First-hand assistance: ‘Back to school fair’ helps answer students’ queries

The event featured stalls of over 40 US varsities.

ISLAMABAD: Hopeful of pursuing higher education in the United States, hundreds of students thronged the halls of Serena Hotel on Sunday afternoon. The US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) had set up 44 university stalls with representatives of US varsities who answered the queries of interested students and parents.

The annual event, initiated last year, provided many students of the twin cities an opportunity to explore their academic options. Students encircled various university stalls, wanting to learn more about scholarship opportunities and chances of them studying in world renowned colleges. Staff of US embassy and USEFP alumni had volunteered to represent and provide guidance about their colleges and entertain questions of had about college programmes, scholarships and various other things.

As the Fulbright scholarship gains popularity in Pakistan, with around 180 students going for studies in the US this year, students were keen to know details of the educational assistance programme. Sitting at the stall of Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware was Rafaya Sufi, an alumni and educational advisor at USEFP. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Sufi said most students enquire about getting into an affordable college in the US. She said the majority of students want to know about each college’s funds and how they can reduce the tuition fee by obtaining high grades.

US embassy Deputy Cultural Attaché Judith Ravin said that as the Fulbright programme grows in Pakistan, so does the number of prospective students at such events. “I am overwhelmed to see the response today,” she said.

A student Abdullah Zubair had come with 72 students from Cadet College, Hasanabdal for the event. “Due to the limited access to the outside world, this was good exposure for us,” Zubair said, adding that the majority of students’ misconceptions were cleared after meeting representatives of US varsities.

USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar said there are more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States whereas Pakistanis are aware of only a few hundreds. She said events such as these help students discover schools that they would have otherwise missed in their own research.

The one-day event will now take place in Lahore and Karachi later this month.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2013.