What is your view on students changing courses?
Admitting students into your institute should involve much more than just checking their grades. If an institute wants to determine whether a student is a right fit for their chosen course, it’s crucial to have a face-to-face interview process or aptitude tests in place.
Someone might decide they want to study hospitality but they have no interest in building social skills or interacting with people – making them a bad fit for the industry and meaning they won’t have an easy time adapting to the course. Simply taking a look at their marksheet won’t reveal this, but the element of human psychology will.
What are elements to look while selecting college or course?
Students who are looking for a higher education course or institute should pay attention to:
- The institute’s location – is it urban-centric? Will you have a good work/life balance?
- The infrastructure – is it up to date? Do you see yourself enjoying time there both working and on time off? Does it have the latest equipment and technology?
- Industry connect – does the institute have connections with the industry you plan on joining? See their partners – these are the brands you should want to work with.
- The faculty – are they experienced in their field and have up to date training in teaching methodologies?
- Book an open day –the best way to see if the college or course will be the right fit for you is booking an open day; not only will you be able to experience a day at the institute, you’ll get to see what the community vibe is like and if all of the above points fit what you’re looking for!
How to measure pros and cons of a niche course?
Going for a discipline that’s further from the beaten path can be a way to pursue your passion – but can feel a little scary since you’re not ‘doing what everyone else is doing’. Pros of going for a niche course include the chance to study something you’re passionate about – be it graphic design, filmmaking, geology (or thousands of other exciting paths). The other pro is a less saturated graduate market, which can also mean there are less job opportunities.
Some courses like hospitality provide the highest job opportunity levels – with 1 in every 10 jobs worldwide relating to hospitality. It might be harder to find jobs for disciplines less in demand in today’s corporate world.
Do the mainstream courses influence student decisions by compromising their interest?
It’s a common phenomenon around the world that a lot of students pursue ‘popular’ streams that go against their passions or aspirations. Whether it’s pressure from parents, their community, or the belief that it’ll be a better ROI than what they truly dream of studying. At the end of the day, a student’s choice for their first venture into higher education doesn’t have to determine the rest of the career or life. If this decision pays off for them and they find happiness – great! If it doesn’t and they still wish they had done something else – it’s never too late to go back and start over. We’re seeing so many of our students leave behind other disciplines or careers to pursue their true passion.
What are the emerging courses in India?
We’re seeing a rise in more people taking up less traditional courses. Around 40% of students opt for liberal arts in undergraduate studies, and culinary arts are seeing a massive surge in popularity. We’re also happy to see hospitality gaining more traction too as more international partnerships are entering the country, giving students access to international exchange programmes and overseas placements.
