Admissions committee
← Interview review

Ali Reza Karimi

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Afghanistan · American, GPA 3.8 · TOEFL 92

Interviewed 12 October 2026 at 5:57 · 7 min

Summary

The applicant taught themselves Python during school closures, built a working attendance tool, and now teaches Saturday classes for children, showing strong self-driven commitment. Their leadership in starting a computer club and persisting through low attendance is a clear strength, while their general knowledge of the profession and their reasons for choosing Khalifa University are less developed.

Check before deciding

  • The applicant's account of the five people who joined the club is unverified and could be checked with a reference.
  • The applicant said they are still learning about computer science jobs, so their understanding of the field may need follow-up.

Khalifa University interview criteria

  1. Proficiency in English communication

    4/5

    The applicant answers clearly and mostly fluently, with some filler words and a self-described limited English vocabulary.

    “Khalifa is in Abu Dhabi, and it teaches in English, which I need.”

    Ali, in the interview

  2. Familiarity with the relevant profession

    3/5

    The applicant knows the general work of writing code, fixing bugs, and teamwork, but says they are still learning about the jobs.

    “I think they write code, for apps or websites, and they fix bugs.”

    Ali, in the interview

  3. Commitment to pursue a professional degree program

    5/5

    The applicant self-taught from a cracked phone, built a working attendance program, and teaches children weekly, with a clear plan to return and help others.

    “I want to study here so I can come back and help kids like Sadia”

    Ali, in the interview

  4. Reasons for choosing Khalifa University

    3/5

    The applicant gives relevant program reasons but admits they have not compared other universities, so the reasons stay general.

    “I like that they have engineering and computer science together, and they do research with labs.”

    Ali, in the interview

  5. Evaluation of potential leadership capabilities

    5/5

    The applicant started a club, wrote its schedule, kept it running when only two people attended, and changed the approach by asking members what they wanted to learn.

    “Last year our school had no computer club, so I went to the principal and asked.”

    Ali, in the interview

Full transcript

19 turns
  1. Nura

    Hi Ali, 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. Ali

    Hi, hello Nura. Um, okay. When our school closed, I had a lot of free time, and the internet was slow, but I found Python videos on YouTube. I just started typing the code, and I kind of liked it. Like, it does what you tell it.

  3. Nura

    What do people with a computer science degree actually do day to day, as far as you know?

  4. Ali

    Uh, I think they write code, for apps or websites, and they fix bugs. Maybe they also work with teams? I'm not completely sure, I'm still learning about the jobs.

  5. Nura

    Can you give me one specific example of something you built or fixed?

  6. Ali

    Yes. My teacher was taking attendance by hand every day, and it took like fifteen minutes. So I made a small Python program, and it saves the names to a file. It's not perfect, but it works, and she was happy.

  7. Nura

    Thank you. Outside of class, what have you done toward computer science?

  8. Ali

    I teach some kids in my neighborhood. The younger ones, on Saturdays, at a small community room. We start with basic things, like Scratch, and then I teach them simple Python, with the turtle drawings.

  9. Nura

    Tell me about one child you taught and what changed for them.

  10. Ali

    There is a girl, Sadia, she is nine. At the start she was very quiet, she didn't even want to touch the keyboard. Now she made a game where a ball bounces, and she is the one who explains it to the others. That made me really happy.

  11. Nura

    Why Khalifa University, and not another university?

  12. Ali

    Hmm. Khalifa is in Abu Dhabi, and it teaches in English, which I need. I like that they have engineering and computer science together, and they do research with labs. I want to learn from people who build real things. To be honest, I did not compare many other universities yet.

  13. Nura

    Tell me about a time you led others or took the first step when no one else did.

  14. Ali

    Okay. Last year our school had no computer club, so I went to the principal and asked. He said yes, but only if I run it myself. I wrote the schedule. The first day, nobody came, just me. I was really nervous. Then five people came the next week.

  15. Nura

    What did you do when only a few people came?

  16. Ali

    I kept the same time every week, even when it was only two people. And I asked them what they wanted to learn, not what I wanted to teach. My English is not so good, so sometimes I drew the code on paper for them. It helped a lot.

  17. Nura

    Is there anything you want the committee to know that I haven't asked?

  18. Ali

    Yes. My family moved three times when I was young, because of my father's work and the situation in Afghanistan. Um, I learned on my cousin's old phone, with a cracked screen. I want to study here so I can come back and help kids like Sadia, and so I can build useful things for my country.

  19. Nura

    Thank you, Ali. That's all the time we have today. Best of luck, and the admissions committee will be in touch with you.