Admissions committee
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Mariam Saleh

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Egypt · American, GPA 3.9 with AP Calculus and AP Computer Science · IELTS 7.0

Interviewed 16 October 2026 at 14:54 · 8 min

Summary

Mariam is a motivated applicant who started a spell-checker and a coding club for girls, and the club produced two student-made games. The applicant showed clear commitment and a good personal role in leadership, with a reasonable explanation of why Khalifa University fits.

Check before deciding

  • The applicant said they were not totally sure about the day-to-day work of a Computer Science degree, so the committee may wish to probe familiarity with the profession.

Khalifa University interview criteria

  1. Proficiency in English communication

    4/5

    The applicant answered in clear, fluent English with some filler words and few breakdowns in meaning.

    “Okay, so, Khalifa is in Abu Dhabi, and it's a research university, which I like because I want to do projects, not just lectures.”

    Mariam, in the interview

  2. Familiarity with the relevant profession

    3/5

    The applicant described the main day-to-day tasks of the field in general terms and said they were not totally sure about all of it.

    “I mean, I think they write code, obviously. But also... like, they test things, they fix bugs, they talk to people who need the software.”

    Mariam, in the interview

  3. Commitment to pursue a professional degree program

    5/5

    The applicant backed up a clear goal with self-started work, including a spell-checker adopted by the school and a coding club that meets weekly.

    “I want to build things that help people in my region, and I think I can do that.”

    Mariam, in the interview

  4. Reasons for choosing Khalifa University

    4/5

    The applicant gave specific reasons tied to their goals, including research projects, English-taught classes, and the labs and engineering programs.

    “it's a research university, which I like because I want to do projects, not just lectures.”

    Mariam, in the interview

  5. Evaluation of potential leadership capabilities

    4/5

    The applicant gave a clear personal example of starting the coding club and making a group decision by vote, though with limited reflection on the process.

    “Nobody was going to start it, and the teacher asked if anyone wanted to, and I just said yes, even though I didn't know how it would work.”

    Mariam, in the interview

Full transcript

20 turns
  1. Nura

    Hi Mariam, I'm Nura, and I'll be doing your Khalifa University admissions interview today. It takes about six minutes and there are no trick questions. To start, what first got you interested in Computer Science?

  2. Mariam

    Um, okay. So, I think it started in grade nine when I noticed our Arabic teachers were correcting the same spelling mistakes every week, like, the same ones. And I thought, why can't a computer just catch those? So I started reading about it, and, yeah, that's how it started.

  3. Nura

    What does someone with a Computer Science degree actually do day to day?

  4. Mariam

    I mean, I think they write code, obviously. But also... like, they test things, they fix bugs, they talk to people who need the software. I'm not totally sure about all of it, to be honest.

  5. Nura

    Can you give me a specific example of a bug or problem you had to fix yourself?

  6. Mariam

    Yeah, sure. My spell-checker kept flagging words with the hamza wrong, like, it would mark correct words as errors. I spent like two weeks on it, and I had to rewrite how the program normalizes letters before checking. It finally worked, and I was so happy.

  7. Nura

    That's great. Outside of class, what have you done toward Computer Science?

  8. Mariam

    So, the spell-checker is now used by my school, which was really exciting. And I started a coding club for girls at my school last year. Um, we meet every Thursday.

  9. Nura

    What happened in that club that you're proud of?

  10. Mariam

    Some girls said they were scared of coding, like, it's for boys or for geniuses. So I made the first sessions really simple, just making a button change color. And by the end, two of them made their own small game. That made me really happy.

  11. Nura

    Why Khalifa University, and not another university?

  12. Mariam

    Okay, so, Khalifa is in Abu Dhabi, and it's a research university, which I like because I want to do projects, not just lectures. Also, the classes are taught in English, and I think that will help me later. I looked at the labs and the engineering programs, and they seemed really strong to me.

  13. Nura

    Can you tell me about a time you led others or took the first step on something?

  14. Mariam

    Hmm, the coding club, I guess. Nobody was going to start it, and the teacher asked if anyone wanted to, and I just said yes, even though I didn't know how it would work. I was nervous, but I figured if I didn't do it, nobody would.

  15. Nura

    What did you do when the group disagreed on something?

  16. Mariam

    Oh, um, we had a fight about which programming language to use. I let everyone say their reason, and then we voted, and we used Python for the beginners. Some people were not happy, but I think it was fair, you know?

  17. Nura

    Is there anything you'd like the committee to know about you?

  18. Mariam

    I think I'm someone who doesn't give up on a problem, even when it's boring or frustrating. And I want to use technology for Arabic, for people like my teachers, like my school. I want to build things that help people in my region, and I think I can do that.

  19. Nura

    Thank you, Mariam. That's all the time we have today.

  20. Mariam

    Thank you, Nura. Thank you so much for your time.