Your Counselor Replies

Im in Plus Two and keen on a career in biotechnology. Which universities offer B.Tech in biotechnology?Nikhil Karnik, Pune You could apply for admission into the B.Tech biotech programme offered by the following institutions: Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore (www.vit.ac.in); Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute for Biotechnology and Bioin-formatics, Navi Mumbai (www.dypatil. com); Dr. D.Y. Patil University, Pune (www.dypatiluniversity.org); Vinayaka Missions University (www.vinayaka mission.com); SRM University (www. srmuniv.ac.in). Admission into the B.Tech (biotech) study programme accredited by the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra (www.dtc.org.in) is through the Common Entrance Test (CET). B.Tech (biotech) is also offered by the IITs; Anna University (www.annauniv.edu); Delhi University (www.du.ac.in); Manipal University (www.manipal.edu) etc. Ive been working in the IT industry for the past few years as a software engineer. To better my career prospects I want to sign up for an MBA programme with specialisation in the hospitality sector. Please advise. Geeta Narayan, Chennai You can work in the hospitality sector with any MBA speciali-sation. However, I would advise you to pursue an MBA in marketing or a general MBA as it will increase your variety of work options. Im a first year B.Tech student. When should I begin preparing for the Common Admission Test (CAT) of Indias top B-schools? Ravi Srinivasan, Bangalore If you want admission into the IIMs and other reputed B-schools immed-iately after graduation, you have to write CAT when you are in the seventh semester/final year of your engineering programme. Hence, preparation could begin during the second year to help you acquire the necessary skills, followed by intense study in the sixth semester and in particular six weeks prior to the exam. However, please note that preparing for CAT could distract you from your B.Tech programme. Its advisable to complete your graduation, work for a few years and then apply for admission into a B-school to get the best out of your MBA programme. I complete my BE in automobile engineering this year and want to know about postgraduate programmes in design. Deepak Bajaj, Mumbai You could consider the two-year Master of design programme offered by the IITs of Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur and Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore). Admission depends upon your talent and aptitude for a career in design. You could also write the CEED (common entrance exam for design) for admission into the postgrad diploma programme in design offered by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. After acquiring a postgrad diploma in finance (distance learning) Ive been working in the banking sector for the past four years. Now I want to work in the treasury/forex department of a bank. Should I pursue a CFA (chartered financial analyst) study programme or enroll for a course in equity markets? Shekhar Mehta, Ahmedabad CFA is the preferable option. study the curriculum of ICWAI (www. icwai.org) to determine its relevance to your goals. Other options include an MBA in capital markets, courses/ certification offered by the BSE Training Institute (www.bseindia.com), National Stock Exchange (www.nseindia.com) and National Institute of Securities Markets (www.nism.ac.in). I…