­­­­Detailed Guide to LUMSUndergraduateApplication

• To apply to LUMS, you’ll need to fill out an online application available on the LUMS admission portal.
• First, you’ll need to create an account by providing necessary information such as details on CNIC, Passport, address, etc.
• You will need to specify the type of application you are filling out (i.e., either undergraduate or graduate).
• Once you have selected an option, you will be redirected to a page with several tabs.
• In each tab, you will be required to enter some specific information regarding yourself.
• For example, in the tab related to “personal information,” you will be required to input detailed information about yourself and your parents. In another, you will be required to enter your co-curricular activities, and another will require you to submit 2 detailed personal essays.
• You will also be required to submit two teacher recommendations. Try to get your recommendation from your teachers for the subject you will be majoring in. This may increase your chance of getting admission into your desired major.
• The teacher’s recommendation is not be uploaded by you on the portal. You will be required just to input the teacher’s email on the portal, and they’ll subsequently be sent a link from which they themselves would need to upload their recommendation.
• You will also be required to input your O/A level grades and SAT scores manually. You will later be required to show original documents of O/A level certificates to the LUMS admission office. To verify your SAT score, LUMS will need you to send your SAT scores to them directly through the College Board portal.
• Towards the end, you will be required to mention any disability you may have and give an undertaking about the correctness of your entered details and information.
• Once you’re done with your application and submit it, a fee voucher would be generated that you’d need to fulfill for your application to be reviewed (application fee). Once your application is submitted, you will be redirected to a new page where you will be required to submit proofs of your honors/awards received and your co-curricular activities.
• The application deadline is usually at the end of January, whereas the deadline for submitting documents of proof is usually 15 days after the application deadline.
• Admission decisions usually come in mid-April (for first-round students) and continue till August.

• LUMS offers various courses from many different fields that students can study. Thus, it provides a very holistic educational experience for its students.
• Your courses will be divided approximately evenly across the time duration of the 4 years of study you’ll have to go through at LUMS (5 years if you’re doing a Law degree).
• It is also useful to look at the various schools in LUMS: There are a total of 4 schools providing undergraduate degrees. The schools are SDSB (Business school), MGSHSS (social-science and humanities school), SBASSE (engineering and natural sciences school), and SAHSOL (Law school). Each school offers courses related to its domain.
• When you secure admission to LUMS, you will be enrolled in one of the schools mentioned earlier (according to your major selection at the time of university application). Of course, you’ll be allowed to take courses offered by your own school, but you can also try enrolling in courses outside of your school.
• Your major will be officially undeclared until the end of your first year at LUMS(except if you are anMGSHSS student, in which case it’ll remain undeclared till the end of your second year). The rationale for this is for students to not feel confined by the major they chose during the time of their admission and be able to explore other courses from their school before finally settling for a major.
• Some courses, called core courses, are mandatory for you to study at LUMS. There are two types: university core courses (incl. Islamic Studies, Pakistan Studies, Writing & Communication) and school core courses. Every student in LUMS will need to study university cores. The school cores vary according to the different schools. For example, some of the core courses of SBASSE are Modern Physics and Biology Lab, but an MGSHSS student won’t need to study them. University and School cores can be highly irrelevant to your actual major.
• There are degree cores too. These are courses you must take to complete your degree requirements and they are relevant to the major chosen by

• You will also be required to take out-group and free elective courses.
• Out-group courses are courses that are mostly irrelevant to your major. You just take them to explore and expand your understanding of different disciplines. For example, an SDSB student can have LAW and certain HSS courses as their out-group courses.
• Free elective courses provide you the cushion to take any courses you please from or outside your school as per your interests.
• All courses related to the same discipline are categorized according to the difficulty into 4 levels—these range from 100, 200, 300 to 400-levels, with the easiest being 100-level courses.
• If you are unhappy with your major, you can transfer from one department to the other within the same school. The process is called an inter-school transfer.
• If you want to change your school completely, you can opt for an inter-school transfer. However, there are often minimum GPA and course requirements you must fulfill to be able to do this.

