Admissions committee
← Interview review

Lucas Ferreira

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Brazil · IB Diploma, 33 points · IELTS 7.0

Interviewed 10 October 2026 at 23:50 · 7 min

Summary

Lucas comes across as a hands-on, self-taught builder with a custom PC business and a robotics captaincy that led to a regional round. The main gap is a thinner, less specific answer on why Khalifa University in particular.

Check before deciding

  • Verify the custom PC business and the robotics regional-round result, which are the main evidence for the profession and leadership scores.
  • Lucas's reasons for choosing Khalifa University stayed general and admittedly incomplete, so the committee may want to probe this further.

Khalifa University interview criteria

  1. Proficiency in English communication

    4/5

    Lucas answered fluently and clearly with some hesitation and word-searching, which is a solid level for an interview.

    “I try to explain things clearly, and I keep learning.”

    Lucas, in the interview

  2. Familiarity with the relevant profession

    4/5

    Lucas gave a concrete troubleshooting example and ran a custom PC business, though the day-to-day role of the degree was only partly understood.

    “the power supply was too weak, so I replaced it, and then the airflow was bad, so I rearranged the fans.”

    Lucas, in the interview

  3. Commitment to pursue a professional degree program

    4/5

    Lucas showed sustained effort over years of hands-on projects and stated a clear commitment to engineering.

    “I'm serious about engineering. I work hard even when it's boring, like testing the same thing twenty times.”

    Lucas, in the interview

  4. Reasons for choosing Khalifa University

    3/5

    Lucas named a relevant reason, research and lab access, but admitted being still unsure of the details and began with a generic appeal.

    “I like the idea of doing real projects with labs and professors.”

    Lucas, in the interview

  5. Evaluation of potential leadership capabilities

    4/5

    Lucas took a clear captain role, restructured the robotics team, and reached the regional round, with a concrete result.

    “I made a schedule, and I gave each person one part to own, like the wiring or the code or the design.”

    Lucas, in the interview

Full transcript

21 turns
  1. Nura

    Hi Lucas, 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 Engineering?

  2. Lucas

    Um, okay. So I've been playing competitive games since I was like twelve, and I kept having problems with my PC, like it would overheat during matches. So I started opening it up and changing stuff, and I just got really into how the parts work together.

  3. Nura

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

  4. Lucas

    Hmm. I think they design the hardware, like chips or circuits, and also the software that runs on it? I watched some videos, but I'm not totally sure about the daily part. Maybe testing things and fixing problems, which I kind of like.

  5. Nura

    Can you give me a specific example from your own experience with that kind of problem-solving?

  6. Lucas

    Yeah, okay. When I was fifteen I built a PC for my cousin, and it kept shutting down under load. I checked the temperatures, and the power supply was too weak, so I replaced it, and then the airflow was bad, so I rearranged the fans. It was like three weeks of testing, but it finally worked.

  7. Nura

    What have you done outside of class that connects to this field?

  8. Lucas

    I started a small business building custom PCs for people in my city. Mostly gamers, sometimes students who need a machine for editing. I handle the customers, the buying of parts, and the assembly, so I learn a lot about budgets and compatibility.

  9. Nura

    What was the hardest part of running that business?

  10. Lucas

    Uh, probably when customers want something that doesn't fit their budget. One guy wanted a high-end graphics card with a really cheap motherboard, and it would bottleneck everything. So I had to explain it, compare benchmarks, and show him the numbers. He was not happy at first, but then he understood.

  11. Nura

    Why Khalifa University, and not another university?

  12. Lucas

    Honestly, when I first looked, I saw the pictures of Dubai, the buildings and the beaches, and I thought, okay, nice. But that's what every university sells, right? I wanted to know about the engineering itself. Wait, it's in Abu Dhabi, not Dubai, right?

  13. Nura

    Yes, the university is in Abu Dhabi. What about the engineering itself made you want to study there?

  14. Lucas

    I read that it's a research university, and that engineering students can get involved in research projects, not only lectures. I like the idea of doing real projects with labs and professors. I'm still learning the details, but that's the part that made me want to apply.

  15. Nura

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

  16. Lucas

    Okay, in my school we had a robotics team, but nobody wanted to be the captain. Everyone just said somebody else should do it. So I said, fine, I'll do it. We lost the first competition, and it was embarrassing, but I think it was good for us.

  17. Nura

    What did you change after that first competition?

  18. Lucas

    We stopped doing everything together at the last minute. I made a schedule, and I gave each person one part to own, like the wiring or the code or the design. Next season we got to the regional round, which was a big deal for our school.

  19. Nura

    Is there anything you want the admissions committee to know about you that we haven't covered?

  20. Lucas

    Yeah, um. I know I'm the gamer guy, but I'm serious about engineering. I work hard even when it's boring, like testing the same thing twenty times. My English is not perfect, sometimes I'm slow to find words, but I try to explain things clearly, and I keep learning.

  21. Nura

    Thank you, Lucas. You explained your experience clearly, and I appreciate your time today. The committee will be in touch with you after the review.