South Asia college fair: Education USA stops at 25 schools, colleges

Nine out of 12 universities cancel tour.

LAHORE:

Education USA’s South Asia Tour, an initiative of the US State Department, made a two-day stop at the Forman Christian College on Thursday.

Lubna Shah, educational advisor at the US Consulate, speaking with The Express Tribune said Education USA was a US State Department programme which facilitated educational tours for universities in the US across the globe. “The aim is to allow students to get an opportunity to explore the possibilities of pursuing a higher education degree in America,” said Shah. She said that under the programme US universities offered free seminars and guidance to students regarding admission requirements.

Shah said Pakistani students were usually concerned about financial assistance. “Most students come looking for guidance regarding assistance and scholarship programmes.”

Three out of the 12 universities slated to take part in the tour were present yesterday. The others had been denied visas or had cancelled their visit due to security concerns.

Saira Ali, a student, said, “I am interested in a post graduate programme in media communications but the fee is quite steep.”

Shazia Khan, manager of Fulbright Outreach and Educational Advising at the US Educational Foundation, said there were many US universities that were academically sound and had reasonable costs. “The students fail to understand that there are universities offering competent programmes at low fees.”

Khan added that the majority of the students coming to the fair sought counsel for visa arrangements and finances. “We are not only holding college fairs in each city, we are also visiting educational institutes to offer students information,” Khan said.  The delegation visited 25 schools and colleges across the city.

The University at Buffalo - the State University of New York, Valparaiso University and University of Northern Iowa participated in the South Asia College Fair along with Educational Credential Evaluators who offered students an evaluation of their education on a US education scale.

Sunair Akram, a civil engineer, said, “I was here to get an idea of my academic standing if I were to pursue a masters programme in the US,” adding that the fair was very useful to him.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2012.