IN THIS ISSUE

COLLEGE FEATURES:

Christ College, Bangalore
Mount Carmel College, Bagalore
Madras Christan College, Chennai
Stella Marris College, Chennai

CAREER WATCH:

Hospital Management as Career
Journalism as Career

COUNSELING:

Examination Tips

ASK THE COUNSELOR PAGE:

CHRIST COLLEGE, BANGALORE:

Christ College, a premier educational institution, is an academic fraternity of individuals dedicated to the motto of excellence and service. We strive to reach out to the star of perfection through an earnest academic pursuit for excellence and our efforts blossom into ‘service’ through our creative and empathetic involvement in the society to transform it.

Education prepares one to face the challenges of life by bringing out the best in him/her. If this is well accepted, education should be relevant to the needs of the time and address the problems of the day. Being inspired by Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the founder of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate and the pioneer in innovative education, Christ College was proactive to define and redefine its mission and strategies reading the signs of the time.

Christ College is proud of its organizational culture rooted in gospel values, mutual respect, personal maturity and integrity, teamwork and social concern. Christ College welcomes to its fold students from any part of India to build a sense of nationalism. The college nurtures an open attitude to integrate the wisdom of the East and the West. This sense of national and global outlook is clearly shown through its twinning programs with Pondicherry University and Western Michigan University, USA. We welcome the support and guidance of the academicians, executives from the corporate sector, experts from abroad and common man to train our students in our endeavour to build a better world. The college was selected for the Best Campus Award by the Bangalore Urban Art Commission for four consecutive years, 1996 through 2000. Well maintained gardens and buildings, air-conditioned Seminar Halls, Panel Room, Conference Hall, Assembly Hall, Terrace Garden, Auditorium, Health Club, Kiosk and all the requirements of an institute of higher learning are the unique features of our college.

Our college has the rare distinction of being the first college in Karnataka to be accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an independent Council under UGC.

The solid granite buildings of the college are sheltered under a canopy of trees. The Main Block houses the Offices of Principal and Vice Principal, Administrative Offices for the Degree and PG courses. Various halls, class rooms, labs and other facilities are spread over three main buildings on the campus.

UNDER GRADUATE PROGRAMMES [Affiliated to Bangalore University ]

• Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA)
• Bachelor of Business Management (BBM)
• Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM)
• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc)
• Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
• Bachelor of Commerce with Travel and Tourism Management

POST GRADUATE PROGRAMMES [Affiliated to Bangalore University ]

• Master of Social Work (MSW)
• MS in Communications
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master of Computer Applications (MCA)
• Master of Tourism Administration (MTA)
• M. A. in Sociology
• M. A. in Economics - New Course
• M.Sc Mathematics - New Course
• M.Sc. in Physics
• M.Sc. in Psychology
• Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM - Regular)
• Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM - Evening)

CERTIFICATE COURSES

• Certificate Course in Cultural Analysis (in association with CSCS)
• Certificate Course in Legal Literacy (in association with NLSIU)
• Certificate Course in Educational Guidance and Counseling
• Certificate Course in Life Skills Education
• Certificate Course In Theatre In Education (TIE)
• Certificate Course In Photography

CONTACT INFORMATION :
ADDRESS: Hosur Road, Bangalore -29, India
PHONE NUMBERS: 25536280. FAX: 25535863

EMAIL: princi@christcollege.edu,
WEBSITE: www.christcollege.edu

(Source: College website)

MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE, BANGALORE:

DEGREE COURSE:

(Source: website)

MADRAS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (MCC), Chennai:

Among the first few institutions to be granted autonomy, the Madras Christian College is famous for its emphasis on work with practical orientation and curricular innovations.Education, here, is made more meaningful and contemporary by the inclusion of new methods of learning. The college today has sixteen University related academic departments offering under graduate and post-graduate courses. Research degrees, are offered by most departments through M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes.

Under Graduate Programs:

Science: Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology

Science (Vocational course): Industrial Fish and Fisheries

Art: History, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, Tamil and English

Art (Vocational course): Archaeology and Musicology

Commerce(Vocational course): Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sales Management

Post Graduate Programs:

Arts: M.A. in History, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Philosophy, English, Tamil and Social Work.

Science: M.Sc. in Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology.