Life at LUMS

Known for its signature striking red-brick buildings which are surrounded by its beautiful gardens, LUMS is currently home to thousands of students from all over the country. It is the place that delivers those wonderful and challenging experiences that count to build its students into better individuals, expand their horizons, and discover so much more about themselves and life.

LUMS is highly diverse. It has students from all walks of life who add value by bringing in different elements of their culture and their unique set of experiences. Campus life is extremely eventful too. The 40+ active student-led societies in LUMS conduct various activities throughout the year. Other events range from masquerade balls to music festivals and dance performances to talks with some of the most prestigious personnel in Pakistan. Essentially, LUMS offers the platform for students to explore and participate in a variety of arenas, all while learning so much and developing meaningful friendships with other fellow students. It also provides facilities such as on-campus dorms, a large sports complex, Olympic-sized swimming pools, and numerous eateries- all within the comfort of a secure and gated community.

Furthermore, the invaluable knowledge gained at LUMS in classes with the help of its expert instructors allows students to acquire the abilities and skillset needed to succeed in their professional lives. The available councilors, career assistance services, exchange opportunities, etc., are just a few examples of how LUMS is able to deliver so much value to its students.

How admission committees review your applications

While most students may think they know how their university applications are reviewed, there are very few people actually involved in the decision-making process. If you wish to learn exactly how the app reviews work, the college admission officers are the only source of first-hand experience.

Here at Prep vista, all our advisors are managers who have gone through the process of foreign university applications. Continue reading to learn some of our team’s best insights on the application review process.

Grades matter!

One opinion that’s common amongst all our advisers may sound obvious: when it comes to reviewing an application, marks are a crucial factor. Although many students have heard this before, it is important to understand the sheer amount of weight your grades hold in the application review process. Although marks alone will not suffice to distinguish a student from the whole sea of ​​applicants, hitting a certain grade threshold is necessary for students to be considered.

Add some personal flair

Your college application is your chance to prove your identity to a group of admissions officers who have never met you. Every question is an opportunity to help the recruiting team construct a clearer picture of the kind of student you are and the qualities you’d be bringing campus. Instead of providing insightful or redundant information about yourself, make sure that every story and short answer reveals something new about you. When writing your personal statement, you may choose to add a unique experience in the additional articles section to help the admissions office learn more about you.

Don’t skimp over the small details

While many readers spend hours refining their statements, very few put the same level of thought into short answer questions. Do not compromise on the effort you put into short answer questions. They are actually particularly important because they have a shorter word limit. In most cases, it can be very difficult to write a compelling answer if you are limited to, for example, 50 words or less. Therefore, students need to prioritize short answer questions such that they devote the same amount of effort they do to longer essay answers.

Make the best out of this interaction

Make sure to give consideration to how you choose to put forth your accomplishments. Admission authorities need to review thousands of applications and are often subject to considerable time pressure. Make sure you are highly compelling and that your involvement in extracurricular activities is well-presented such that you can help gear the focus of admissions towards them. Try to highlight activities that had required significant skills development and time commitment from you, as well as those that are unique to you or more relevant to your interests.

There is a lot of uncertainty about how the final decisions are made. The more you know about application reviews, the more confident you will be when it comes time to submit your applications. If you are considering making full use of your admission process, contact our college advisory team.

How to Effectively Spend your First Year at University

Like many new beginnings, your first year can be both, exciting and confusing. From making adaptations to your personal life to now studying advanced courses, the first few months on campus may feel like a major life transition for you.

You can get the most out of their university experience if you start preparing in advance and planning out how you’d manage different facets of it instead of just letting it make you feel stressed.

Here are certain things you can try to do:

Move out of your comfort zone

Your university would have a variety of clubs, activities, and student groups you could be part of. Act proactively by making sure to participate in them and be open to trying new things. Most universities offer a much wider range of activities than regular high schools, so remember that it is alright if you feel a little overwhelmed by all the new opportunities. Choose an activity you were always interested in rather than just following what your friends and roommates are doing. Signing up for an activity is a great way to expand your social circle, develop new skills, and discover passions that you could eventually pursue further.

