Providing students with the opportunity to strive in their career choices - Interview with Ms. Isha Sehgal

Quick Facts on Isha Sehgal Interview

Who Is Ms. Isha Sehgal at BVC

Ms. Isha Sehgal is the Admissions Advisor for South Asia at Bow Valley College, based in New Delhi. She handles counselling, agency ties and student outreach across four countries.

Her academic profile is a mix of science and business. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Delhi University. She then completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management from NMIMS.

Before joining Bow Valley College, she worked as an Admissions Officer at Fanshawe College. That role gave her four years of direct experience with Indian applications to Canadian colleges. She now brings that lens to the Bow Valley College Calgary campus partnerships across South Asia.

In her own words during the interview: "My past experiences, during my graduation, made me opt to make a shift in my career towards the education sector."

Key Insight: Isha’s dual background in science and marketing helps her advise students on both technical diplomas and business programs with equal confidence.

Isha Sehgal’s Role in South Asia

Isha’s role covers India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The scope is wide, but the daily work is very hands-on.

She describes her role in three parts: "counseling students, building and maintaining agency relationships, and conducting seminars." Each part serves a clear purpose for prospective students.

• Counselling: One-on-one guidance on programs, fit and application timing.
• Agency relationships: Support for authorised education consultants who file student files.
• Seminars: Live sessions in Indian cities and virtual webinars for wider reach.

The team has also grown its footprint. Isha noted: "We have diversified our areas of recruitment in the west and south, other than north in the past 2 years." That means students from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad now get the same access as those from Punjab or Delhi.

Source: Collegedunia interview with Ms. Isha Sehgal, April 2022, and Bow Valley College live sessions on YouTube through 2023.

Why Choose Bow Valley College

Bow Valley College is the only Comprehensive Community College in Alberta, with students from 148 countries. Isha rated diversity as the college’s core strength.

She said: "Diversity helps to understand each other well and gain new perspectives and experiences." For Indian students, that mix widens the professional network well beyond a single country group.

The college also runs official partnerships with 23 countries. That gives Indian applicants two useful things:

• Named agent tie-ups, so files move faster and errors drop.
• Country-specific advisors who know local documents like Class 12 marksheets.

Calgary itself adds another pull factor. It ranks among the least crowded major Canadian cities. Rent and food are also lower than Toronto or Vancouver, which cuts total budgets.

What students actually say in Collegedunia reviews: "Professors include each and every student in projects and the college offers equal opportunities." That echoes Isha’s line on diversity being lived, not just marketed.

Student reviews of Bow Valley College put its overall rating at 8.2 out of 10, with faculty scoring the highest.

Popular Programs at Bow Valley

Business diplomas, health programs and cyber-security lead demand at Bow Valley College. Isha called out these three as the most requested by Indian applicants.

She stated: "The 2-year diploma program, Health programs and Cyber-Security programs are in high demand among the students." Each stream comes with a job-focused design.

Business Administration Diplomas

These two-year diplomas include specialisations in Accounting, Finance and Marketing. All three come with a co-op option. Co-op is a paid work term you complete before graduation, which builds Canadian work history early.

Health Care Streams

Health Care Aide and Pharmacy Technician are the two flagship health courses. Both are short, practical and linked to Alberta’s healthcare shortage.

Cyber-Security and IT

The Cyber-Security program uses Work-Integrated Learning. That means a portion of the course credits come from a real industry project, not just classroom hours.

These four programs cover the bulk of Indian student intake each year. Health streams often close first, so early application matters.

Full list of programs offered at Bow Valley College is worth scanning before you shortlist.

Bow Valley College Admissions Guide

Bow Valley College accepts Indian students with a Class 12 score of 65% or higher for diplomas and certificates. The rules are simple, but every document must match.

Post-diploma certificate pathways ask for either a completed diploma or a Bachelor’s degree in a related field. Isha flagged one policy that Indian families often miss: "We don’t have any restriction on academic gap nor any restriction on the backlog."

That is a big deal. Many Canadian colleges reject files with a two-year study gap or more than five backlogs. Bow Valley College reads each file on its own merits.

English Language Scores

The English requirement for most diplomas is IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 6.0. Post-diploma programs may need 6.5. Other accepted tests include:

• TOEFL iBT: 83
• Duolingo English Test: 110
• PTE Academic: 59

Prepare with a real practice plan before you book the slot. Our IELTS exam preparation guide covers format, band scoring and study tips.

