SONAKSHA IYENGAR
If you are aspiring for a seat in undergraduate course in commerce or management, you are in for a tough fight. Top colleges across the city are witnessing a tremendous demand for the two courses this year. The number of applicants is more than three times the seats available in many cases.
MBA ASPIRANTS GALORE
Most of the students opting for commerce and management courses hope to pursue Master of Business Administration (MBA) in the future and feel that these courses will give them a strong base. Keerthana Anto, a student from Tamil Nadu, who was successful in getting a seat in Mount Carmel College for B.Com, said: “I enjoy commerce and accountancy, so B.Com is the perfect course for me. I want to pursue MBA in the future, after which I hope to join the family business. And there is a need for someone with a commerce degree.”
A student of The Oxford English High School, Rishab Agnihotri, who secured 91.2 per cent in the Indian School Certificate (ISC) examination, said: “I’ve chosen B.Com honours in Christ University as I can do regular B.Com for the first two years and specialise in accounts or economics in the final year. I feel it will help me a lot when I pursue MBA in the future.”
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
The teaching faculty is attributing this growing interest in commerce courses to the employment opportunities available to commerce and management graduates. V.N. Raghu, head of department of business management, Mount Carmel College, told The Hindu: “Management course is in demand because of the endless career opportunities in the field. The placement is very good and a vast number of internships and life projects also attract many students to opt for it. We offer specialisation in finance, human resources and marketing, which is yet another reason.” Vanaja Malathy, public relations officer at the Jyoti Nivas College, expressed similar views: “The demand for the commerce and management courses is very high as opposed to the number of seats available. The demand for the course will always exist because jobs in accounting and auditing are available in all sectors. I feel that this trend is here to stay because of the endless need for manual handling of these functions in different sectors.”
PU CUT-OFF PERCENTAGE
The cut-off percentage for admission to commerce courses is very high. Some colleges have announced the first list and begun the admission process also.
Courtesy: The Hindu, May 22, 2013