Career Counselling Session on Study Abroad Programmes

On February 7, 2025, the Career Counselling Cell of Loreto College, Kolkata, in collaboration with Taksheela Institute of Education, arranged a special session on "Study Abroad Programmes" for the UG and PG students of English. The session was handled by Ms. Sristi Mukherjee, an alumna of Loreto College, who is currently an Overseas Counsellor at Taksheela Institute of Education. Ms. Sheetal Jalan, the co-founder of TIE; Mr. Suman Bhattacharya, the Director of KIIT Kareer School; and Dr. Priyadarshi Biswal, the Dean of KIIT Kareer School were also present.

Following Ms. Mukherjee's overarching introduction to TIE, a special talk was delivered by Dr. Biswal. A graduate of literature himself, he concisely summarised the previous and current state of literary studies, emphasising that now, one needs to balance one's academic curriculum with competence and profile building. He stressed the importance of digital competency because "rich is the person today who is rich with data." Furthermore, he elucidated how the incorporation of digitalisation opens up career opportunities for students of English, ranging from prompt engineering and historical text revival to content and design strategists.

Thereafter, Ms. Mukherjee discussed the various reasons for and implications of studying abroad. She comprehensively guided students through the application process, covering details of the S.O.P, profile-building components and micro-credentials, scholarships and funding, social skills, community engagement, and extra-curricular activities. She focused on both PG and PhD applications and successfully imparted a holistic understanding of studying abroad.

A key takeaway from the session was that one must remain persistent and consistent in all endeavours, with students being encouraged to explore and engage more in activities aligned with their field of interest. Overall, the students benefited from the in-depth explanation of what studying abroad entails.