Sushil Khanna Professor of economics and strategic management, IIM-C

Q: I am a student of Class XII. I want to study BE and become an IT engineer. Then I want to do an MBA. This will take six years. But I’ve heard that in a dual degree programme that combines IT and management, I can finish the course in five years. Is that a better choice?

Amit Kumar

A: At your age, one is in a hurry to complete one’s education and looks for short-cuts. Unfortunately, these are often not the best options. Most B-schools think that even a fresh B.E. is not ready for an MBA, and prefer students with work experience. It’s your call!

Q: I want to do an MBA from a top college in India. Please tell me which are the top 10 colleges. I am doing my BSc with physics honours (Part-1).

Sapna Das

A: Usually, in India, the IIMs, MDI and the better known university departments (like FMS in Delhi University) are rated high. For a list of so called top colleges, please see one of the surveys.

Q: I am a student of Class XI (commerce). I’d like to do BBA after my higher secondary exam. The institute has to be approved by AICTE and recognised by WBUT. But I don’t know which entrance exam to take for this course. Please provide me with some information.

Sanjoy Paul

A: Please visit the WBUT and AICTE websites for details.

Devi Kar Principal, Modern High School for Girls, Calcutta

Q: I am in Class XII (arts). I am interested in hotel management, library sciences and media. I have a mixed type of personality. I want to join professional courses, but I am afraid I will lose interest after joining a course. Please tell me what is best for me.

M Jacob

A: I am afraid this is something only you yourself can discover. It is difficult to understand what you mean by a “mixed type of personality”. Do you mean that you are unable to stick to anything for any length of time? Perhaps you should be warned that no course can be wildly exciting from beginning to end. If you wish to succeed, you should be able to work through the mundane parts as well. Even if you have a variety of interests, you would need to focus on one or two as it would be difficult to pursue them all with equal fervour. In any case, both hotel management and media studies have many aspects to them. But you have to know your own temperament.