17 May 2015

Career Counsellor's visit to US Universities by Ms. Deblina Chakraborty, Careers and Guidance Counsellor



I was happy to be given an opportunity to participate in a Counselor Tour to the US for two weeks in the Spring of 2015 We travelled from the University of California system on the west coast to some public and private universities in the Mid-west and finally moved to the State University of New York system on the east coast. We visited Public  Private and Jesuit Colleges of small, medium and large sizes. Our experience of campus culture, interaction with Admissions staff and faculty, campus tours with the international student community and formal dinners with the President and Provost of some universities and all of this culminating in a mad discussion within the group after we got back to our hotel has enriched us with meaningful insights on career and college guidance.

Undoubtedly, it is a land of ample opportunity, a melting pot of diverse cultures and it presents an education system that breathes. Every university is committed to supporting students and is open for students to walk in and be advised on how to plan the structure of the courses that they opt for, the credits that they can get for each of the courses they take up, the exemptions that they are entitled to, on how to optimize their credits and derive maximum value from the courses that they select. They also assist and empower students to prepare LinkedIn profiles and arrange coop and internship opportunities for students. The Admissions Office also keeps track of attendance and performance and works with the students to identify areas of concern. The key piece in this is that, while support services are available, it is the responsibility of the student to avail of them.

The favorite major that students apply for at the Undergraduate level in the US is ‘undeclared’. This fact in itself shows the flexibility of the US system. Quite realistically, 17 year olds are allowed to explore their areas of interest and may also change the major in the third or fourth semester of UG studies. The students are assisted to strategize their program with information and advice from the Admissions office.

The nature of academics is extremely hands-on and relevant. A Business student can trade in stocks in a simulated Stock exchange on campus and gets academic credit for this. Students from all courses, across Departments work together on real projects that are undertaken in response to social and environmental issues. We were witness to the creation of low-cost, sustainable dwelling units that students were creating and would be producing on a large scale after testing. Students need to work with real employers during Summers and they either get paid at minimum wages or above or are awarded academic credit for the experience.

As career and college guidance professionals, we need to initiate the process of career awareness among students from Grade 9 onwards. On the one hand, students need to prepare for academic performance, take standardized tests for benchmarking, explore areas of interest and work collaboratively with peer group and faculty. On the other hand, parents and students must meet experts and discuss university plans, look up reviews and testimonials about colleges and finally, get to know oneself and what makes one happy.

This combination of building personal competence and aligning that competence to admission requirements is a complicated process and the journey should begin in Grade 9 and should be bolstered with a pre-departure orientation after Grade 12. At this stage, it is imperative for students to know the importance of maintaining the visa ‘in status’ and be aware of the stringent visa regulations which can make it difficult to get Internships. However, US visa allows 1 year of OPT (Optional Professional Training) as against Canada which allows 3 years and UK which allows none.

The thoughts are overflowing but the overriding feeling is that there is a fit for every student in the vast country of 4500 universities and the difference in the infrastructure and  quality of instruction among all the colleges is little. This means that the ranking of a university can often be misleading as the criteria of evaluation may or may not be a relevant factor when deciding the best fit. It is a struggle against our mindset which is, as Mark Twain says, in order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.