A pleasant surprise: Commerce topper

Sahana Kulkarni of V.B. Darbar College here has secured the first rank in the State in PU exam in the Commerce stream by scoring 594 out of 600 marks.

Speaking to The Hindu , Sahana Kulkarni shared her views on the decision to choose Commerce, her method of preparing for the exam and career plans.

Q: Now, with the results out, you have emerged a topper in the Commerce stream in the State. Did you expect this?

A: Given the amount of time I spent in preparing for the exam, I was confident of securing a good score, but I never thought that I would be ranked first in the State. It is a sweet and pleasant surprise for me, my family and college.

Q: What was your achievement in the SSLC exam and why did you chose Commerce only?

A: I secured 95 per cent marks in SSLC. While normally students with high scores choose Science, I opted for Commerce because I always wanted to take a different path. I never had any passion for medical or engineering because I thought one could opt for other fields as well for a successful career.

Q: What do you have to say to those students who carry the notion that high scoring students in SSLC should prefer Science and low scoring select Commerce and Arts.

A: This is certainly a wrong notion among students. One could have a bright future in other departments, provided they have keen interest in that.

Q: What is your future plan?

A: I have already set my goal and that is: to become a Chartered Accountant. Though I have many years to prepare for it, I have decided to do my graduation from a not-so-popular college because securing high scores while in such a college is for me more important.

Q: Finally, what kind of support you received from your family and college.

A: My father, Gururaj Kulkarni, who is an employee in a private pharmaceutical firm, and mother, Surekha, a home-maker, always supported me in every possible way during my academic activities. My teachers were cooperative and encouraging. Their support played an important role in me securing the top rank.