As the admission process in most city colleges reaches a crescendo, it looks like a host of trends are likely to emerge. Traditional favourite courses could wane in popularity, while some little-known courses could witness a spike in demand, say the heads of the institutions themselves.
One such trend has been the gradual increase in the demand for bachelor degrees in Computer Administration and Commerce for the hearing impaired at the Presidency College. More and more candidates have applied for the courses over the last few years. Such has been the growing demand that the college sought an increase in the student intake for the courses last year. “The fact that no other institution in the State offers these courses could be a reason for the popularity,” claims college principal in-charge Murali. The intake was increased from 15 to 20 only recently.
Another interesting and noticeable trend in the college is that of visually impaired students opting for the BA (Tamil) course and attending classes alongside the regular students. Although he is unable to specify the number of students, he says such students comprise a good percentage of the class strength. “We do not know how they (the courses) have become popular; it could be word-of-mouth publicity,” he explains.
Among the 20-odd courses offered at the undergraduate level, BCom (Corporate secretaryship) has witnessed the maximum demand this time, feels Murali. He anticipates a clear picture of the same on June 6, the last date for accepting applications.
Courses in physics and chemistry, which weren’t perceived as popular in the last few years, could be back at the top of the pecking order, thanks partly to a disillusionment with engineering courses. Principal and secretary of Women’s Christian College, Dr Ridling Margaret Waller, says that this is a trend that is hard to miss, along with the bachelor’s degree in Psychology riding the crest in demand. She also lists degrees in Corporate Economics, History and English as equally popular.
It’s not just regular courses that are in demand; the spotlight, it seems, shines bright even on vocational programmes. In fact, the Madras Christian College (MCC) has witnessed an upsurge in number of applicants for vocational courses in Zoology. Says Dr Alexander Jesudasan, principal of MCC, “Vocational courses, which were limping a few years ago, have suddenly become desirable. The demand for the vocational course in Zoology, which has been maximum, is a welcome phenomenon as it means people are willing to think out of the box.”
Among the very few institutes in the city to offer courses in Philosophy, MCC has had Buddhist monks from Thailand enrolling in it. “A few monks enrolled for the course last year, we expect an encore this time, too,” adds Dr Jesudasan. Interestingly, for many doing a course in Philosophy, purusing it with a master’s degree in Theology seemed the logical thing to do. Courses like BA (English), followed by courses in humanities, computer applications and sciences command a large following too.
At the D G Vaishnav College, however, following the announcement of the first list of admissions, it is the eternal favourite BCom (corporate secretaryship and honours), followed by BA in economics that are the proverbial ‘hot-cakes’.