An autonomous status

• Q: I passed the Class XII (physics-chemistry-biology-mathematics) board exams with 78 per cent marks. I want to get my BSc degree from St Xaviers College
(either in Calcutta or in Ranchi). Please let me know about the admission dates and the application procedure.

Deepika Sharma

• A: St Xaviers College, Calcutta, is the first college in West Bengal to be granted autonomy by the University Grants Commission and the state government with the approval of the University of Calcutta.

Since St Xaviers College is an autonomous college of Calcutta University and not a deemed university, it is not empowered to offer degrees. It is, however, permitted to formulate its own syllabus, and establish its own evaluation system — it can conduct examinations and publish the results.

The degree certificates will be issued by Calcutta University, but will bear the name of the college.

In addition to the regular BSc programmes in physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computer science, economics and microbiology, and the BSc general at St Xaviers, you could also look at the five-year integrated MSc biotech programme that was introduced last year. Your physics-chemistry-mathematics-biology combination is ideal for the integrated MSc course.

Admissions typically begin in May. For more information on the application procedure and the prospectus, please log on to www.sxccal.edu. The address is 30, Park Street, Calcutta-700016.

St Xaviers College, Ranchi, has also been granted the status of an autonomous college within Ranchi University, Jharkhand. Please contact the college directly or call Ranchi University.

The college is located on Purulia Road, Ranchi-834001.

Chemistry unlimited

• Q: What are the job prospects for someone with a graduate or a postgraduate degree in chemistry?

Ghulam Rabbani

• A:Chemistry is concerned with the properties, both macroscopic and microscopic, of materials of all types, inorganic, organic and biological, and also with all aspects of change. Chemistry underpins the conceptual framework and methodology of biochemistry and molecular medicine, and is at the heart of a variety of major industrial activities.

If you have a scientific bent and chemistry is your favourite subject, that’s enough reason to study chemistry. You’ll find it challenging and rewarding in many different ways, and there are exciting, wide-ranging employment prospects. Should you aspire to be a research chemist, the opportunities after graduation are almost limitless.

Prepare well to target the best MBA schools

• Q: I have completed my BA in English this year. Please give me details of the top ten MBA colleges in India.

Vikas Kumar

• A: The best MBA courses in India are offered by the six Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode, followed by Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University (DU), Delhi, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management, Mumbai, National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad, and Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Admission to the above-mentioned schools is a highly competitive affair. Prepare well and try to gain a year or two of work experience and you will be better placed to target the 1,000 business schools in the country. Many of them require the common admission test (CAT) administered by the IIMs.

CAT is generally held on the second Sunday of December at test venues in different cities across the country. It tests the quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, reading comprehension and verbal ability of students. Negative marking is used to evaluate students’ abilities. To qualify in the CAT, students must do well in each section of the test.

Management education is expensive. But most institutes offer loans and scholarships on the basis of merit and financial need.

For instance, the postgraduate diploma in management programme of IIM-Calcutta, offers financial assistance to students whose gross family income is below Rs 2 lakh. It also offers merit-based aid.

In the first year of the programme at IIM- Calcutta, all students pursue the same course to build a strong foundation of general management concepts and skills. At the end of the first year, students can work as summer interns for a professional organisation. In the second year, students can choose from a range of 71 elective courses.