A new world of opportunities
The IIMs have recently relaxed their selection criteria for female students and those from non-engineering backgrounds. Will this move work to their advantage?
According to a recent report, IIMs are reaching out to women students and others from non-engineering backgrounds to expand their academic diversity. Currently, the IIMs have a high percentage of engineering students. Besides this, gender inequality is also a concern. To tackle the problem, the institutions have relaxed the selection criteria for female candidates and students from non-engineering backgrounds. Will this encourage students to apply for admission to IIMs? Students speak up:
Govind Gopakumar, B.Sc. in Hospitality and Hotel management, IHMCT, Thiruvananthapuram
To understand business, one needs a sharp mind, an eye for opportunities and good interpersonal skills. But not being able to join IIMs just because someone’s quantitative skills are weak is not fair. So, I think it’s a great step by the institutes to relax the selection criteria for non-engineering students and this will give them a chance to explore their creativity and become successful entrepreneurs.
Shreya Homechaudhuri, B.Sc. Economics, St. Xaviers College, Kolkata
Earlier, the number of women pursuing higher education was much less than what it is now. This could have been due to parental pressure or any number of reasons. Now, however, more girls are supporting families and looking for job opportunities. So, the relaxation of selection criteria will make it easier for them to pursue their dreams.
Fuaad Omar, B.A. Economics, Loyola College, Chennai
Students in the engineering stream mostly outperform others in the quantitative section of competitive exams due to their strong base in Mathematics. I think this is the main reason why students with no engineering background find it difficult to get into IIMs. If the rules are relaxed, students will definitely feel encouraged to give it a shot.
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