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Hannah Brooks

Bachelor of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences

Ireland · IB Diploma, 35 points · Native English

Interviewed 31 October 2026 at 8:35 · 8 min

Summary

Hannah shows real curiosity about Mars and the Hope probe, along with a clear personal role organizing a school science project after volunteering. Hannah was less certain about what the degree involves day to day and gave general reasons for choosing the university.

Check before deciding

  • Check Hannah's day-to-day understanding of the field, since Hannah said it was unclear and the interview did not fully explore it.
  • Confirm the level of Hannah's independent study, as the claim of nightly reading was not tested with specific examples.
  • Integrity review: more than one person in view. Look at the Integrity panel; it is evidence for you to weigh, not a verdict.

Admissions assessment

Band 3 Proficient

60% confidence · level 0.2 ± 0.5

  1. Band 50%
  2. Band 434%
  3. Band 360%
  4. Band 25%
  5. Band 10%

After 6 items the engine's hypothesis was Band 3 (56%). It then asked one item from a random band, Band 5, where an applicant at the hypothesis level has a 4% chance of answering correctly. The applicant answered wrong, as the hypothesis predicted. Three more items followed. The final band is Band 3, so the hypothesis was confirmed.

2/3English
1/4Quantitative reasoning
2/3Science reasoning
  1. 1B3✓
  2. 2B4✗
  3. 3B3✓
  4. 4B4✗
  5. 5B3✓
  6. 6B4✗
  7. 7B5✗
  8. 8B4✗
  9. 9B2✓
  10. 10B3✓

Probe items 1 to 6, random-band check item 7, then affirm items. Bands come from the difficulty each question was written for and are not yet calibrated on KU applicants.

Integrity

Review

1 flagged moment across 189 camera checks, one about every 5 seconds. This is evidence for you to weigh, never an automatic fail, and it does not change the score or the recommendation.

  1. Assessment 3:10More than one person in view2 people in view, still there after about 10 s

Room scan before the test

Tab or window switches
0
Fullscreen exits
0
Copy, paste or right-click attempts
0
Camera dropouts
0

Flagged pictures are kept for 7 days, then deleted. The pictures for these sample applicants are illustrations, not real people.

A website cannot lock a computer the way an installed lockdown browser does. This record is what a browser can see: the camera, the window, fullscreen and copy attempts. A desktop lockdown app is a later phase.

Khalifa University interview criteria

  1. Proficiency in English communication

    4/5

    Hannah answered clearly and fluently with only minor filler words, and the answers were easy to follow.

    “I think I'm really serious about this, even if my background isn't the typical one.”

    Hannah, in the interview

  2. Familiarity with the relevant profession

    3/5

    Hannah knows a few relevant field activities, such as microscope work, sample collection, and modeling, but said plainly that the day-to-day work is unclear.

    “I read that geologists look at minerals under a microscope to figure out how a place formed.”

    Hannah, in the interview

  3. Commitment to pursue a professional degree program

    4/5

    Hannah describes self-driven study done late at night and a stated wish to learn the subject in depth.

    “I've been reading on my own a lot, and I want to learn it properly, not just from videos.”

    Hannah, in the interview

  4. Reasons for choosing Khalifa University

    3/5

    Hannah's reasons rely partly on a teacher's advice and general features of the university, with little specific knowledge of its programs.

    “my biology teacher said KU has science research, and it's in the UAE near the desert”

    Hannah, in the interview

  5. Evaluation of potential leadership capabilities

    4/5

    Hannah took a clear personal role organizing a stalled school project and changed the approach when attendance was a problem, though the result was described only loosely.

    “I kind of volunteered to organize it. I wasn't sure how to do it, so I made a schedule and just started asking people.”

    Hannah, in the interview

Full transcript

19 turns
  1. Nura

    Hi Hannah, 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 Earth and Planetary Sciences?

  2. Hannah

    Um, so I think it started when I watched a documentary about Mars, like the rovers and the red landscapes. And then I just kept looking things up at night, you know, until really late.

  3. Nura

    That sounds like a good start. What does someone with an Earth and Planetary Sciences degree actually do day to day?

  4. Hannah

    Umm... I think they study rocks? And maybe they go out to the field to collect samples. I'm not totally sure about the day-to-day part, honestly.

  5. Nura

    That's fine. Can you give me one specific example of something a scientist in this field might work on?

  6. Hannah

    Like, I read that geologists look at minerals under a microscope to figure out how a place formed. And some people do computer modeling, I think. Sorry, I'm still learning that part.

  7. Nura

    Thanks, that's helpful. What have you done outside of class to explore this field?

  8. Hannah

    Well, our science club did a volcano project, but that's kind of basic. I also read a lot about the Hope probe, the UAE one, and I watched the launch livestream on my phone.

  9. Nura

    What stood out to you about the Hope probe?

  10. Hannah

    Umm, that it's the first Arab mission to Mars, and it's studying the atmosphere, like why Mars lost so much of its water. I thought that was really cool, that a small country could do something like that.

  11. Nura

    Why Khalifa University, and not another university?

  12. Hannah

    Honestly, my biology teacher said KU has science research, and it's in the UAE near the desert, which is kind of like Mars? Also I like that there are a lot of international students. It makes it feel possible for me, as an Irish student.

  13. Nura

    Can you tell me about a time you led others or took the first step on something?

  14. Hannah

    Um, in Form Four our school's science club had nobody doing the environment project, so I kind of volunteered to organize it. I wasn't sure how to do it, so I made a schedule and just started asking people.

  15. Nura

    What was the hardest part, and what did you do about it?

  16. Hannah

    Getting people to show up. Some of them didn't really care, so I made the tasks shorter and gave everyone a specific job. After that, more people came back.

  17. Nura

    Is there anything you'd like the committee to know that we haven't covered?

  18. Hannah

    I think I'm really serious about this, even if my background isn't the typical one. I've been reading on my own a lot, and I want to learn it properly, not just from videos.

  19. Nura

    Thank you, Hannah. That concludes your interview, and best of luck with your application.