Muhammad Zohaib Furrukh

Academic

Career

Verbatim text

Muhammad Zohaib Furrukh (18I-0204) 
 
I stumbled into FAST almost unexpectedly, in the sense that I knew I wasn’t going to stay here for 
long as I awaited my acceptances from other universities, which did eventually come. By then 
however, I was already settled in and didn’t want to face the prospect of starting anew anywhere 
else. From my first week here, I immediately connected with my classmates and everything clicked 
straight away. From there on, I never ever looked back. Personally speaking, it is the people 
occupying an institute which make that institute what it is, and in FAST I found the perfect match or 
set of matches for me, both on a social and emotional level. 
Beyond friendships, the academic side of things brought about new challenges which I didn’t at all 
expect, but over time, became accustomed to. The constant grind and intensity required to 
complete various different courses within a long and grueling semester is undoubtedly extremely 
demanding. However, FAST does create an environment that enables you to deal with it. But 
alongside all the hard work, having teachers that lightened the mood during tough classes really 
helped me cope. Yes, you should work hard, but humoring yourself along the way goes a long way 
in helping you cope with the mental pressures of the studies here. This has been especially 
important for me. 
Moreover, deciding to utilize the most of my time and to put my skills and learnings to use, I 
became a teaching assistant for 3 different courses and took up assisting students in their 
academics and grading their work. While this did become a lot of work, it taught me how to 
effectively manage my time and workload. 
On a sour note, the COVID pandemic slightly ruined my university experience, as it took away 
almost 4 semesters worth of physical classes, which in turn reduced students’ social activity and 
negated our passion to learn. Unfortunately, it was out of everyone’s control and nothing could’ve 
been done to avoid it. What’s ideal is to utilize the time you have left in university to the maximum. 
As my time in FAST slowly creeps towards the finish line, I have absolutely no regrets in taking part 
in this integral journey of my personal and professional life that has enhanced many of my skills at 
an intellectual, social, and emotional level. This has definitely been a part of my life that I will 
remember and cherish forever!