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I want to pursue a career in geology. What optional subjects should I choose in my B.Sc degree programme? Suresh Karmarkar, Pune Your combination of subjects in B.Sc should be geology, chemistry and physics, or geology, life sciences and chemistry. The former combination would be ideal if you plan to press on for an M.Sc in geology. Your career progression as a geologist will improve if you complete an M.Sc degree programme. After class XII, I plan to enroll in a BA English (Hons) programme. What are my career prospects? Sudha Singh, New Delhi BA (English Hons) isn’t likely to offer any direct employment though you will become eligible for jobs in marketing, advertising, journalism, public relations, etc where English language competence is a prime consideration. If you follow up your bachelor’s degree with B.Ed, you will be fully qualified to work as a secondary school English teacher. BA (English) is also a good base for further study in journalism and mass communication, advertising and public relations, and publishing. You will also be well qualified for further education in law, business management, book publishing, script-writing etc. After completing my BE programme in 2014, what’s the best further study option — an MBA from a reputed business school in India, a Masters in engineering or a degree from a foreign university? Nikhil Iyer, Chennai You should sign up for an ME degree if you’re interested in R&D or teaching but you’ll have to clear GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) to qualify for admission into foreign universities. If you are interested in a corporate job you should sign up for an MBA programme. Start preparing for the CAT/CET or GATE exams right away. I complete my BBA next year, after which I plan to enroll in an MBA degree programme. How many years of work experience do I need to qualify for admission into a foreign B-school/university? Nalini Pillai, Trivandrum Most reputed B-schools abroad require two-three years of work experience post a bachelor’s degree. But to be admitted into an Indian B-school, you don’t need any work experience. Therefore if you want to sign up for an MBA programme straight after your bachelor’s degree, an Indian B-school  is the best option. Admissions into Indian B-schools are based on high scores in entrance exams such as CAT, CET, XAT etc, followed by group discussion and personal interview. However, some US universities (University of Massachusetts at Lowell and New Jersey Institute of Technology at Minnesota) admit students without work experience on the basis of GMAT and TOEFL scores. Likewise some universities in the UK including Cardiff University, University of Roehampton, Regent Business School, and Webster University London, admit fresh graduates into their MBA degree programmes.  I’m interested in a career in ayurveda or homeopathic medicine. Besides CET, is there any other entrance exam for BAMS/BHMS courses? Ajay Shah, Ahmedabad All states conduct their own entrance tests for admission into ayurvedic/homeopathic colleges/universities. The PAT/PHT joint entrance test conducted by the Rajasthan Ayurved University, Jodhpur determines admissions into ayurveda/homeopathic degree…