Master of Commerce(M.com):

Master of Computer Application (M.C.A):

Address: Madras Christian College (MCC), Tambaram, Chennai 600 059.
Phone: 237 5741
Office Fax: 237 7352

(Source: website)

STELLA MARIS COLLEGE, Chennai:

Over 2000 students pass through the portals of Stella Maris College today, taught by around 100 Faculty, of those 31 hold doctoral degrees.

Started off with 32 students on 15th August 1947, by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, the college is today autonomous, but continues to be affiliated to the University of Madras.

Academic Programme:
Autonomous Credit based Semester System for Graduate courses.

Hostel: Available

Under Graduate Courses:

Arts: History, Sociology, Economics, English Literature, History of Fine Arts & Drawing & Painting.

Science: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology

Bachelor of Computer Applications (B.C.A)

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com): B.C.A., B.Com and B.Sc. in Mathematics

Postgraduate Courses:

M.A. (Masters in Art) in Economics, English Literature (Non Semester), History of Fine Arts, Social Work (Non Semester)

M. Sc.(Masters in Science) in Mathematics

Address: Stella Maris College, 17, Cathedral Road, Chennai 600 086.
Phone: 811 1987, 811 2922

(Source: College prospectus)

HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT AS CAREER:

The service industry is one of the most charming as well as one of the fastest growing industries not only in India but also throughout the world. And when this industry is combined with the hospitality industry then the onus reflected is more concrete and clear.

Hospitals and nursing homes are growing in large numbers. The medical staff working in these hospitals find very little time to handle non-medical day-to-day administrative affairs. Moreover, handling of such tasks requires management and professional skills which need constant devotion and upgradation. It is very difficult for doctors to spare time for such things. Thus, the delivery of effective health care services requires trained professionals.

A hospital administrator is overall incharge of administrative affairs of the hospital. He takes over the charge of various aspects of health administration and hospital vis-a-vis patients and health care. It envisages professional responsibility in various aspects - planning and control, management of the medical staff, demography and biostatics, management and research in health care, epidemiology and community health and strategic management.

The nature of the job requires a number of qualities and essential attributes. The person should have decision-making capability based on up-to-date management principles and techniques. This envisages planning of future requirements like material, technical and financial. One should also be well versed with financial forward planning and should be responsible enough for the maintenance of the building.

Eligibility: The nature of the job requires management professionals and not doctors per se. Therefore, not only doctors and paramedicos, but ordinary graduates, too, can opt for the courses and enter the field. The administrative set up in large hospitals is generally categorized into two medical and non-medical administration. Medical administration is handled by doctors but non-medical administrative setup does not require any technicality. It is in this field that more and more graduates are entering the field. So the minimum eligibility in such courses is graduation.

Courses: There are a number of courses being offered by different institutions. Most of the courses in hospital administration and management are offered at the post graduate level. The duration of the course varies from one year to two years. However, some courses are also being offered at graduate level. But all such courses are exclusively for medical graduates.

Selection in most of institutions offering such courses is through a common entrance examination. The common entrance examination is followed by either Group Discussion and / or Personal Interview. Aspirants having good score in graduation have a favourable chance in such common entrance examination. The nature of entrance examination is purely non-academic oriented and is aimed to check general awareness and management skills.

Prospects: On-campus placement is provided to post graduates in hospital administration and management. And with the increase in this sector there are tremendous avenues and potential for the right, hard working, sincere and humane candidates.

Where to study:

• The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
• Indian Institute of Health Management, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The Apollo Hospitals spread in different locations of the country.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
• Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi
• National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi
• Panjab University, Chandigarh
• Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• Symbiosis Centre for Health Care, Pune, Maharashtra.
• SNDT Women's University, Mumbai
• Indian Institute of Health Care Administration, Chennai.
• Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi.
• Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
• NIMS, Hyderabad.
• Armed Forces Medical College, Pune

JOURNALISM AS CAREER:

If you dream of making a qualitative change in the people's life, bringing into light the darkside of the society, have the patience to get along with politicians, bureacrats, criminals and a myriad of persons desperate to get some free publicity. And if you are also ready to rush to work at odd hours, do night shifts; Journalism is one of the best careers to pursue.

Journalism as such is more than a career, it's mission. A mission that generates your creativity, helps you socialize, earn name along with your livelihood, bring to the forefront problems facing the society and help implement the possible solutions. These inherent advantages of journalism attract a lot of young graduates.

