Be it Satya Nadella at Microsoft or Sundar Pichai at Google; Indian’s are associated with being some of the smartest professionals around the world- what is the story behind this? What is it that India is doing right? How are the new age liberal Arts colleges doing in the land of Engineers & Doctors? How are parents and students accepting or not accepting the idea of putting their hard earned money and resources into a Liberal Arts Program? This session will share experiences of High School Career Counsellors, Faculty and Admissions officers of reaching out to, counselling and recruiting students for Top Liberal Arts Institutions like O.P. Jindal Global University and Ashoka University in India along with shared experiences of sending students to top liberal arts programs outside India like Yale-NUS, NYU- Abu Dhabi and many others.

1. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
SOUTH ASIA 2018
“Liberal Arts in The Land of Doctors, Engineers, and CEOs”
Presented by:
Ankur Vohra, Deputy Director, O.P. Jindal Global University, Delhi-NCR
Prof. Sean P. Bala, Director, O.P. Jindal Global University, Delhi-NCR
Smriti Singh, Counselor, CMS Schools, Lucknow
Seema Kaushik, Counselor, GIIS, Singapore

2. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
“Liberal Arts in The Land of Doctors, Engineers, and CEOs”

3. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
3 Ways by which Indian Schools Prove they are the best!
1. Total Number of Selections in IIT- JEE (Engineering Entrance
Examination)
2. Total Number of Selections in NEET (Medical Entrance
Examination)
3. Repeat the First 2 Steps!

4. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Typical Advertisement for a School!

5. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
One of the Worlds Biggest Coaching Industry!

6. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Multi- Billion Dollar Industry!
• Craze for Sciences has led to the
birth of a Multi- Billion Dollar
Coaching Industry
• Cities like Kota are known as
coaching factories in India
• Students write entrance
examinations to get into the
best coaching institutions
• Fully Residential Coaching
Programs are also offered

7. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018

8. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Scientific Temper and Nehru!

9. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
And, you get!

10. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Where did they Study?
S.no CEO Organization Course Indian
University
1. Sundar Pichai Google B.Tech IIT-Kharagpur
2. Satya Nadella Microsoft B.Tech Manipal
3. Vinod Khosla Sun
Microsystems
B.Tech IIT- Delhi
4. Shantanu Narayan Adobe B.Tech Osmania
University,
Hyderabad

11. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Some Numbers (Approx)
• Total Number of Fresh Engineering Graduates in India: 1.5 Million
• Total Number of Fresh Engineering Graduates in US: 100,000
• Total Number of Engineering Colleges in India: 10,000+

12. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
What this Leads to?

13. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
IIT- Some Numbers
• Total Number of IIT’s in India : 23
• Total Number of UG Selections: 12,000
• Total Number of Students who write IIT Entrance-1.2 Million
• Acceptance Rate: Less than 1%

14. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
MBBS Medical Program- Numbers
• Total Number of MBBS Seats: 31,000
• Total Number of Students Writing the Entrance: 1 Million
• Acceptance Rate: Less than 3%

15. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Consider Total Applications to Ashoka?
• Total Number of Applications: Guess?
• Total Number of Selections : 450

16. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
How are Liberal Art Programs Perceived?
• Relatively new concept in Indian Market- With Economy growing,
Many good Liberal Arts Programs have come up in India
• Very Low or Poor Understanding of what exactly is Liberal Arts?- Not
considered a Rigorous Program
• Very few Teachers/Counsellors in India can understand the benefits
of Liberal Arts Programs and how they can also encompass pure
sciences
• Students & Parents have even a tougher job to understand the
nuances of Liberal Arts

17. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Fee Comparisons
Institution Annual Tuition Fee (Approx Figures)
Indian Institute of Technologies(IIT) USD 4000
Delhi University USD 500
Fee at a Top Private Liberal Arts College USD 10,000

18. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
The Target Audience for Liberal Arts in India
• Major Students are coming from International Schools in India; one
which follow IB or Cambridge Curriculum
• Still Perceived as an Elitist Education- which holds true for majority of
the kids socio-economic background
• Most of the students coming from Major Metro Cities in India and
not from small towns/cities

19. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
How did we overcome this barrier at Ashoka?
• We organized targeted school workshops for students & teachers like
which showcased interdisciplinary aspect of an Liberal Arts Education
Eg: Physics for Poets
• We organized campus tours and liberal arts classroom experiences
specifically for Principals & Teachers
• We employed one to one counselling approach for applicants- Coffee
Chats
• Emphasis was laid on the Holistic Admission Process followed at
Ashoka rather than Cut Off based admissions

20. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
What we learnt?
• Liberal Arts will remain a niche program in India for many years to
come
• Applicant pool will definitely be from Elite Schools & Backgrounds
• Most of the students who come to Liberal Arts Programs have a
deep interest to go abroad for Higher Education/ Work

21. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Faculty Experience- Prof. Sean P. Bala
• Experience of setting up Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities
• Experience of Conducting Admission Process for JSLH
• Experience of teaching Indian Students in Liberal Arts
• Future for Liberal Arts in India

22. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU)
• Established through the Haryana Private Universities Act of 2006;
• Made possible by a philanthropic donation from Shri Naveen Jindal,
the CEO of Jindal Steel and Power, Ltd, made in honor of his late
father, Shri O.P. Jindal, the founder of JSPL and former minister in the
Haryana Gov’t.
• First classes commenced with 100 students at the Jindal Global Law
School.
• We now have eight (soon to be nine) schools with over 4500 students

23. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Growth of JGU
Jindal Global Law School
(2009)
- BA / BBA – LLB
- LLB
- LLM
Jindal Global Business School
(2010)
- BBA
- Integrated BBA – MBA
- MBA
Jindal School of International
Affairs (2011)
- B.A. (Hons.) Global Affairs
- M.A. Diplomacy, Law, and
Business
Jindal School of Government
and Public Policy (2012)
- B.A. (Hons.) Economics
- M.A. Public Policy
Jindal School of Liberal Arts
and Humanities (2013)
- B.A. (Hons.) Liberal Arts and
Humanities with eleven
possible specializations
Jindal School of Journalism and
Communication (2015)
- B.A. (Hons.) Media and
Communication
Jindal School of Art and
Architecture (2017)
- B. Arch
- B.A. (Hons.) Built
Environment Studies
Jindal School of Banking and
Finance (2017)
- B. Comm
Jindal School of Environment
and Sustainability (2019)
- B.A. (Hons.) Environment
and Sustainability

24. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Jindal School of Liberal Arts and Humanities
(JSLH)
Batch Size Sections
Batch 2014 12 1
Batch 2015 40 2
Batch 2016 63 3
Batch 2017 80 4
Batch 2018 91 4
Batch 2019 100 4

25. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Degree Programmes (2 Tracks)
Jindal Degree Track (3 Years) resulting in a B.A. (Hons.) Liberal Arts and Humanities in
one of ten specializations:
Jindal Rollins-Degree Track (4 Years) resulting in a B.A (Hons.) Liberal Arts and
Humanities and a B.A. in specified major from Rollins College in Florida.
-Economics
-Environment and Sustainable Development
-Expressive Arts (Visual Arts)
-History
-Global Studies
-History
-International Business
-Literary Studies
-Philosophy
-Psychology
-Political Science
-Self-Designed

26. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Course of Study
The Jindal Degree Track Consists of the Following:
- Nineteen (19) Core Classes (87 Credits)
- Eight (8) Majors Classes (24 Credits)
- A Senior Honors Thesis (6 Credits)
- At least Six (6) Electives (18 Credits)
- Two (2) Summer Internships (6 Credits)
- Two (2) Winter Internships (4 Credits)

27. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Unique Features
• Small Classes
• Faculty-Student Mentoring
• Experiential and Service Based Learning
• Internships as a Credit-Bearing part of Degree
• Mixture of Requirements and Choice in Degree

28. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Challenges (Real Quotes from Students,
Parents, and Staff)
• “Ma’am, what is the right answer?”
• “Sir, why do I need to study X subject when I only want to do Y subject”
• “So, is this a humanities degree? Do I need to do drawing and painting?”
• “Why don’t you just get rid of the required courses and create B.A.s in
Specific Subjects?”
• “It sounds nice…but how does it prepare students for India as it is?”
• “Why is it so expensive?!”
• “How will you get a job with that?”

29. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Observations
• Gap in the Indian Market that cannot be filled by another Engineering
/ Law / Commerce College;
• Growth in IB and International Schools in India creating a class of
students wholly unsuited for current higher education system;
• Many of our students are ones who might want to go abroad but
have decided to spend the money on their masters;
• Closeness of Indian Families May Limit Desire for Study Abroad for
Undergraduate that creates social pressures.

30. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Future Predictions and Concerns
• Growth of New Universities in India
• How to deal with cost?
• Pedagogy – What Liberal Arts?
• The Difficulty of Changing Hearts and Minds
• Will remain a small market
• It is capable of creating energy in Indian education marketing

31. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
• The largest school in terms of pupils is City Montessori School in Lucknow, India,
which had a record enrolment of 39,437 pupils on 9 August 2010. The school
presently has over 55,000 pupils and 4500 staff across 18 campuses in the city.
• Largest number,of 15 CMS students in top 3positions (I,II & III) in all India ISC Merit
List 2018. Largest number,of 5 students in top positions, in ICSE Merit List 2018 with
All India rank 4th to 7th.
• CMS Gomti Nagar 1 gets 15th National Rank for Academic Proficiency and 1st in the
state of Uttar Pradesh. 5 CMS Campuses are amongst the Top 15 schools of India.

32. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Approximately 450-500 students
complete Grade 12 from all the
exclusive Senior campuses.
The parents belong to Middle Class mostly
self established either in business or in
administrative services.
CMS follows ISC and ICSE board
through all the Campuses.

33. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
65%
24%
11%
SUBJECT /STREAM SELECTED BY
STUDENTS
SCIENCE
COMMERCE
HUMANITY

34. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018

35. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
University Destinations;
• O.P. Jindal Global University, India
• Ashoka University
• Shiv Nadar University, India
• Cornell
• Stanford
• Caltech
• Kings College London
• University of Rochester
• Drexel University
• Cambridge University
• Australian National University
• University of Cincinati

36. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Psychology Sociology
Political
Science
Art Economics
Landmark changes in optional subjects in
2018-19

37. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018

38. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Seema Kaushik
Career Counselor
Global Indian International School,
Singapore

39. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Global Indian International School
• A frontrunner in nursery to Grade 12
education in Asia. Has 15 campuses in
Middle East and Asia.
• Has three campuses in Singapore offering 4
different curricula. Follows the 9 GEMS
holistic framework which is a perfect
balance between academics, extracurricular
and cocurricular activities for the all-round
benefit of students. The holistic pedagogy
aims to teach students to excel and be well-
rounded individuals.
• Our students have graduated with flying
colours year after year and have entered
prestigious universities all over the world.

40. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Curriculum Offered- Student Achievements
 IB – Five world toppers in 2018
with a perfect score of 45/45.
37% school average. In last 12
years, total 13 World Toppers
and 19 near toppers
 CBSE 12 – 97.8% for school
topper in 2018. 100% students
scored first division. Over 52.4%
scored 90% and above.
 IGCSE – 53% students scored over
A* in 2018. 79% students scored
A* and A.

41. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
High School Profile- 2018
• Total Number of Students in Grade 12- 164
• Background of students - Middle class
• Stream wise break up IB – 101, CBSE -63
• Curriculums Offered- IGCSE, CBSE, IB
• Top University Destinations- Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, UCLA, UC Berkeley,
Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, University of Toronto, NUS, NTU
• Most Preferred Programs- Engineering, Medicine, Business, Computer Science,
Economics, Data Science, Accounting

42. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018

43. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Liberal Art Education
• Prepares students to work in variety of jobs
• Improves critical thinking skills
• Learn to communicate effectively
• Degree is appealing to employers
• Provides an excellent foundation for graduate study
• Students a well rounded education
“Prepares students for a life of careers, not a career for a life”

44. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
My Experience with Indian Students outside
India
• Indian students in Singapore are academically driven but not very
competition & entrance exam oriented.
• IB schools focus on holistic development and not just academics.
• Parents want children to get admission in popular & top universities.
Singapore is first choice for majority of them.
• Majority ofCBSE students are returning back to India to NITs, private
colleges.
• Liberal arts is gaining acceptance but still popular majors are STEM &
Humanities

45. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Exposure to Liberal Arts Education
• Every year we have information sessions on different career options. Students
are aware about Liberal Art Colleges.
• Liberal arts is well received by students who are not thinking about a mainstream
career like medicine or engineering or not sure about a career yet.
• Liberal arts is not a very welcome thought to parents yet. They think in terms of
employability.
• There are 2 to 3 students every year going to liberal art Colleges. Popular
colleges are NYU, Yale NUS, Boston University, Georgetown…

46. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Challenges faced while talking to
parents about liberal arts
• Parents think that child will be jack of all and master of nothing
• Majors in liberal arts doesn’t have much depth
• Doesn’t prepare them for specific jobs
• Degree is less employable
• Parents think, job prospects are better in STEM disciplines

47. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Future
• The future will value those who can bring new and innovative ideas –
new business models –most effectively, and see them through to
effective implementation
• Liberal arts graduates are better able to think critically and express
their views convincingly
• Liberal arts graduates have been trained to be curious about the
world, about other cultures and other traditions; essential traits for
leadership in our future.
• Apart from technical skills, soft skills such as communication,
leadership, teamwork, ethics are all outcomes of a good liberal arts
education.
• One of the best solution if the student is unsure about what he wants
to do
Liberal arts colleges – Definitely is the model for the future

48. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
Recommendation for Liberal Arts
colleges
• Give more evidences of job opportunities
• Involve alumni in talking to prospective students
• Introduce summer school where students can get an experience before they decide
• Scholarship opportunities
• Majors offered should be relevant and rigorous
• More corporate connections for internship opportunities

49. NEERJA MODI SCHOOL – JAIPUR
October 19 – 21, 2018SOUTH ASIA 2018
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