Application Timeline

Winter 2027 intake starts January 7, 2027. The IRCC visa deadline sits at November 23, 2026. Fall 2027 applications open on September 15, 2026.

The full Bow Valley College admission process covers every deadline and document list.

Check How to Apply to Canada Colleges: Dates and Requirements

Bow Valley College Tuition and Costs

Diploma tuition at Bow Valley College runs from CAD 28,243 to CAD 43,596 across four to five terms. Certificate programs cost less, ranging from CAD 16,988 to CAD 20,405.

Total annual budget for Indian students sits between CAD 34,000 and CAD 46,000. That includes tuition, rent, food, health cover and travel.

Conversions based on a CAD-INR rate of INR 67.79 as of September 27, 2026. Rates fluctuate; check the current rate before financial planning.

Bow Valley College also runs four entrance awards worth CAD 2,000 each for first-time international students. Over 300 scholarships and bursaries sit inside the awards portal.

Source: Bow Valley College Tuition and Fees page, Awards portal (bvcawards.awardspring.ca).

Key Insight: A 5% to 8% currency buffer protects you if the rupee weakens during your program. Budget the higher end of the CAD range, not the lower.

Calgary rent runs lower than Vancouver or Toronto. That trims the biggest non-tuition line item by CAD 3,000 to CAD 6,000 per year. Compare wider numbers on our cost of living in Canada breakdown.

Check Full Cost of Studying in Canada for Indian Students

Career Support at Bow Valley College

Bow Valley College reports an 88% employment rate within six months of graduation. That figure sits near the top for Alberta community colleges.

Isha explained the support model in the interview. Her exact words: "We promote our students both academically and via extracurricular activities." The support runs through three formal desks.

• Academic Advising: Course selection and progress tracking.
• Learner Success Services: Writing, math and study skills help.
• Student Association: Clubs, events and peer networks.

The college also runs a buddy program. Senior students pair with newcomers to help settle in Calgary. That helps Indian students who arrive without family in Canada.

Co-op placements and Work-Integrated Learning fill the gap between class and job. If you complete a two-year business diploma with co-op, you finish with 4 to 8 months of paid Canadian work history. That helps a lot with your first full-time offer.

Isha Sehgal’s Advice for Indian Students

Isha’s core advice is to pick a program that matches a real career goal, not a trending name. The interview surfaced three practical tips for Indian applicants.

If your Class 12 score is on the lower side, health and business certificates open faster than diplomas. If your goal is a Canadian job in tech, the Cyber-Security diploma with Work-Integrated Learning gives a strong runway. If your family is worried about a study gap, BVC’s open policy removes one big block.

She summed up the college’s philosophy on giving students a fair start: opportunity beats credential-hunting. Focus on the program-to-job match. Then use the co-op, buddy and advisor networks to build a Canadian profile.

Key Insight: Isha’s advice mirrors what hiring managers in Calgary say. Employers ask about your co-op work, practicum hours and volunteer projects, not just your GPA.

Scholarships in Canada for international students can trim total costs further if you plan them alongside admission.

Bow Valley PGWP and Work Pathways

Most Bow Valley College diplomas qualify for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). The permit lets you work in Canada after your course ends. Its length depends on your program duration.

IRCC updated PGWP rules in 2024 and 2025. Only programs on Bow Valley’s approved list now qualify. Confirmed PGWP-eligible programs include:

• Business Administration with Supply Chain Management Major
• Early Childhood Education and Development Diploma
• Addiction Studies Diploma
• Disability Studies Diploma

Two-year diplomas usually earn a three-year PGWP. That window is enough to find a full-time job and start your Permanent Residency (PR) application through Express Entry.

Also note the visa route. India’s Student Direct Stream (SDS) closed in November 2024. All Indian applicants now use the non-SDS study permit route, which needs stronger financial proof and a longer review.

Living funds proof sits at CAD 22,895 for the first year, over and above tuition. The Canada student visa guide lists every document and fee.

For the work permit itself, check the post graduation work permit guide. It walks through the application flow after graduation.

Broader context on college choice sits on the higher education system in Canada guide. It compares diplomas, degrees and certificates side by side.

Also Check:

The Bow Valley College Isha Sehgal interview lays out a fair, honest map of what Indian applicants get in Calgary. The 88% employment rate, open gap policy and short two-year diplomas together explain why South Asian demand keeps growing. Isha’s most useful line is the one on program-to-job fit, not the one on rankings. Use the tuition table to plan a real budget with the CAD 67.79 rate as your anchor. Then match a program to a career goal before you file.