 Be the first-bencher

You may wish to seclude yourself by choosing to sit in the back seats of your class, especially if you are prone to feeling shy. However, if you choose to sit in front, you may be better able to stay focused. Instead of wasting time by listening to songs through your devices in class, you would be better positioned to remain active and interact more with your professor. This would allow you to maintain your interest, as well as have a good relationship with your professor, which would be especially useful for future recommendations you’d need from him in your career and in attaining research opportunities for yourself.

 Working on Campus

Working on campus can be a mutually beneficial situation for you in that you not only earn some pocket money but also get to meet with some of your colleagues and get to know your institution better.

If possible, aim for a position that corresponds to your interests and long-term professional goals. If you think you are capable enough, try to assist your teachers in the courses they are offering by serving as a TA (Teacher’s Assistant).

 Stay up to date with your degree requirements

Most universities have a list of course requirements that students must complete to graduate. Make sure you are cognizant of these requirements and are keeping tabs on your progress. If you do not know what you want to major in, start by completing some of the general education requirements so that you can concentrate on taking courses related to your major in your second or third year. Also, get involved in discussions with your peers. Their ideas can really help you in choosing a major.

Make and follow a schedule

As a first-year, you may have a tough time adapting to the composition of college courses. Instead of taking the same class every day, lectures and seminars are usually only held once or twice a week. This sounds like a dream come true, but students cannot spend their extra free time relaxing. Instead, the professor expects you to work independently on larger projects such as term papers and presentations. Track your course work by creating a detailed schedule and tracking the deadlines for each registered class.

The first year of university may seem a little overwhelming, but it is also full of exciting opportunities and new challenges. You make new friends and get to know a lot of new things. Remember to not panic too much- everyone around you is also doing this for the first time!

An Overview of the LUMS Admission Process for O/A Level Students

If you plan to apply to LUMS as a regular Cambridge student (i.e., an O/A Levels student), you will have to start working on your application in the second year of your A-levels (A-2).

Deadline:

• The deadline for LUMS application is usually by the end of January of that academic year.
• You must have had given, or plan to be giving the SAT to be eligible for admission by the time their application portals go live.

Rounds Of Application:

• You will be considered for 1^stround admissions if you submit your SAT score (one that you are satisfied with) within the LUMS application deadline.
• However, if you are unsatisfied with your previous SAT score(s) or if you have yet to take the SAT, you can sign up for the SAT administered in March of that academic year (i.e., 2 months after the LUMS application deadline). In doing this, your application will be considered in the 2^ndround of admissions.
• You will be required to send your SAT score to LUMS through the College Board portal (which will require you to pay a fee online for the scores to be sent).

Specific admission requirements:

• LUMS has four schools you could apply to in your undergraduate (Business, Humanities, Science & Engineering, and Law school). The admission criteria are the same for all schools except for the Law and Science & Engineering schools which have additional requirements:
• For admission into the Law school, you will need to give the Law Admission Test (administered by HEC Pakistan).
• For admission into the Science & Engineering school, you will need to sit a Scientific Aptitude Test administered by LUMS, or instead give SAT-II Subject tests in any three of these four subjects: Biology-M, Chemistry, Mathematics II-C, and Physics.

Admission Decisions:

• If you applied in the 1st round, you would start receiving admission offers starting from April, and up till August.
• If you applied in the 2nd round, you would start to receive admission offers by July or August.
• Note that LUMS accepts the ACT in place of the SAT too. You also can opt to take the LUMS Common Admission Test (LCAT) in place of the SAT.

Feel free to reach out to us at Prep Vista to avail the resources and support you would need to ace the SAT, as well as to receive additional guidance related to application process.

The Common Application, often referred to as US Common App, allows students around the world to begin their college admission journey. But what is the Common Application? Who can use it and when? Understanding the difference between Standard Common Application and other university applications (such as UCAS or OUAC) can make your college application process easier.

What is a Common App?

