After successful Open Days in Islamabad, Karachi and Dubai, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) hosted its flagship event, the Lahore Open Day 2017 on Sunday, November 5, 2017. The LUMS campus was buzzing with activity as over 3000 aspiring students and their parents explored the campus and met with faculty, staff and alumni and attended programme information sessions.
This annual flagship LUMS event is organised to introduce the academic programmes offered by the University to prospective students, their parents and counsellors from various schools and colleges from across the country. Open Day 2017 also featured a host of fun activities such as one on one interactions with graduates at the Alumni Lounge, an exclusive food street and a Media Wall with fun props.
The day served as a great opportunity for the guests to network with the faculty, staff and the alumni to get a real feel about the University; the academic as well as the extra-curricular opportunities available. Deans, faculty, alumni, and representatives from the office of admissions, financial aid and marketing and communications provided individual counselling to prospective students.
The sessions for the graduate and postgraduate programmes at LUMS were scheduled during the first half of the day. These included presentations on MS, PhD and MBA programmes. Meanwhile, the second half covered sessions for undergraduate programmes and the MPhil in Education Leadership and Management programme at the LUMS School of Education. Each session concluded with a question-answer round, where students were able to get comprehensive answers to their queries.
The sessions also featured personal success stories of some of the brightest LUMS graduates. They shared some insightful stories with students about their experience and tips on how they can put their best foot forward. The informative and light hearted tone of the event kept students engaged throughout the day. Notable alumni for each programme were engaged to share their experiences about life at LUMS and how a LUMS degree helped shape their career. Prominent alumni at the event included Faria Rehman, Mehrukh Burki, Alizeh Waqar, Hassan Sherwani, Umer Ghuman and Zain Umer among others.
Talking to the aspiring students about the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, the Dean of the School, Dr. Shahid Masud said, "At the graduate and the undergraduate levels, LUMS models its research programmes in such a way that students are required to work across disciplines without restricting them to one area of interest. We also encourage students to take part in exchange programmes in some of the most prestigious universities abroad, which broadens their horizons and creates multiple opportunities."
While addressing the audience at a session, Dr. Kamran Chattha, faculty at the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) said, "SDSB's core principle for its undergraduate and graduate programmes is rigour and relevance. SDSB wants to create minds with leadership qualities through technical expertise as well great interpersonal skills and values. LUMS has a thriving research culture and students are expected to break the status quo by going beyond existing knowledge."
Speaking about the diverse career choices a Social Sciences and Humanities student has, Dr. Kamran Asdar Ali, Dean of the Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS) said, "MGSHSS teaches students how to take intellectual risks. The future demands flexible and critical thinking intellectuals, favoured by employers. LUMS doesn't limit your horizons with what you are studying but sets the stage for you to acquire a wider, broader knowledge base."
Introducing the fifth school at LUMS, the School of Education (SOE), the Associate Director, Dr. Mariam Chughtai said, "The School of Education aims to change the educational landscape of Pakistan through research and policy. This is your chance to be a part of a diverse sector of educators who are aiming to bring a change to the education sector of Pakistan."
“The session for the undergraduate programmes was extremely informative. I thoroughly enjoyed the campus tour and even got the opportunity to chat with Ms. Rabia Ahmed from the Admissions Office, who gave me detailed information about the various financial aid opportunities offered at LUMS,” said Furqan Tahir, a prospective student at the event.
Another visitor, Ms. Amina Hameed, was happy to have her LUMS online account queries answered on the spot. She appreciated that she was walked through the whole online application process. “My queries about adding my academic records in my online account were answered in great detail,” added Amina.
Sharing his views on why students should choose LUMS over other universities, the Vice Chancellor LUMS, Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi said, “LUMS prepares you for excellence at the global level. Its superb premises, experienced, highly qualified and research active faculty and a single minded pursuit of excellence provides the ideal environment for talented students to thrive in. With finance as no barrier we invite you to explore LUMS as your gateway to success.”
The Open Day 2017, concluded on a high note. Prospective students exhibited a lot of interest in the programmes offered at the five schools at LUMS. Attendees were pleased with the manner in which information was disseminated by the LUMS team and found the sessions useful in learning more about the programmes and the University at large.
