Reminder-I am not in Oxford

By Saman Hashmi

These days what I hear frequently are discussions amongst Kurians about the scope of their fields, and if their degree will be able to satisfy the requirements for a good job. Despite being a renowned government university, its students battle a serious case of inferiority complex. One reason for this may be that people from other institutes often discriminate the students of University of Karachi brutally, and don’t think that they have much aptitude for competitive fields.  Students are badly discouraged and start doubting their capacities and capabilities, and themselves consider to be less than students from other institutes or universities.

But I am not the one, who will criticize those who doubt the skills of our university students. Because I think if majority believes that Kurians can’t do well, then there must be good reason behind it.

Let’s make a few quick observations before jumping into the competition for dirty laundry. Take the example of our own Mass Communication department. Do you really think that our university graduates have more command over their field than a journalist from LUMS? Of course not! We don’t know the ‘J’ of journalism until we are in our 3rd year. In our 4th semester we are doing our first writing assignment. On the other hand, a student studying in LUMS starts practical work from his first semester. That’s the difference! And same things happen in every field. As students of a government university we are not even provided basic academic facilities as in other private institutes.

You may think, I am one of those people who criticize Karachi University in every other discussion. Absolutely not! I am a Kurian and proud to be a part of it. The reason behind this article is that we should stop criticizing others, as this is not a solution to any problem. If you really want to prove people out there wrong then take a step, start focusing on your goal and stop paying heed to what others say. If you can’t then unfortunately you will develop an inferiority complex and that will overshadow your capacities. In case, you believe that you are more capable than an average Kurian and this place is not the right place for you to bring out your true talent, then I better suggest you shouldn’t have opted for this university, in the first place. Maybe, this institute is not your best bet to nourish the Bill Gates in you.

P.S: Honest and free advice to all- before and after getting enrolled in Karachi University remind yourself as many times as you can “I’m opting/ have opted for Karachi University, not for the Oxford.”