The Academic Foundation Department (AFD) of the University of Cambodia (UC) hosted an orientation for all new registered students on February 19, 2010, at the Conference Center. This orientation is conducted twice a year for all new students who join UC’s Foundation Year Program.
The purpose of the orientation was to provide all new students with important information about UC, the registration process, the Entrance Exam, the Foundation Year program and requirements for its completion, university regulations, the Honor Code, and Student Code of Conduct. In addition, it offered students guidance on how to study and be successful at UC, and helped them understand the credit system and its implementation.
UC Associate Deans of the Colleges, representatives of the UC Student Senate, and 68 of the 109 students who had registered to start in Term II attended the two-hour orientation.
During the presentation, Dr. Y Ratana, Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Director of Academic Foundation Department, encouraged students to work hard in their courses, improve their English announcements from both AFD and UC. He also stressed the importance of becoming good friends with students from other fields of study, sharing knowledge and experiences with classmates, and fully utilizing UC’s resources while studying here, which can enrich students’ academic and personal experiences and help develop their professional capacity in the future. For those from rural areas, he recommended that they make the best use of living in the city.
Perhaps one of the most powerful messages in the presentation, and one that UC President Dr. Kao Kim Hourn has continued to espouse since the founding of the university, is that students should be good students and good citizens of Cambodia who give back to strengthen their families and develop the country.
After the presentation, many students asked questions about the Entrance Exam, grading requirements for the Foundation courses, the importance of the Foundation Year program and its certificate, credit transfer, and the curriculum.
In addition to providing information that will help attendees prepare for undergraduate studies at UC, the orientation served as a valuable opportunity for new students to meet UC faculty members and current students, an important academic and social network that can help new students successfully transition into university life.
