Career counselling: questions and answers

Q1: Dear Mr Abidi, I have done BBA recently with 3.6 CGPA and I want to do MBA/MS Supply Chain Management. What are some of the best institutes in Pakistan and the UK that I should target?

(Aqib Rana, Mirpur, AJK)

Ans: Dear Aqib, Supply Chain Management is a highly in-demand field of education all over the world. Some top options in Pakistan are LUMS, Imperial College of Business Studies and IBA Karachi. As for abroad, University of Nottingham, Durham University and University of Manchester are my top picks in the UK.

Q2: Dear sir, I am an A Level student (currently in A1) and my subjects are Visual Arts, Computer and Business. What kind of activities do you recommend that can help build my profile for study in top universities in Pakistan such as LUMS and LSE?

(Haris Waleed, Islamabad)

Ans: Dear Haris, your choice of subjects is really commendable and it appears as if you are deeply interested in studying Visual Arts with focus on computation.

As you are aware that summer vacation is an ideal time for gaining new skills, I suggest that you can participate in LUMS Summer School which offers a variety of courses in this discipline. Also, National College of Arts and Institute of Arts and Culture offer variety of short courses in this field. I suggest that you start building your portfolio to streamline things before you start

looking for bachelor’s programs.

Q3: Dear sir, I am a final year student of Doctor of Physical Therapy. I want to know your opinion on whether I should do my master’s right after graduating or should I first gain experience in the field before the master’s?

(Aana Waseem, Lahore)

Ans: Dear Aana, Doctor of Physical/Physio Therapy is a very well-regarded field of study. As important as it is to continue upgrading one’s education is, DPT is a field of study that requires an individual to have hands-on experience. So, it’s only wise to first gain some experience in the field, either by interning at a hospital or by employment. Research shows that universities prefer students for master’s who have prior work experience in this field of study.

Q4: Dear Mr Abidi, I regularly read your column on study advice to students. I am asking this question for my niece who is studying FSc Pre-Medical. What are some alternatives for students who can’t afford to do MBBS?

(Mrs Khan, Faisalabad).

Ans: Dear Mrs Khan, ideally, every student studying Pre-Medical in Pakistan wishes to become a doctor in future but because of the highest merit requirement and financial constraints, very few get to do it. So, instead of getting disheartened, one should consider fields such as Bachelor’s in Bio Chemistry, Bio Technology and/or Veterinary Sciences which are also highly rewarding fields of study.

(Syed Azhar Husnain Abidi is a renowned educationist in Pakistan, with more than 20 years of experience as provider of education counselling services. He has represented Pakistan in over 100 national and international seminars, conferences and fora. He is a recipient of the most coveted civil award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz).