Career counselling; questions and answers

Q1: Sir, I did FSc (Pre-Medical) with 63% then I went to COMSATS Abbottabad and from there I did BS in Biotechnology with 3.34 CGPA and got 63 marks in GAT. Then I took 1.5 year gap. Now for MS I want to get admission. But COMSATS Islamabad doesn’t have this (Biotechnology) subject so which subject would you like to suggest me for MS. I am confused in the following: Biosciences, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular Genetics, Bioinformatics. My second question is can I get any scholarship? (Saima Anwar, Karachi)

A: From the list of options that you have provided, I would prioritise them as follows: Molecular Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, and Bioinformatics. CGPA 3.34 is good enough for admission purposes abroad provided you do a good IELTS or TOEFL. However, it won’t fetch you a scholarship but perhaps a discount. So far as local universities are concerned, most universities in Pakistan should accept you who offer such degrees.

Q2: I need some information about Hotel Management courses. Please guide me. (Kamran Hussain, Okara)

A: There are many certificate and degree courses being offered in private institutions here in Pakistan. But unfortunately there is only one public sector university that is offering degree programmes related to Hotel Management and that is the University of Gujrat.

However, there are several private institutions, including those offering courses accredited by foreign institutions like COTHM, Institute of Southern Punjab, etc. I think you should explore these opportunities and decide on the several areas within the hotel industry that are available to you for example: Management, Marketing and Sales, Banquet and Events and Travel and Tourism etc. All these areas fall under this category.

A range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in all above areas are also available worldwide. Most countries offer these degrees, including UK, USA, France, Malaysia etc. We can advise you further once you have done the above analysis.

Q3: Sir, I am a pre-engineering student. Recently I have taken my 2nd year examination. I didn’t do well in part-1. I got 57% in part-1. I am waiting for 2nd year's result and nearly I don't know that how much percentage I am going to get in part-2.

My objective is to be an astronaut and I don't know which subjects and university I should go with and what is scope of this in Pakistan? I was thinking of taking Space Sciences, will that be okay? As my percentage is very low to get any test of further studies, I am here to consult with someone who can guide me in detail. (Ayesha, Rawalpindi)

A: Having looked at your percentage in FSc Part-1, which will impact your second year results too, I doubt a good university in Pakistan in the area of Aeronautical/ Aerospace will give you admission. Remember that you must achieve very high grades in Maths and Physics to do well in your degree that you are planning to pursue.

There is scope of Aeronautics and Space Engineering in Pakistan as much as abroad. However, this all depends on how you do in your year-2 and your aggregate total of both years.

Q4: Dear sir, I am done with my HSSC exams under Aga Khan Board. For further studies I have my interest in business studies and at that point I am confused where to apply and in which subject. Kindly guide me what should I do next. (Nuzhat Ibrahim, Lahore)

A: First of all I would like to know where you would like to proceed for your higher studies here in Pakistan or abroad. If you want to proceed here for your further studies, there are certain business schools in Pakistan like IBA, Hailey College and LUMS etc. However, if you want to again choose from different destinations or have resources to study in a foreign country then you can go for UK, USA, Canada, Australia etc.

(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).