Lessons in India
The Dehli and Ahmenabad fairs were simply an impressive showing of sincere interest in higher education in the United States and in Virginia Commonwealth University, for an hour after each fair closed there were still students gathered around the table interested in hearing about courses in Engineering, Business, Pharmacy, Mass Communications, Life Sciences and the Arts.
I was surprised by the amount of students seeking degrees in Pharmacy. I know the job market is great in this country with an annual growth rate over 12% but I generally talk with students interested in engineering courses and business courses. However there are many students that are interested in the Pharmacy MS and Phd and I am in receipt of several applications for this highly regarded program.
In Ahmenabad I led a group of university officials on a visit of the HL School of Commerce, part of Gujarat University. After spending time with Dr. Bahkat and his staff, we answered questions about the business school opportunities at our respective universities.
The students were particularly pleased to hear about VCU's School of Business "Bridge" Program. This allows Indian students with "12 + 3" years of education to gain acceptance into the Masters program of their choice and take the business foundation courses before starting their graduate work. This gives students who only have 15 years of education an opportunity to join a graduate program without delay. Several applicants are taking advantage of the opportunity to start this program when the Spring semester starts in January or the Summer semester in May.
The many choices that are presented to students is one reason Virginia Commonwealth University has been so popular among the students during our tour.
Today we travel to Mumbai where I will personally visit the American School of Bombay and Vidyalankar Institute of Technology. There will be a university fair on Wednesday, September 20, from 5pm to 9pm, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Ballroom.
For students who cannot make it to the fair, please visit the USEFI-Mumbai office, located at 4 New Marine Lines, Mumbai. There one can look at our program materials and pick up an application to Virginia Commonwealth University.