Recently, some issues regarding the CND program at Habib university came into light as some aggrieved students expressed on the student run HU forum that the CND program had not met their expectations. The main point of contention was that the liberal core courses at Habib would not pay off in the job market and there should be more emphasis on practical courses at Habib.
Because of backlash the post was put down, as people argued that Habib liberal core was an essential part in personality building. However, more people came forward and maintained that the CND program had been neglected and was not up to the par as compared to media sciences program in other universities.
Because of this outcry, we reached out to CND students in Habib university especially juniors and seniors to find out what they thought of the CND program and Habib university as a whole. We also reached out to IVS students to gain insights into their media sciences degree.
Interview Questions from the Habib Community
1) Why did you join Habib University? What appealed to you the most and what were your expectations?
I joined Habib because I had heard that the liberal arts program was like no other and during my visit the infrastructure of the campus really hooked me and I knew that I wouldn’t find a campus like this anywhere in Karachi. I had high expectations especially since the reviews I had received from numerous people were all positive so I did have high hopes.
-Fatima Akhai CND 2022
I joined habib because a lot of my friends were already at habib, cus I had taken a gap year. My expectations were very high for CND because the way they used to market was very enticing. Like for instance the film studio and the way it was marketed was really impressive - it appealed to me the most, and how they said it would be a big part of my major. But it wasn’t the way I had imagined when I did join Habib
-Sabika Noor Ali CND 2021
2) What were your expectations of the CND program?
I expected to learn more about art and the technicalities of art. I understand that this is a degree where theory is really important and I did learn a lot theory wise, but my expectation was to learn ACTUAL art. I suppose it’s because I compared it to the IVS CND degree because they have a very practical degree - they know about materials and they know how to make things. They learn everything, the basics, and then they take forward what aspires them. I don’t think we got that at Habib, because there was no base of that sort
-Sabika Noor Ali CND 2021
I expected that CND will be focusing more on film-making and design and by design I mean drawing, illustration and such but there's nothing of the sort. Even in film, there's only one instructor that teaches well as
compared to the rest and the courses in general don’t dive in to details of film-making as much as the rest of the universities do. The fee per semester here at Habib is so much and still, if we compare with Szabist, their students know film-making so well.
-Anonymous
3) How has your experience been with the CND program?
It hasn’t been the best because since the university is relatively new, the program is not as structured as I wish it was. Having the freedom to take any course I want has its pros and cons but it has also made me indecisive as to what my future plans are going to be after graduation. I feel like if the program had a structure, I wouldn’t have this issue.
-Fatima Akhai CND 2022
I wanted Film for a long time but because of the competitiveness of the courses I didn’t get that. I was really interested in the liberal arts aspect too so I let myself learn that but I didn’t realize I needed more practice courses until way later on, and perhaps that’s my fault too. I think I ended up filling out my requirements more than learning. So to say, my experience has been more theoretical. I can understand why a certain piece of art has been made but I probably don’t know how to make it and I think that’s my biggest concern. And again, I got the film courses so late (4th semester) so I don’t think I had it in time, and that was what I was most interested in - that really set me off track and by the midpoint of my university, I didn’t have any technical skills at all. Even with software, I feel like I learnt them myself in quarantine, which is quite late because I was already a senior by then
-Sabika Noor Ali CND 2021
It’s the whole practical versus theoretical thing. I feel that 90% if what in learning is theoretical and barely 10% is practical.
-Anonymous
4) What could have been improved regarding the CND program?
I feel like changes are already being implemented for the batches after us since my batch has voiced our concerns during townhalls. But otherwise, I feel like the CND program needs more practical courses rather than theory based because at the end of the day those skills are going to get you jobs.
-Fatima Akhai CND 2022
I would say theory and practice have to go side by side for every course for CND. And if all or most courses were designed that way, that would work a lot better that way. It should be in the core of CND, or per semester, to have practice courses because that would decrease a lot of confusion that CND students go through
-Sabika Noor Ali CND 2021
Interview Questions for Students of IVS. Only one student responded
1)what has been your experience like with the media sciences?
Overall, I think my experience has been great, I’ve grown so much since I came here. It wasn’t just about media sciences, I learnt about every single department little by little - be it graphic design, fine arts, textile. So, we gradually didn’t just learn one degree, but everything else that was being taught at IVS
-Mehak Saleem IVS 2020
2) If you had the option of transferring, would you consider it?
I would never have transferred because it definitely is one of the top art universities and it used to be so hard to get in - I considered myself incredibly lucky.
- Mehak Saleem IVS 2020
3) How confident are you about your skills and do you think they are relevant in the job market?
In terms of skill sets I had required it was pretty good. I took up some internships that really helped and all the things I learnt at IVS, that is the basic things to do with creativity, were all things I could apply at the job that I am currently working at.
-Mehak Saleem IVS 2020
Even though the CND program has been completely revamped, starting from batch of 2025 where practical core courses like Film would be offered, the grievances of the CND juniors and seniors are still valid. The CND program lacked a structure and did not have enough courses. Nonetheless, the decision to revamp the program is one step forward towards rectifying the CND program at Habib. We can then hope for it to be as competitive as other Media sciences program in other universities like IVS.
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