Plenty of options after BCom

Q.I am studying in BCom (Regular) in the final year. I am very confused about what I can do after completing my graduation. I am not good in practical subjects. —Akash Kumar

A.You have loads of options depending on which field you would now like to pursue…

Look at BCom as a base from after which you can pursue more theory-centric courses in or related to Commerce (e.g. MCom, MA Economics, master’s in Finance or master’s in Business Economics or even further specialisation in Banking, Accounting or Taxation.

Do also explore the various other related options factoring in your abilities, interests and long term goals. There are several certifications to choose from:

• Chartered Accountancy (CA), Cost & Management Accounting from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (Details: www.icmai.in) or its UK counterpart -- Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) (Details: www.cimaglobal.com)
• Company Secretary (CS) from the Institute of Company secretaries of India (Details: www.icsi.edu),
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA): (Details: www.cfainstitute.org)
• Actuarial Science from the Institute of Actuaries of India (Details: www.actuariesindia.org.in)

Similarly, you can go for professional certifications in the Capital/Stock Market from the National Stock Exchange (Details: www.nse-india.com) and the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute (Details: www.bsebti.com) — both of which offer a slew of job-oriented courses.

• Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is yet another option and so are specialisations in Banking, or the ever popular MBA or a domain/sector-specific programme in particular area of management e.g. Portfolio Management, Retail Management, Logistics & Supply Chain Management,
• Insurance Management, Hospitality Management, Travel & Tourism Management etc

Nothing stops you from going for an LLB if you wish to become a legal consultant or researcher or BEd to go into teaching or any other option that catches your fancy — that’s open to arts and humanities graduates as well.

So as far as options are concerned, you are spoilt for choice.

Take some time to explore the pros and cons, the work-life and career path in each field, and make sure you speak to a few people in the industry before making up your mind because each of these will involve considerable amount of time and effort besides money.

Practising dentistry in Australia

Q.I have just completed my BDS (dentistry) in India. Would it be better to do my master’s from India to be able to practice in Australia? — Ritesh Khanna

A.My suggestion would be to go after the BDS after clearing the ADC exams and enroll for higher studies in dentistry in Australia.

You wouldn’t really achieve much by doing a master’s in India especially since your intention is to practice in Australia.

Liberal arts course in Singapore

Q.Our daughter is in Class XII. She is bright, well read and has multiple interests. We would like to send her to pursue her bachelor’s in Singapore if possible. Considering that she’s not very keen on doing business studies or finance but enjoys subjects like English and psychology etc. what would be the best option for her in Singapore? Are there any possibilities for getting a scholarship? — Harminder Dhingra

A.Taking into account her interests and academic background in Class XII, the Yale-NUS College, Singapore is what you could definitely check out. This prestigious liberal arts and science college set up in collaboration between America’s Yale University and the National University of Singapore offers a residential bachelor’s (Hons) in liberal arts.

The 4-year liberal arts programme offers broad-based, multidisciplinary learning as well as depth of study. It builds a common foundation among all students in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and physical sciences, and mathematics, while developing expertise in a student’s chosen major.

After pursuing a common curriculum for two years, your daughter can select a major at the end of her second year. Currently there are 14 majors to choose from (students enrolled in the Double Degree Programme with Law have the law curriculum as their major).

And yes, some scholarships are also available. However, admission review at the college is need-blind which means a student or family’s ability to pay Yale-NUS fees has no bearing on the admission decision.

There are two admission rounds:

nApplication Deadline for Round 1 is January 15, for which you’ll receive the Decision Notification in: Early April.

nApplication Deadline for Round 2 is March 20, for which you’ll receive the Decision Notification in Early May.

The annual tuition and boarding fee for international students with and without student grant works out to approximately: S$50,080 and S$67,880 per annum, respectively (including a 7% GST).

Application form: either the http://admissions.yale-nus.edu.sg/apply/

Details: www.yale-nus.edu.sg