Hard work is never wasted

23-year-old Mohammad Omar Rabbani was raised in Dubai and graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology, US. He has high-voltage dreams of being able to secure the energy needs of future generations

Mohammad Omar Rabbani, 23
Qualifications: Graduated with high honours in chemical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, US

Specialisation: Energy, economics and environment that link energy, environmental and economic issues faced by the engineering industry.

Work: Engineering consultant for Corrosion Services Incorporation Technologies (CSI Tech).

Background: From Pakistan, Umar Rabbani was brought up in Dubai. He sat his A and O Levels at the Dubai English Medium School before applying to IIT.

Why he chose IIT?
Academically, IIT is one of the best private engineering schools in the midwest US. It provided me with a very good scholarship package that took care of half of my tuition fees; the residential scholarship I received entitled me to free living in the dormitories. Additionally, my specialisation provided me with more scholarship!

The total cost to attend IIT is $30,000 (Dh110,191) annually and my scholarships took care of half the cost.

How easy was it for you to get an American education?
I had completed high school in the British curriculum. So I was already well aware and well prepared for the rigours of college academia.

In fact, the advantage of A-levels was that I entered college with 20 advanced placement credits (equivalent to almost a semester in college).

Future plans?
Primarily, I want to serve as a role model for the younger generation; education is always the way to take for success and prosperity. Hard work never goes to waste.

I also want to inform people about the dangers of continued dependence on fossil fuels and tell them about the alternate and renewable energy sources.

Would you recommend IIT to students in the UAE?
IIT provides a plethora of scholarships for international students.

The class sizes are very small and there is a lot of student-teacher interaction.

In the years that I have been there, I've shared fun-filled moments with German, Korean, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, French, Nigerian and Middle-Eastern friends.

Omar Rabbani's academic achievements

• Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Dean's List
• Energy, Environment and Economics Scholar
• Awarded the US National Engineering Collegiate Award
• On the US National Dean's List
• Member of the US National Scholars Honour Society
• IIT International Scholarship recipient
• Energy, Environment and Economics Scholarship recipient

The best of American education

• Accessibility to a vast pool of scholarships.
• Chance to be a part of a small global community.
• You can explore your horizons in any field.

The worst about it:

• Lack of cultural emphasis.
• Lack of emphasis on world geography. (Most of my American friends do not know where Dubai is and most think Dubai is a country.)
• Lack of emphasis on knowing more than one language.
• Being away from home!

Gaining admission

"Early bird gets the worm," says Umar Rabbani.

• Read, educate yourself about current affairs.
• Get as many recommendation letters as possible so that admission counsellors know your skills have been appreciated by the academia.
• Take part in academic and extracurricular activities
• Complete your records, admission application and essays and make sure a professor proofreads them.