By Kate Kumar

“Namaskar!”- was the common greeting I received during my two-week trip to India while participating in the 2017 EducationUSA India Tour. As an admissions representative for the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences at the George Washington University, my goal was to meet with prospective applicants, educate them about our 98+ graduate programs available within CCAS, and to promote a scholarship for citizens of India sponsored through the International Graduate Funding Initiative.

The tour was organized by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF), an international foundation dedicated to advising students in India about higher education opportunities in the U.S. The two-week tour was divided into spending two days in seven cities across India including New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. In each city, my U.S. colleagues and I spent one day visiting local high schools and colleges, setting up admissions fairs onsite, and the other day was reserved for hosting a larger admissions fair within a hotel. The hotel fairs included panel sessions on a variety of subjects such as the U.S. higher education application process, financial aid, standardized testing and visa information. In the last city of Ahmedabad, I had the chance to co-host a session entitled “Application Components and their Importance,” where we discussed the step-by-step application process and provided students with valuable tips and tricks that are specifically pertinent to international applicants.

 

In some cities, the fairs were inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening speech by either a local government official or U.S. consulate officer. We were often delighted to see the event covered in a local newspaper the following day. To give another idea of the public awareness and scale of this tour, between all seven cities, over 7,000 students attended an event!

To top off my trip, I made unforgettable personal memories including spending time with my husband’s family in New Delhi, having dinner with two GWU alumni, exploring the sights via auto-rickshaw or “tuk-tuk,” and observing a monkey the size of a deer sprint across the lawn at Charusat University in Ahmedabad. I can share a photo of me with the family, however the monkey was too quick for my camera!

Kate Kumar is an Advanced Degree Program Coordinator, managing ten graduate programs within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. Find more information about CCAS graduate programs and our international travel by visiting https://columbian.gwu.edu/information-sessions