as new scholarships students.
About the difficulty of the study there, Al-Ahmadi stressed that the study at King Fahd University makes the study at any university in the world easy, because they raise the performance level of their students. All exchange students, without exception, did not face any problem because of the difficulty of the curriculum or their ability to assimilate. King Fahd University's environment let the student used to the seriousness and commitment which raises the student standards and sharpens their interest so we feel our superiority in any other environment in which we find ourselves.
The benefit of the study at King Fahd University is not limited to the academic excellence only, but the student was able to easily adapt to any new environment and to overcome the difficulties of alienation because most university students have faced similar problems in the preparatory year.
King Fahd University students are the elite of Saudi students and the exchange program students are the elite of university students and their superiority is normal, even if we made half of our effort in the King Fahd University we will be in the foreground even when compared with students who are not Americans as the Chinese and Indians.
Many of the students have a desire to join the program but courses equivalency and uncalculating these courses in the GPA result in the reluctance of some students because the program may delay their graduation in the presence of some
differences in academic programs and our departments stresses in the process of equivalency .
"But if the student focused in the selection of the university, and is keen that the curriculum is identical with the university curriculum, students can engage in the experiment without delay."
Delay of exchange students had its impact on the reputation of the program but if this problem solved and the courses were calculated, there will be more students applying for the program.
Al-Ahmadi put part of the responsibility on the student; A student like to join the program should take this decision early, and search for a university that has are more compatible curricula with our university.
Most departments give the student a previous idea of the courses equivalency before his departure, in the Department of Chemical Engineering, for example, there is a whole list of universities and materials that can be calculated, but in sections without detailed information, student must ask his professors to avoid the mistakes happened each year and affect the process of the program.
Also, there are plenty of requirement after traveling because the Saudi attaché deal with us as scholarship students not as exchange students which may cause contradiction in some systems.
The system is easy, the university has assign students from previous batches to help new students, for example, filling in some of the required university forms is unclear but the assigned students helped us a lot.
"We faced some of the natural difficulties that we faced when we were in the preparatory year, such as environment deference and longing for the homeland, family and friends."
"Since I arrived at the University of Cincinnati, I noticed its smooth system. In the beginning, the university organized a week-long introductory for new comers from outside the United States, and gave us great facilities in the choice of materials and the classes we want, but for dormitory, It did not suit me and cannot be compared with our KFUPM student housing".
"We keen to use this opportunity to gain the maximum amount of new knowledge and register materials that are not linked with our majors and not available at the King Fahd University. I noted that the students were interested in the registration of languages courses, I take Japanese language, and there are students who studied the Italian language and others".
Even though these courses will not be calculated in their GPA, Students were keen to register them. This is evidence that they are interested in learning and are keen to use the opportunity to acquire new knowledge.
I register 17 hours, including 12 Major hours, and most university students enrolled in the program registered a large number of hours to avoid delays.
"The experiment teaches the student in different style, I noticed, for example, the students commitment to textbooks and lack of attention to the summaries. The university curriculum requires that the student search for information, and focus on understanding, rather than grades."
Also we have noted the absence of pressure during the testing period, despite the students' interest, but we did not notice a state of alert that we observe in our university during the tests and the stress and tension."
This happens because the tests take place during the lecture times without allocation of times and the ambience and special tight procedures causing additional pressure. Also, students deal simply with failure in the tests. This simplicity in dealing with tests affects the overall level of the students, because the psychological factors affect largely on the level.
"There is also more attention to homework and duties tests, and all students are interested to perform and delivered the duties."
The difference is that professors at King Fahd University care about the ability of the student to solve problems, and learn mathematical steps, while in American universities, there is no explanation of many of the issues, but it explains the basic concepts and leaves the student to practice the solution also the tests focuses more on concepts so there are no ancient culture tests, contrary to the nature of our tests that focus on issues and the student is forced to return to older tests and resolve many of the issues without attention to the main concepts.
And about the exchange program students' conduct, he stated that there were two types of behavior. Saudi students gathered in Saudi groups, and the second: the Saudi students integrated into new groups. I decided to join the second group experience to break down many of the barriers, such as language, shame, fear of error. Also we learned self-discipline, because attendance at some universities there is mandatory, as we developed our language English because whatever our level our presence in a country that speaks English as their mother tongue has a significant impact on the acquisition of a lot of slang terms used in daily life. We develop skills of communication with all spectrums of society, and that some approaches work requires an integrated team, which adds important skills of the student.
Al-Ahmadi believes that the lack of calculating student grades in the program is the most negative aspects of the program. The distinguished student is equal to the average student. This may led to the indulgence of some students and not to take the program very seriously.
"I got 4 of 4 in the University of Cincinnati and this did not reflect on my GPA at KFUPM."