“I wasn’t nervous when I first came in but now I am looking at the competition and the limited seats for students from Karachi,” admitted one young man, H. The LUMS admissions policy boasts merit-based recruitment but the quota for Karachi hardly exceeds 25 per cent as students from all over the country also apply.
The university holds an open day every year for potential students to offer information about its programmes, financial aid, accommodation, etc. The session on Sunday was held at Regent Plaza for the 2011 academic year, which starts in September, for undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates. Separate halls were dedicated to each of these three levels where the administration officers addressed the crowd, comprising students and parents. An information desk was also set up for university brochures on different programmes. Students could also sign up for a mailing list to receive university updates.
Two siblings, M and A, came to attend the open house all the way from Mirpurkhas. Taking inspiration from one of their community members who is currently studying at the LUMS school of sociology and anthropology, they decided to try their luck as well. “We expect to learn techniques there that will enable us to get the best and finest jobs in the country,” said M.
Students, such as HA, were confident that they would get into LUMS. “They’re asking for two Bs and an A and I already have nine As in my AS’ Level,” he boasted. HA plans to pursue a degree in law, ideally at the University of Oxford, so LUMS is his “last option”.
His classmate, D, has yet to decide whether he wants to pursue a civilian life or join the army like his father. Since he did not receive as many As as his friend HA, his first priority was to secure admission at a good university and then make a choice. “The reason behind both choices is the same: to serve my country and change the system for the better,” he said.
‘It’s a very expensive university’
Most of the students were concerned that LUMS was an “expensive” university. “If I ever drop the option after securing admission, it will be because of finances,” confessed S, who studied at St Joesph’s Convent School and later at Commecs College. The programme coordinators assured, however, that the high fee structure at the university is augmented by generous financial aid.
MA, a parent who came with his daughter, said: “If she gets in, I can pay the fee no matter how high it is”. He explained that he was doing it for the sake of securing his daughter’s future.
Student concerns
S admitted that she was apprehensive about LUMS because Intermediate students like her face a number of problems. “O’ and A’ Level students have an edge over us because they have pretty flexible grade requirements,” she said. For S, LUMS and the Institute of Business Administration were the only options because “the others are not as good”. She hopes to get into the BS programme at LUMS but if she can’t, she will switch over to media studies.
T, an A’ Level student, was slightly disappointed to find out that the university was not offering any majors with the LLB degree. “Universities abroad are offering up to two majors with the same degree and LUMS is not,” he pointed out. Meanwhile, one of the coordinators said that the number of applicants to LUMS was going up every year given the facilities on campus and flexibility in fees for students.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 27th, 2010.
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