Im in the final year of a hotel management degree programme. Is it worthwhile to press on for an MBA in marketing/finance to better my career prospects?Naresh Rao, Bangalore An MBA degree will multiply your options for employment across all industries including hospitality, media, banking and finance. If a hospitality industry job is under consideration, you will have an edge because of your prior training in hotel management. You should study diligently to secure admission into one of the premier business schools. Im a final year B.Tech student and want to write the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). Please advise. Suresh Patil, Pune Admission into postgraduate degree programmes which offer scholarships/ assistantships in engineering/technology/architecture and pharmacy is open only to students who clear GATE. However some colleges/institutes specify GATE as a mandatory qualification for admission into self-financing courses as well. GATE qualified candidates are also eligible for the award of junior research fellowships in CSIR laboratories. Your GATE score is valid for two years. The exam notification appears in major newspapers in September and the exam is usually scheduled for the second Sunday of February. For further details visit www.iitkgp.ernet.in/-gate. Whats the eligibility criteria/admission procedure for the MCA programme offered by Mumbai and Pune universities? Since I havent studied maths in Plus Two, do I qualify for admission into an MCA programme? Ravi Bajaj, Mumbai Pune University and JNU, Delhi offer the most reputed MCA (Master of computer applications) study progra-mmes to those who havent studied maths at the Plus Two level. Admission into the Mumbai University MCA programme offered at VJTI is on the basis of performance in the CST examination conducted by NCST in January every year. To qualify to write this exam you need to be a graduate who has cleared Plus Two maths. Pune University announces its new admissions in November-December and usually conducts the entrance examination in February. After graduating next year, I want to qualify as a feature films director. Please suggest some government approved courses in this field, the names and addresses of reputed film institutes and their admission procedures. Sreenivas Iyer, Chennai The best reputed institutions are the Film and Television Institute of India, Law College Road, Pune 411004; Xaviers Institute of Communications, St. Xaviers College, Mumbai 400001; Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, EM By Pass Road, Kolkata 700004; Film and TV Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai 600113; Asian Academy of Film and Television, Marwah Studios Complex, FC-14/15, Film City, Sector 16A, Noida 201301. Check with each institute about its application process and admission deadline. The selection process usually involves a written test followed by personal interview/workshops on campus. There is also the option of training under a reputed film director and acquiring on-the-job practical work experience. However, a career in films is full of uncertainties, and you must ready yourself for good times and bad. After completing my B.Sc next year, I want a career in hospital administration. Please advise on courses in India and abroad and their admission…