The Common Application is an online college application platform used by more than 900 colleges and universities in the US, UK, and Canada. It allows students to apply to multiple universities using one centralized platform. The General Basic Request requires students to provide basic up-to-date information about themselves, as well as information about their high school education. It also contains the main article in the General Edition, more commonly known as the personal statement. Also, some colleges and universities may require additional information through additional questions, essays, or short answers.

Standard General Application

As mentioned earlier, the General Application collects basic information from applicants, such as educational information, courses, and education of parents and siblings. It first asks for basic questions, including your name, address, age, and background. This is followed by the education section, where information is required about your school, graduation date, and counselor’s details. The education section also allows students to submit any information about college work that they may have completed.

Then, students need to submit information about their studies from Grade 9 onwards, as well as any academic awards, hobbies, and more. Then, information about their assessment and activities is required, followed by concluding the application. The Common App includes a “more information” section where students can briefly describe any parts of the program that they feel need more context, such as immersion grades or possible changes in their after-school program due to reasons such as the pandemic.

Common App Essay

After completing the General Application, students are required to complete an application essay in case the specific university they’re applying to requires it. The essay is about 250-650 words long, and there’s an option to write on any essay topic out of six given choices.

My universities

When students set up their General Program account, they will be instructed to add schools to their list within the application. Students can add colleges to their My College section by navigating to the “College Search” section and typing the name of the school they would like to include. Students can add up to 20 schools to the list of ‘My Colleges’. This is also the section where students can find school-related appendixes, including additional essays or short answers to questions from specific schools.

Why Use a Standard App?

In most cases, the Common App eliminates the common pitfalls in the application process when applying to, for example, 10-15 colleges from your preference list. Instead of submitting 10 different institutional applications that ask the same questions about basic things like your demographics and education, you have the ability to fill this information once and use it for multiple applications.

In some universities, the Common App is the only approved application form, which is why it is so important for students to be aware of it. The Common App also makes it easier for counselors and teachers to fill out letters of recommendation, as they can load them directly into student applications using a special invitation initiated by students.

Other Applications

In addition to the Common Application, there are other similar kinds of application options that students can use for different countries. Since Common App is more US-centric, one can use UCAS (Universities and College Application Services) for UK universities or OUAC (Ontario University Application Services) for Canadian universities in the state of Ontario.

There are some schools, such as MIT, which do not use any application at all and instead have their own institutional programs. Make sure that when preparing for a university admission process, you understand what application system is being implemented in the schools you wish to apply to.

Do you want to get into law school?

Well, there are a number of things you should consider before applying. If you don’t plan ahead, you might miss out on some important information.

Law schools require students to complete standardized tests such as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). This is because they want to know whether or not applicants are prepared for studying at law school. The majority of successful applicants score around 156 or above.

So, what exactly is LSAT?

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is the standardized test that determines whether or not you qualify for law school admission.

The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) administers the exam each year at over 7,000 testing centers across the US. On average, somewhere around 100,000 to 150,000 students take the LSAT every year.

What does the LSAT measure?

On the LSAT, you’ll be asked to answer a long series of questions in approximately 3 hours. These questions cover topics like reading comprehension, logic reasoning, and analytical reasoning.

LSAT test breakdown

The table below shows the complete breakdown of the LSAT.

 What is a good LSAT score?

Well, that definitely depends on which law school you want to go to. Average LSAT scores are typically between 150 and 160. This score can get you into one of the best law schools easily. However, if you are intending to apply to the top 10 law schools in the world, then a score of 170 or higher is a MUST for you. Such a score will greatly increase your chances of admission.

What is the best method out there for LSAT preparation?

There are several methods for LSAT preparation. All you have to do is figure out which one of these methods works the best for you.

One of the best ways to prepare for LSAT is to take a preparation course. Preparing for an exam under the guidance of an expert can be very fruitful. Many students tend to get higher scores after taking the preparatory course.

If you are planning to prepare yourself, here are a few steps you can follow.

 Take a practice test: This act proves to be pretty helpful. This will help you diagnose your strong and weak areas.