Eligibility: Although some universities teach journalism at the undergraduate level, the subject is vastly taught at the post- graduate level in our country. Graduates of any stream are eligible to opt for the courses. A Journalism degree or a diploma isn't strictly necessary, although some organizations prefer it. There is no substitute for practical training. However, a post-graduate degree or diploma in Journalism or Mass Communication is necessary, if you wish to join at different government services, later in your career. It can also help you to shift to a teaching career in Journalism schools.

Course Content: Students of Journalism are tutored extensively on different writing styles in reporting - news, features, reviews etc. Report writing has its own language; some words and phrases are extensively used, some are less used and some are never used, at all. Further, paragraphing, writing and introduction for a lead story or an anchor, script writing for radio or television and feature writing are generally part of the syllabi for most reporting courses. You are also prepared for the rough road of actual news hunting in these courses - how to cultivate sources, how to get a quote out of a difficult politician, official or bureaucrat etc.

A month or two of internship with a newspaper or television house is compulsory and now forms an important part of the practical training. This gives you a fair idea of the real reporting scene.

Nature of the job: Reporters can work for either print or electronic medial. While the print has several sub categories like newspapers, magazines, and news agencies, the latter includes radio, television and the Internet portals like Tehelka.com, Indiatimes.com, Rediff.com, etc.

In a newspaper house, freshers usually join as trainees at the news desk or the editing desk. After a couple of years, they get transferred to reporting. However, exceptions to this rule are common and some people join straightaway as trainee reporter also.

The hierarchy for reporters in most of the newspaper houses is roughly as follows - trainees, staff reporter correspondent, chief reporter and special representative/correspondent.

Working for a news agency is slightly different because of the tougher deadlines - not at the end of the day but right now. The ABC of news agency reporting seeks accuracy, brevity and clarity. The format of writing is very straight forward and to the point and does not allow any scope for speculation or analysis within the news story. Agencies like Press Trust of India (PTI) and United News of India (UNI) are 24 hours open and their offices are not closed even on Republic or Independence Day or Holi, which are rare holidays for the newspapers.

Reporting for television involves more leg work than print. It also requires more close co-operation with the cameraman and therefore, it helps to know a little bit of camera work and lightening. Here, the distinction between reporting, camera work and desk work many a time gets blurred and the reporter does all the work. The reporting section of a television news channel is headed by a news co-ordinator who has several senior and staff reporters functioning under him.

Remunerations: It is pertinent to say here that the salaries vary between different organizations and between different media also. Generally, the salaries are low in print media compared to the electronic media but this is not a rule. Payment for a trainee reporter ranges from around Rs.4,000 to Rs.9000 across the media and the special correspondent may even get Rs. one lakh per month.

In an agency, the salary scale according to the Wage Board is Rs7,500 to Rs8,500 for a trainee until confirmation, Rs.10,000 for a staff reporter and between Rs18,000 to

Rs 32,000 for a special correspondent.

Hard work, willingness and capacity to learn, teamwork and other human skills are important for growth in this field. Belief in one self coupled with the ability of not taking oneself too seriously will definitely take you places.

Where To Study:

• Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, JNU Campus,

New Delhi - 110067

• A J Kidwai Mass Communication Research Center, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi
• Asian College of Journalism, Kasturi Centre, 2 - Anna Salai, Chennai - 600002
• Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, HRBR Extension, Kalyananagar, Bangalore - 560043
• Institute for Integrated Learning in Management Lodhi Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003
• Manipal Institute of Communication, Old Tile Factory Road, Press Corner, Manipal - 576104
• Pioneer Media School, 2nd Floor, Link House, 3 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi - 110002
• Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Near IIT, New Delhi - 110016
• St. Xavier's Institute of Communication, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai - 400001

Examination Tips

Handling Test Anxiety

Many students are anxious and suffer from stress before and during an examination. They may even make simple errors that are not typical of their usual behavior. It is therefore important to prepare yourself emotionally to take your exam.

Part of being prepared emotionally is for you to be able to recognize the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Stress is often strong enough to lead to increased heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling hands, shaking legs, nausea, sweating, etc. Test anxiety and worry lead to a series of negative results including poor concentration, confusion, negative attitudes or moods, negative self-orientation, fear, anger, and even panic.

