College fair: With 4,000 institutions, there is something for everyone in the US
A large number of students came to the fair.
ISLAMABAD:
Representatives of more than 55 US colleges and universities guided prospective students at a college fair in a hotel here on Sunday. A large number of students visited the information desks and took keen interest in the options available.
There are nearly 4,000 higher education institutions in the US, offering a wide variety of programmes to choose from, according to Rita Akhtar, the executive director of the United States Education Foundation Pakistan (USEFP), which organised the fair. Some colleges even offer financial aid and scholarships to students, she added.
Since many universities have application deadlines in December and January, one of the aims of the college fair was to encourage students to start their application process.
In addition to giving an opportunity to meet alumni representatives and educational advisers, the fair enabled students and parents to learn more about application deadlines, admission requirements, and financial aid options.
Similar fairs will be held in Karachi on September 22 and in Lahore on September 29, according to the organisers.
Laura Brown, assistant cultural attaché at the US embassy, representing Boston College Duke University, said most students that came to her were interested in engineering and business.
Another official of the embassy, INGA Livisky, said she got many students from the northern areas who were interested in further studies.
Saira Karim, a student in Islamabad, was satisfied with the answers she got at the fair. “They knew much about the opportunities about the higher studies in the US,” she said.
Nadeem Khan, a student from FATA, said, “I thought that it was an uphill task for a poor Pakistani student to go to the US for higher studies, but after today I feel I can fulfil my dream.”
Currently, more than 5,000 Pakistanis are studying in the US, according to Akhtar. “We would like to see more students to apply for the opportunities in the US educational institutions and avail the scholarships and financial opportunities.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2012.
Representatives of more than 55 US colleges and universities guided prospective students at a college fair in a hotel here on Sunday. A large number of students visited the information desks and took keen interest in the options available.
There are nearly 4,000 higher education institutions in the US, offering a wide variety of programmes to choose from, according to Rita Akhtar, the executive director of the United States Education Foundation Pakistan (USEFP), which organised the fair. Some colleges even offer financial aid and scholarships to students, she added.
Since many universities have application deadlines in December and January, one of the aims of the college fair was to encourage students to start their application process.
In addition to giving an opportunity to meet alumni representatives and educational advisers, the fair enabled students and parents to learn more about application deadlines, admission requirements, and financial aid options.
Similar fairs will be held in Karachi on September 22 and in Lahore on September 29, according to the organisers.
Laura Brown, assistant cultural attaché at the US embassy, representing Boston College Duke University, said most students that came to her were interested in engineering and business.
Another official of the embassy, INGA Livisky, said she got many students from the northern areas who were interested in further studies.
Saira Karim, a student in Islamabad, was satisfied with the answers she got at the fair. “They knew much about the opportunities about the higher studies in the US,” she said.
Nadeem Khan, a student from FATA, said, “I thought that it was an uphill task for a poor Pakistani student to go to the US for higher studies, but after today I feel I can fulfil my dream.”
Currently, more than 5,000 Pakistanis are studying in the US, according to Akhtar. “We would like to see more students to apply for the opportunities in the US educational institutions and avail the scholarships and financial opportunities.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2012.