Showing 22 “Academics” posts
Sazid Hasan is a second year student at Georgetown University in Qatar. I have always liked museums. However, looking back on my first year at GU-Q, I now feel…
Sazid Hasan is a second year student at Georgetown University in Qatar. Every first year student at GU-Q takes a Pro Seminar course in their fall semester, which is…
On the first day of WRIT 1165: Writing the Human Experience, Professor Rudd walked into our classroom and said something I never expected to hear at Georgetown: “Everyone in this room starts with an A!”.
Whenever I tell someone that I chose Philosophy as my minor, the reaction is almost always the same. They pause, sometimes grimace, then come the question: “Why would you do that to yourself?”
During my second semester of university, I was faced with the very important decision of picking which first history class I would take. Reading that sentence probably makes it sound like I’m being dramatic, but let me explain.
I used to think food was simple. You grow it, you buy it, you eat it. But enrolling in the class Seeds of Science taught by Professor Rowan Ellis back in Spring 2025 changed my views in a way I didn’t expect.
Every semester at GU-Q feels like opening a new chapter, but Fall 2025 feels especially meaningful to me. The first thing I thought when I stepped onto campus on the first day of class was “Oh my god, I am actually not a freshman anymore.” As scary as that is, it’s also extremely exciting. I’m taking a few classes that have really scratched my brain in all the right ways, let me tell you all about them!
How should you spend your time “rightly”? Is it to be “productive”? If so, what constitutes productivity: maximizing work hours, spending time with family and friends, or snuggling up in your bed for personal space? Since I entered high school, all I have heard around me was the loud static of the “Don’t Waste Your Time” sentiment, whether from my parents or thoughtful teachers. And it confused me, because my time – no matter how I spent it – never felt like a waste.
If there’s one thing people figure out about me pretty quickly, it’s that I have a soft spot for languages. I speak seven so far, emphasis on so far, and I’m always picking up new words, accents, or phrases from whoever I’m sitting next to. That’s why Georgetown Qatar just fits. You walk through campus and it’s like a hundred different worlds sharing the same space. Arabic, Urdu, French, Tagalog, Somali, Korean, it’s all there, blending together in the halls and classrooms. Every conversation feels like a new story, and honestly, that’s my kind of music.
For me, summer is usually a heap of unrealized plans, spontaneous travels, and the irritatingly slow mind marches of daydreaming on my bed. The summer of 2025, however, to my surprise, was completely different. In the spring semester of my first year, I knew I wanted to spend the summer doing what I love—writing. Good writing, nevertheless, flourishes when one is in a new setting, with differences capturing your every sense. So, I looked for summer writing courses in various countries, with the intention of challenging myself.
