Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University shares his views on pros and cons of the education system in India with FE Education Online.
What is the best thing about today’s education system?
Today’s higher education system is keeping an eye on building knowledge while keeping in mind the many opportunities and problems that tomorrow’s graduates must address as they look to apply that knowledge. We also see this education system as a powerful meeting ground for like-minded and differently-minded young people to come together and form lifelong friendships as they take on these issues – from climate action to challenging the geopolitical or technological status quo to solving social and development problems. There are also more educational options than ever, both location-wise and in terms of specialty of subjects and credentials.
What is the one thing you would like to change in the system?
Funding continues to be a challenge at mostly every American university. Many institutions can offer only partial funding, and living expenses still need to be factored into your budgets. My best advice is to plan carefully: on Fletcher’s website, you can find a comprehensive list of financial resources that may be helpful in your planning. This list includes resources that our students have secured in the past and can be helpful for any student in their search for more graduate school funding.
What is the role digital has played in the evolution of the education system?
Institutions heavily relied on digital tools to navigate through the pandemic, but not just in the classroom. Digital tools have given university admissions offices further reach in recruitment and programming, which enables us to connect with newer and more diverse potential applicants. Given this, it is likely that we will see admissions offices continuing to offer hybrid recruitment event options moving forward, which is good news for prospective applicants located far away from campuses.
What has been the disadvantage of digital in education?
There were some great benefits of the quick digital pivot during the pandemic, as mentioned above, but when the student expects to be in a brick-and-mortar classroom, it can be challenging to build community in a digital space. Institutions that pride themselves on having a close-knit community pre-pandemic are eager to further explore meaningful community building in spaces that straddle the brick-and-mortar and digital.
What is the career advice you would like to give to students?
Use all available resources! Take advantage of your institution’s office of career services. When considering graduate programs abroad, one should also take a close look at alumni – not just their job titles, but also their level of engagement with the school. The alumni of your institution will forever be part of your network. Lastly, you will surely have a more positive outcome if you enter a graduate program with at least some sense of your post-program career goals. It is okay to be a bit uncertain and flexible in your goals but casting a net too wide will probably feel overwhelming.
