As admissions for arts and science colleges in the city are in progress, B.Com continues to be the most preferred course among students applying for undergraduate courses.
The American College Principal M. Davamani Christober said, “This year, we received more than 32,000 applications for 3,000 plus seats. More than 4,000 of these applications are for various streams in B.Com like B.Com (Computer Applications), B.Com (Professional Accounting) and B.Com (Information Technology). The demand for such courses is evergreen as plenty of the students end up pursuing CA (Chartered Accountant) course later on.”
Courses like B.Sc Computer Science and BCA were next in line when it came to demand. More than 1,000 students had applied for them in the college. A surprising trend that the college had noted was an increase in the number of applicants for B.Sc., Microbiology and B.Sc., Biochemistry, he said, adding, “Maybe due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are showing interest in such courses.”
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Principal of Thiagarajar College D. Pandiaraja is also of the opinion that students show a higher interest than usual towards B.Sc Biotechnology and B.Sc Microbiology courses. “This is most likely due to the employment opportunities in laboratories that are increasing due to the COVID-19 situation,” he said.
Mr. Pandiaraja further said, “In our college, apart from B.com and B.Sc IT, students usually preferred maths and science departments. Many students opted for B.Sc Mathematics, B.Sc Physics and B.Sc Chemistry. Though the college has been offering B.Sc Psychology for the past six years, this year the demand seemed to be higher. Though it is a self-financed course with a higher fee structure, hundreds of them had applied for it.”
Principal and Secretary of Lady Doak College Christianna Singh believes that the general increase in the number of students applying for arts and science colleges is due to the fact that their courses focus on development of specific skill sets.
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“Employers are not looking for just degrees now, they are looking for individuals with specific skills and a wider exposure. We bring that expertise to students. Also, students prefer 3-year courses as they are valuable and affordable at the same time,” she said.
When it came to admission for PG courses, English Literature and Mathematics were the most-wanted courses in the college. Their double-major UG degree in Psychology and Sociology also had a higher demand, Ms. Christianna said.
G. Celine Sahaya Mary, Principal, Fatima College, said, “Last year, we received 9,000 plus applications. This year, since the admissions are still going on, it stands at above 8,000. Apart from Commerce, students showed interest towards Chemistry and Computer Science courses.”
She, however, said as no board exams were conducted for Class XII and marks were consolidated on the basis of previous performances, many students had scored high marks which might have motivated them to apply for engineering colleges.