On 19 October, 2012, students of classes 11 and 12 interacted with Ms. Kagzi and Ms. Girishma, Navnaty, representatives from a premier education- advisor, ReachIvy. Ms. Kagzi has the experience of having working abroad in the area for 8 years and therefore has the expertise to offer useful insights on how to crack a foreign college application.
LIVE AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE TOMORROW, LEARN AS IF YOU WERE TO LIVE FOREVER. Ms. Kagzai initiated the discussion with the famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi and highlighted the benefits of studying in a reputed foreign institution. She stressed that the experience would expose us to top universities and faculty with a plethora of resources, a multicultural environment, beneficial exchange programs and the experience of continuous learning. Something quite different from our CBSE framework. On a more personal note, she discussed the increased independence we would gain, the employment opportunities that the west has to offer, the diverse skill set we would acquire from these top universities and a truly global network that we would become a part of. The main presentation was divided on the basis of the 3 top educational destinations namely, The United States, U.K and Singapore. Ms. Kagzi introduced us to American higher education first. She started by explaining the considerable difference between the west and the east coasts. She gave an overview of the types of American colleges which are Private or State-owned or are a part of the Ivy League. American colleges are the most competitive and expensive and have a rigorous application process, she said. The U.K facet of the presentation was introduced by Ms. Navnaty. She talked about the rich tradition that English colleges boast of. (Oxford was the first university, she said, in the English-speaking world!) The relationship of the teacher and the students in most English colleges are a degree more formal than their American counterparts. English universities are divided into 3 groups which are the Russel Group, the 1994 Group and others. English universities follow a range of assessment methods but most of the weightage is on the final exams, Ms. Navnaty concluded. Education in Singapore was introduced by Ms. Kagzi. She described the system there as an amalgamation of the East and the West. The country has a multicultural environment and a high quality of life with great infrastructure. The Singapore National University has tie-ups with reputed colleges from the U.S and the U.K but the job opportunities are majorly limited to Asia. One major benefit for Indian students is that these institutions are close to home besides being the most affordable option. The presentation was concluded with a comparative analysis of the fee structures in these 3 geographies with the U.S being the most expensive at $55.000, followed by the U.K at $42,000 and Singapore at $36,000 annually. The presentation ended with 10 tips on cracking the college application. We students found the talk an extemely informative one. We used the opportunity to ask the experts for clarity on areas where we were unclear. By Sanchari Bannerjee and Isha Vajpeyi, 11-C
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