Your Counsellor RepliesI‚m a final year BA student keen on becoming a flight steward. Which institutes offer training and what are their eligibility requirements? Sandip Agarwal, New Delhi Most airlines recruit graduates of any discipline, though a diploma or degree in hotel or tourism management is preferable. To qualify as a flight purser or steward, you must be below 26 years of age, own an Indian passport, stand at least 163 cm tall with proportionate weight. You should also be unmarried, physically fit with a pleasing personality, clear complexion and pleasant voice. Fluency in English, Hindi and a foreign language is an advantage.Several private institutions conduct diploma and certificate training programmes for aspirant airhostesses and flight pursers. Among them: Air Hostess Academy, Frankfinn Management Consultants, and Flying Cats. The Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends, Chandigarh offers a programme in travel, tourism and hospitality management, which includes airhostess training.I‚m a science graduate with several years experience in the computer software industry. To further my career I want to know whether I should study part-time for an MCA/MBA. Which universities/colleges offer these courses through correspondence?Srinivas Iyer, Bangalore Undoubtedly, a postgraduate qualification is a good investment. An MBA diploma will qualify you to accept managerial responsibilities while an MCA will strengthen your software professional skills. MBA diploma programmes are offered by many universities as part-time courses and MCA programmes are offered through the distance education mode.I would like to enroll for an MBA programme after graduating in 2009. I‚m currently in second year B.Com; when should I start preparing for the MBA entrance exam? Nalini Vaz, Panjim The sooner you start your preparation, the better. The best way to judge your comfort level in relation to the Common Admission Test is by solving the previous years‚ CAT papers. A coaching institute can provide you with a proper structure for preparation. Regarding when to enroll in a coaching institute, it depends upon your assessment of your abilities and aptitudes.I‚m a final year B.Com student eyeing a career in the retail industry. Should I do an MBA or a retail management course? What are the job opportunities?Suresh Mudaliar, ChennaiYou could opt for anMBA or a specialised retail management programme. Perhaps it might be advisable to apply for admission into both programmes and then decide. The retail industry is growing at a phenomenal pace and job opportunities are aplenty.Can you suggest some reputed institutes which offer healthcare management study programmes? I‚ll complete my MBBS in 2007. Suchitra Menon, TrivandramProminent institutions offering healthcare management education include the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai (www.tiss.edu); Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad (www.asci.org.in); Deccan School of Management (www.dshm.co.in); Symbiosis Depart-ment of Health Sciences, Pune (www.sdhspune.org); Institute of Health Management Research, Jaipur (www.iihmr.org); Apollo Institute of Hospital Administration (www.apolloiha. ac.in/admissions.html), Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai (www.mkuniversity. org); Institute of Health Management Research, Bangalore. These study programmes are open to graduates of any discipline though preference is given to medical graduates. If you have practised as a doctor, you are also eligible to apply to FMS, Delhi (www.fms.edu) and AIIMS, New Delhi (www.aims.edu). Healthcare management graduates find work in public and private sector hospitals; community healthcare centres of large NGOs; national and international healthcare organisations and health insurance companies.Please suggest a reputed university or college in the US for a Master‚s in aeronautical engineering. Deepak Kolhatkar, Pune Postgraduate degree programmes in aeronautical engineering offered by the universities of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, are globally reputed. The duration of a Master‚s degree is two years. Please visit the website of each university for info about their admission requirements.I would like to pursue a degree in hotel management after I complete class XII. Please provide information about institutes offering this course and their eligibility requirements. Internat-ionally, which is the best country to study this course?Shilpa Rao, MumbaiSeveral institutions offer the three-year bachelor of science (B.Sc) programme in hospitality and hotel administration approved by the National Council for Hotel & Catering Technology and Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. A complete list is available at www.nchmct.org. No cut-off percentages are required but admission is through an entrance test. The University of Mumbai also offers a hotel and tourism management degree programme. Successful completion of Plus Two with an average of 50 percent is the admission eligibility criterion. Job prospects in the hotel and hospitality industry are good and campus placement is swift. Although UK, Switzerland, USA, Australia, etc have high quality hotel management institutions, it doesn‚t mean that you will be assured of a job in the host country. I‚m an arts graduate and keen to pursue a career as a model/actor. Please advise on institutes which offer training.Suhas D‚Souza, DelhiThere are several modelling institutes in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, but it‚s difficult to rate them. Test your aptitude for modelling by participating in ramp shows and contests and prepare a professional portfolio. Also test your aptitude for acting by participating in amateur plays.