<p>Actually, I know LUMS alumni working in Microsoft, Google, McKinsey & Co., Ernst & Young etc. and they do sponsor you to go abroad and attend international conferences. Upside of studying in the US, UK and Canada… the diversity! You learn more by living and interacting with the smart kids from all over the world than by attending classes and conferences (I had roommates from Seoul, Warsaw and Ghana).</p>
<p>I have to say, coming from a sheltered Pakistani background, I did learn a lot doing my laundry, paying bills and taxed and navigating the subway… :P</p>
<p>Objective:
*SSE Main Building lagging way behind schedule
*As with other unis, HEC has withdrawn millions of rupees in funding
*Lab fees exorbitant
*Two Deans in two yrs
*Some of the best professors are visiting, not permanent</p>
<p>Subjective:
*Taking nerds and producing future leaders? Their mission statement doesn’t make any sense
*Faculty likely to leave amid internal politics and the worsening security situation in Pakistan, esp. Lahore
*Majors are subjects not “job-specific” courses save Electrical Engineering
*Admission criteria foggy. Interviews are Oxford-style, forms are common-app typish while criteria is like that of SDSB and SHSSL
*SSE will suffer heavy cuts in endownement if capital outflows from Pakistan continue</p>
<p>Overall, a pretty grim picture for me. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I understand SSE is a dream for many and a utopia for most. Sadly, I feel that shouldn’t be the case. Therefore, I apologize in advance if I hurt anyone’s feelings.</p>
<p>While you guys conjure up rebuttals, may I lighten things up a bit?</p>
<p>@flibb: Do you wanna lose weight? I have to gain 10-12 pounds :)</p>
<p>@Zapoo, @joiya550 and others: Help me with some interview queries, buddies. I got my interview next week, if the embassy stay open that is! For a start, what should I wear? A loose t-shirt or a stiff suit? And any chance that I’ll get a female interviewer? ;)</p>
<p>About the visa interview… well I wore formal… I would suggest you to do the same… I got a female interviewer…and I think there is quite a few of them…so if you are lucky enough you will get one:P… They didn’t really ask me that many questions because the program through which I was going was funded by US Department of State itself(like Fulbright) and they knew I had already been through selection process and all…so the interview was pretty much a formality… I think others in thread would give you a better idea of what they ask when you are going for college education…</p>
<p>And about SSE:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Quite a few people from my college applied to SSE… but only a handful managed to clear the test…among those is a friend of mine who had just 74% in 1st year…while some with more than 85% even 88% couldn’t…so I don’t know how you are calling that guy a nerd…</p>
<p>@theGame: Hey, no rebuttals man, I’m just trying to understand SS(E)E :D, and I think the above has done quite a job in helping me do so. Thanks everyone…and hey, I’m not even going there!</p>
<p>No, not really loosing, more like working on my muscles… :)</p>
<p>my bro from Hasanabdal had his SSE interview yesterday,i accompanied him…SSE to me seemed like a good place IF u’re research-minded and wana do some hardcore res work at undergrad!if u dont wana work at all,yes,maybe a week be4 exam and get GPAs round 3.5,go for UET…worst,if u wanna see jerks saluting everything moving and painting all dats stationary,go to NUST,no research nothing-poor faculty(army engineers suck!),better still,if u wana cut urself up frm the rest of the world and spend 4 yrs in ur cubicle all by urself:hurrah GIKI!rest is all Hajvery,MAJU,COMSATS,FAST-SSE is comparable to the most prestigious int’l unis in terms of faculty and facilities…yeah,the current as well as prospective students did seem like nerds :D…they were lyk puzzled and sweating,waiting for their interview turn!
maybe i did bump into one or two CCers while in the interview room(yes,i managed to sneak in!)…had fun asking silly physics questions from those specy nerds,and yes,everyone had atleast 5A’s or 80%…</p>
<p>the problem was i spent a good 30 minutes LOOKING for the SSE building!coz the one up front was under-construction!how the heck do they manage classes there?!are there no labs for the freshmen?!</p>
<p>and for those who r curious:the girl-boy ratio at SSE is something like 1:20!LOL!u’ll have a hard tym networking…!</p>
<p>btw whats the fee structure for SSE and whats the chance of getting financial aid there!?!?</p>
<p>Flibb, if i were you, i’d be packing my bags and booking an Emirates flight straight to Qatar to the ridiculously named ‘Aggie-land’. Right now.</p>
<p>P.S: theGame, we’ve actually discussed the HKUST thing, but there is VERRRRRYYYYYY little chance, if any, of that happening.</p>
<p>You guys are right…I’m most inclined towards Aggieland, its NOT ridiculous! Plus, 2 years at College Station will be something I really look forward to.</p>
<p>Lets wait till 15th when CMU decisions come out!</p>
<p>@everyone (esp. the whiz kid, joiya550 :)): Help with a few Q&A sets, now, will you? We’re all going to pass through (minus the blessed Nationals, of course) this <em>traumatic</em> visa interview , so</p>