Often a person develops poor coping strategies such as becoming involved in negative self talk. A common psychological defense against these negative feelings and thoughts is giving up and becoming helpless or paralyzed during a test. The ability to perform well under pressure, however, is a skill that you can learn. Several strategies for overcoming test anxiety follow.

Adequate Preparation

The major factor involved in test anxiety is a lack of preparation. Most test-anxious people have poor study habits and have not prepared adequately for the test. They then attribute their poor performance to a lack of ability or capacity to perform.

Take an objective look at your approaches to studying. If you are lacking in good study habits, you may want to take a study skills training course. Set realistic study goals with ample time for quality learning and repetition. One rule of thumb is that for each hour of class time, study one or two hours at home.

Relaxation

Often the test situation, the examination room, the large number of candidates, and being watched by the person giving the exam intimidates candidates. It is important for you to feel comfortable and relaxed in the testing situation.

Knowledge about taking exams helps people relax during the actual exam. Keep information about the date, time, and duration of the exam in mind.

Practice Relaxation exercise: Alternately tense and stretch various muscles in your body. Concentrate on the difference in being tense and being relaxed. Tense your whole body, and then relax your whole body. Practice every day until you notice the gradual improvement in your ability to relax. This will give you confidence and the ability to relax when you take the exam.

Another method is to breathe deeply and slowly, letting your body go limp and allowing every muscle in your body to relax while you concentrate on your breathing. Start with your hands. Imagine them to be warm and heavy. Repeat to yourself "my hands are warm and heavy" several times. Maintain a slow, patterned breath rhythm. Progress to the arms, then the shoulders, and continue until you relax your whole body. Do this 5-10 minutes a day.

Avoid Negative Thinking

Test-anxious people tend to be preoccupied with them selves. They concentrate on their negative thoughts and feeling instead of concentrating on solving problems or answering test questions. The way to cope with this is to monitor your thinking. When you hear yourself talking negatively, be aware of it. Stop talking negatively and start positive self-talk.

Dear Ma'm,

Q: I am confused between doing a nursing course or joining a college. Please tell me which is better.

CST Mussoorie

A: Dear Ngawang,

Nursing and joining College has its own pros & cons. The former is a professional course and the latter is academic. By joining nursing, you can start a job after three or four years but by doing a course in college, you will still need to have a professional degree. We can’t say which is better. To know which is more beneficial and useful to you will depend on your goal, interest, values etc.

As far as your Board result is concerned, 90% is in your hand. Your preparation, hard work and commitment will surely predict your success in the exam. Just saying “I’m not sure of my result” won’t lead you anywhere. You know how much you need to score to get into good college or nursing institute, so, on that basis you need to take your exam seriously and start preparing for it from now.

All the best!

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Q: Dear Ma'm,

I am a class XII student of CST Darjeeling. I would like to know how to seek admission in the SOS Tibetan Youth Hostel in Delhi or Bangalore?

CST Darjeeling

Dear Tenzin,

The following criteria are required to get admission into Youth Hostel:

Firstly, you need to be a Tibetan

Secondly, get admission in one of the colleges in Delhi

Once you fulfill this requirement, you can purchase the Hostel prospectus and send the duly filled in form to the Director, Youth Hostel. They take in about 200 students every year in the hostel. As per discussion with the Director, he said that they try their best to admit and accommodate as many students as they can among the applicants.

For prospectus, you can write to:

The Director,

Tibetan SOS Youth Hostel

Sector XIV Extension

Rohini

Delhi – 110 085

Hope things are clear with you. If you still have doubts, you can always write to us for clarification.

All the best in your studies,

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Q: Dear Ma'm,

My aim is to be an airhostess. Could you tell me how many seats are there for Tibetan students to study this course and the eligibility criteria to seek admission in an Airhostess training institute? However, I have only one parent – my mom and my problem is that I can’t stay far away from her. Therefore, tell me if there is any institute close to my hometown?

CST Mussoorie

A: Dear Kalsang,

First of all, we do not have any reserve seat for Tibetan students in this course. You have to apply on your own to the institutes and if you fulfill their requirements, you’ll get admission. The minimum qualification is class XII pass but some gives preference to a Bachelor’s degree. You have to have a minimum height of 5 ft. & 2 inches, good eyesight etc. The Department doesn’t offer Scholarship for this Course. You need to think about it. Once you get into this occupation, you will always be away from home flying from one place to another. Besides, I don’t know where you live as you haven’t mentioned. If you live close by Bangalore & Delhi, then these two cities have institutes offering Air Hostess Training.

