CUAC Educational Fair:
Meeting Students' Queries

Salman Rob
Photo Courtesy: CUAC

The Canadian University Application Centre (CUAC) arranged a day long education fair at the Westin hotel, Gulshan, for all interested students who plan on applying to Canada for higher studies. The day long fair consisted of meetings with professors of different universities and other foreign delegates who came to encourage students to apply. In total there were 10 different universities that participated at the fair. These universities are Bishop's University, University of Winnipeg, University of Windsor, Algoma, Saint Mary's University, St Thomas University, Confederation College, Sault College, Lethbridge College and University of Victoria. The students had the chance to ask questions to the representatives of the universities regarding application procedures.

Representatives from universities in Canada providing assistance to the Bangladeshi students.

Men Broitman, Director of International Outreach, CUAC, says, “I have been a part of this programme for the past fifteen years and this is the third official fair I am attending for CUAC. This has been one of the most successful years for both us and the universities which have participated. It is a chance for us, to get to the root of the problems which the students face. Through us, the students are able to have a proper in depth knowledge regarding application. Each year, more and more students are becoming interested in applying abroad. On our first official fair we had around 700 Bangladeshi students applying, on the second one we had around 850 and finally, this year we might be getting over thousand students. It is amazing to see so many Bangladeshi students showing their interest to go abroad because I believe every student needs to gain experience, and that is something which you can avail by studying abroad. Not just educationally, but meeting new people and learning about a new culture are also essential aspects. These help a student to start off a career with a clear goal.”

	Snapshots of the CUAC Fair.

When comparing Bangladesh, with other countries, Broitman mentions, “Bangladeshi students are doing exceptionally well with the application process, the rate is actually higher than the neighbouring countries, like India. On average, 50% of all the students who are applying through CUAC are getting in. It might be quite a surprise for many, but I saw the growth, and it will keep increasing. Canada is providing a higher standard of living and, at the same time the Bangladeshi students are also trying to build a cultural tie between the two nations.” Broitman concludes, “We do counseling at around 50-60 private universities/schools every year to encourage students to apply to Canada. And we have new universities merging with us every year to get hold of these students. And the way it is going, we might have more universities coming in next year.”

The event was a success as it was packed with students from all over Bangladesh, trying to figure out what they want and which university they want to apply for. Shahriyar Nabi, an A' level student shares his experience at the fair, “I am planning to apply to the University of Windsor for Engineering. I made my decision before coming here but I did have some questions which needed to be resolved. I am grateful to Dr Maijid Ahmadi, Professor of Engineering, at the Windsor University for helping me with all the details that I needed. And now when I have all my queries cleared, I feel I am one step closer to my future. It is a great feeling.”

All the delegates were very impressed with the outcome of the students, Dr Maijid Ahmadi mentions, “In my first year here, I was not that happy. I only received four students in total, and now this is my fourth year in Bangladesh, and I already have over 35 students interested to apply and am confident that more will be coming. The enthusiasm here is brilliant. I think it is a great programme for students who want to work abroad, as it will aid the students to gain a work permit which may in turn help them in the coming future.”

All in all, the educational fair organised by CUAC was quite helpful for all. Any interested student who missed the fair can just contact the CUAC through mail or visit their website: www.canada123.org.