• Create a Plan for your weaknesses: You can create one based on the time available. It can be a 10-day plan or a 3-day plan, but make sure you’re well prepared after following it.
• Practice as much as possible: practice is an integral part of the LSAT prep. The more you practice, the more perfection you will achieve. LSAT experts also put a lot of emphasis on practice. Practice from official tests. Tons of training materials (including official LSAT practice tests) are available on the internet, easily accessible.

Which test should you take for college admissions? The SAT or the ACT?

Here’s our guide to help you decide which exam to choose.

Both tests are required for university admissions around the world although they tend to focus on slightly different areas.

The two tests might look similar at first, but they do have some differences you should know about.

Getting to know what sets the two tests apart from each other will help you identify the right choice for you.

First, let’s talk about a few similarities.

Both exams test you upon pretty much the same concepts.

These two tests are recognized internationally and hold the same importance.

Both tests have a reading section, a math section, and a writing section.

Here are a few key differences between the SAT and the ACT.

1. THE SCIENCE SECTION

The main difference that makes ACT stand out is that it has a SCIENCE SECTION. You’ll find it quite similar to the science passages you’ve been dealing with in the SAT.   In the ACT, there is a whole new section dedicated to science. This section tests you upon your experimental analysis skills, data interpretation skills, and time management skills.

2. MATH SECTION

       Calculator use:

In the SAT, the math section is divided into two parts: calculator and no calculator. You get 58 questions in total.  The use of calculator is strictly forbidden while attempting the no calculator section. While in the ACT, you get a single math section. You are allowed to make use of the calculator throughout the MATH SECTION. This is a great advantage for students with weak mental math skills.

Type of questions:

In the act, all questions are multiple choice questions. You won’t find any GRID IN questions here like you normally would in the SAT.

      Formula Sheet:

SAT provides a formula sheet at the start of each math section whereas the ACT doesn’t. It’s better to have a firm grip on all the formulas that get tested if you plan to give the ACT.

3. ENGLISH READING SECTION

Ordered Situation:

In the SAT, the questions associated with each passage are in an ordered situation.

While in the ACT, the questions aren’t in an ordered situation, but that doesn’t mean it gets tough.

With the right strategies you can ace it just like you ace every other section on the ACT.

       Evidence Based Questions:

Evidence Based questions are an important part of SAT reading, but such questions are nowhere to be found in the ACT. If you’re good at attempting the evidence questions, SAT might be the right choice for you as these questions make up about 40 percent of the whole reading section.

       Number of passages:

The SAT reading section consists of 5 passages with a total of 52 questions. These 52 questions are divided among these 5 passages. Time allowed for the SAT reading section is 65 minutes.

The ACT reading section slightly differs from the SAT reading section in terms of number of passages, amount of questions , and total time.

It consists of 4 passages with a total of 40 questions. These 40 questions are divided among these 4 passages. Time allowed for the ACT reading section is 35 minutes.

4. TIME PER QUESTION

You get less time per QUESTION in ACT.

For example, the allotted time to solve a question in the SAT reading section is 75 seconds. The time allowed to solve a question on the ACT reading section is 53 seconds.

The good news is that the questions are developed in such a way, it won’t take much of your time. If you feel like it’s going to take around 3- 4 minutes, you’re probably doing it the wrong way.

5. SCORING SCALE

Both tests have a different scoring scale.

SAT scores range from 400 to 1600 points.

ACT score range from 1 to 36 points.

Negative marking isn’t involved in these tests either.

Should I take the SAT or the ACT?  

This might be one of the questions I get asked the most.

Well, nobody can know it better than you.

But here are a few things that can help you identify the right thing for you.

1. TAKE A DIAGNOSIS TEST:  taking a PSAT and PreACT will definitely help you identify which test works well in your case.
2. If you score well in science subjects, ACT might be easier for you.
3. Time management is essential during both tests, but if you are unable to manage time that well, SAT might be a better option for you. You get more time per question in the SAT.
4. Take a look at the college requirements you’re planning to apply for in the future. A few colleges prefer SAT over ACT and vice versa.