Your Counsellor Replies

Your Counsellor RepliesI want to learn the art of floral arrangement. Please advise.Mukesh Manek, MumbaiSeveral colleges with home science study programmes offer classes in floral arrangement/design. Ikebana courses are conducted in most metros by Indo-Japanese Associations with the Indo-Japanese Association in Mumbai located at Oricon House, Kala Ghoda, Tel: 22873027/ 22844772. Moreover the Floral Art School of Australia and International Floral Design School, Victoria, Australia offer diploma courses in floristry through correspondence.Likewise the School of Floristry, Sydney, offers a variety of courses which prepare aspirants for careers in the floral design industry (www.sydney-schooloffloristry.net.au). However if you want to learn floral design as a hobby there are plenty of talented women in Mumbai who conduct private classes in Ikebana and other styles. I‚m in third year B.Com and am evaluating a career in retail management. What are job prospects like?Nikhil Iyer, ChennaiCareer opportunities in retail management are great as this sector is expanding big time. Major heavyweight business conglomerates ‚ the Tatas, Rahejas, Piramals, Reliance, Aditya Birla etc ‚ are in the process of setting up retail store chains countrywide. To improve your job prospects you could enroll for an MBA or a PG diploma in retail management.I‚m an IT graduate currently working in a finance company. I want to go abroad to do my MBA. What are the eligibility criteria for entry into B-schools in the US, UK, Australia etc? Also can I get a scholarship?Suresh Mehta, AhmedabadMost top B-schools abroad require GMAT and TOEFL scores and at least three years work experience. In the TOEFL exam, 100 points (out of 120) is considered a good score while 680 and above (out of 800) is a good score in GMAT. Foreign students are usually ineligible for financial aid. Some B-schools offer funding in the form of graduate assistantships, scholarships and tuition waivers. Study loans are also often available. Check with your preferred B-schools about their loan/scholarship schemes.I read about GIA on your website www.educationworldonline.net. I want the contact details of this institute.Ridhi Agarwala, MumbaiThe Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) is located at Nariman Point and its contact numbers are 022 22870846/7/8.I have MA (economics) and B.Ed qualifications. I want to pursue a career in banking/accounts. Currently I‚m a teacher but I want to change my career. Harry Singh, DelhiIdeally, with yourMA (economics) and B.Ed degrees you should continue with your teaching career as opportunities in this sector are growing and if you want to move up the ladder, you could do a Ph D. As regards changing track for a career in banking, it shouldn‚t be difficult to land a job as private sector banks in particular are on an expansion spree.I want to study medicine after I complete class XII (science) in 2009. I will write the common entrance test but in case I don‚t get admission in a medical college in India, I want to pursue medical studies in the US. Please advise.Leena Vaz, PanjimIn the US, professional study in medicine follows completion of a bachelor‚s degree of four years duration. Admission into med schools in the US is very competitive. Typically, less than 3 percent of foreign applicants are accepted and most of them are individuals who have completed their undergraduate education in America. Some state-supported medical schools admit only US citizens and permanent residents. Eligibility requirements include a bachelor‚s degree in the biological sciences/chemistry/mathematics/behavioural and social sciences/ humanities with an excellent academic record; fluency in English; participation in extracurricular activities such as work experience and volunteer commitments and a satisfactory score in the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Details of MCAT are available on www.aamc.org/. In sum this is not the time to be planning for medical studies in the US because you need to complete an undergrad degree programme first. This programme should ideally be completed at a US university for which a huge financial commitment is involved. I‚m a class XII (science) student and want to know about the engineering study programme offered by the National University of Singapore. What are the eligibility requirements?Narendra Kumar, BangaloreThe National University of Singapore recently invited admission applications for its engineering degree course starting in October 2008, for which the last date for submission of applications is in February. You need to submit your class XII exam scorecard. If you are writing your Plus Two exam in 2008, your application will only be processed upon submission of your exam results. For details log on to www.nus.edu.sg/admissions/undergrad. The annual cost of tuition and residence in NUS is roughly S$35,000 (Rs.9.5 lakh). Job prospects are good, but would depend on your performance. I‚m in the second year of a BA (English literature) programme. What career options are available to me?Shalini Kelkar, PuneFor a career in teaching or research, a Masters in English literature is useful. Also examine the choices for higher studies offered by the Centre for English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad (www.ciefl. ac.in). A postgraduate degree in English language/literature is useful for careers in journalism, publishing or broadcasting. Alternatively, after graduation, you could sign up for postgraduate professional courses such as MBA, MA in social work/travel and tourism/journalism/mass communi-cation/advertising/public relations/library and information science; bachelor of education (leading to a career in secondary school teaching); film studies and so on.