College Transition in Qatar

One American university's Qatar campus has an odd freshman orientation:

Senior students at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) have enlisted the help of comic book superheroes to welcome more than 100 first-year students representing 25 nationalities during an orientation programme that introduced them to the university’s campus, resources, and values.

This year’s programme of events was held under the theme ‘League of Tartans’ with classrooms across CMU-Q being decorated and named after comic book superheroes. 

On their first day, freshmen were asked to dress up as characters and encouraged to interact with classmates and staff members to gain an appreciation for university life and be inspired to take an active interest in future events.

The programme eased the new students’ transition from high school to college through activities such as community service, a treasure hunt, ice-breaker games, karaoke and a dinner, the university said in a statement e-mailed to Gulf News.