All the Best!

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Q: Dear Ma'm,

Please tell me the duration of an Interior Design course, its cost and give me names of some institutes in Delhi.

CST Mussoorie

A: Dear Kunzo,

If you want to do a Bachelors degree in Interior Design then it takes 3 to 4 years otherwise there are short courses such as Diploma and Certificates in Interior Design which normally takes between 6 months to two years. For fee information, it will vary from institution to institution and the duration of the course too. It usually costs about 20,000 to 35000 for the course excluding hostel, mess and other charges.

Some of the institutes in Delhi are:

1. Apeejay Institute of Design, 54, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, Mehrauli Badarpur Road, New Delhi – 110062

Course - Bachelors

1. JD Institute of Fashion Technology, 3 Lal Haveli, Hauzkhas village, New Delhi – 110016

Course: Diploma

1. International Institute of Fashion Technology, H-12, South Extension, Part – 1, New Delhi – 110049

Course: Diploma

1. Exterior – interiors (P) Ltd., F-12, Kalkaji, New Delhi – 110019

Course – Diploma

It would be good if you could visit the institutes when you are in Delhi and decide where you want to study the course.

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Dear Ma'm,

Q: I want to do a course in hotel management from Delhi. Please provide names of some institutes in Delhi:

CST Mussoorie

A.: Dear T. Norbu,

National council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Library Avenue, Pusa Complex, New Delhi – 110012 holds a Joint Entrance Examination in the month of April for admission to the three year Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Hotel Administration Program at the Govt. sponsored institutes of hotel management & food craft institutes in different parts of India. In Delhi through this exam following seats are reserved for the institutes in Delhi:

1. Delhi Institute of Hotel Management, Behind Lady Sriram College, Lajpat Nagar IV, New Delhi – 110024 (Seats – 40)

Course: Bachelors (3 years) and Diploma (one & a half year)

1. Institute of Hotel Management, Library Avenue, Pusa Complex, New Delhi – 110012 (Seats – 150)

(Bachelors – 3 years) & Diploma courses, PG Diplomas etc

The fees are as such for the year 2005 admission: First year – Rs.45280/ for second year – Rs.31560/ & for the third year – Rs.49700/ if you get selected through the Joint Entrance Examination. Whether you will get in Delhi or not will depend on your performance in the Entrance Examination.

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Dear Ma'm,

Q: I want to do MBA after doing B. Com. Please recommend me some good colleges offering B. Com course where I can get admission easily.

CST Mussoorie

A: Dear Tenzin G,

To do MBA, you have to take the CAT (Common Admission Test) a year or two before you finish your B. Com. Just keep in this mind. Well, there is no good college where admission will be easy. All the reputed colleges are very competitive – so you need to prepare hard. Some of the premiere institutes in B. Com courses are Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi; Hans Raj, Delhi; Hindu College, Delhi; St. Xaviers, Mumbai; Loyola College, Chennai; St. Xaviers College, Kolkatta; Christ College, Bangalore; St. Josephs College, Bangalore etc.

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Dear Ma'm,

Q: I want to join VTC Selakui, will I get the DOE Scholarship? Give me detail knowledge of the Vocational Training Center?

CST Mussoorie

A: Dear K. Dhondup,

The Department of Education does not provide scholarship to study any course at VTC Selakui as of now. The VTC offers different courses like Computer education, Food production, Bakery, House Keeping, Front Desk, Beauty Culture, Mechanic, Radio Repair etc. For more details, you can always write to:

The Director,

TCV Vocational Training Center,

P. O. Selakui

Dehra Dun – 248197

Uttaranchal

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor

Dear Ma'm,

Q: I am from Darjeeling and am weak in Tibetan because I have been speaking Nepali most of the time. I want to apply for scholarship as I am from poor family but my problem is do I have to give entrance test in Tibetan. Please help me.

CST Mussoorie

A: Dear N. Tsering,

First of all, there is no Entrance Test to apply for Scholarship in India. However, it is important to get good grades in Tibetan but it is not a must. As long as your over all class XII result is good, you can always apply for Scholarship but you must have had Tibetan as a subject in Class X or XII. Don’t worry, study hard and get good grades in the Board Exam because there is strong competition for Scholarship at DOE.

Donkar Wangmo (Mrs.)

Counselor