Is the commerce stream frowned upon when applying?

dasadhikarik
Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:59:38 +0000

It’s plainly and simply stupid to pick high-school classes based on the requirements of “big” colleges that might not even take you. And by the way, no one cares what the interviewers say. The interviewers have close to “0” effect on your chances of admission. I have a theory that they’re mostly there to check if you’re a sane and stable person or not.

And anyway, the top colleges in America (not just Ivies) say that they want to see that you have taken the most rigorous courseload your school has to offer. I don’t know if they know how lax Indian schools are with humanities/“commerce” (is that even a stream in the curriculum?) (most Indian schools ARE quite lax by global standards).

As for the UK, it’s mostly A-Levels or APs. Most universities say that they accept CBSE marks, but there’s usually a catch (for LSE, for example, I think you have to travel to the UK and take another exam without being guaranteed an offer). Taking the commerce stream, however, should not disadvantage you in advance if applying to the UK.

As for Singapore, I really have no experience. I looked at an NUS application form though, and they regularly accept the CBSE curriculum. However, they too, are looking for the most rigorous courseloads (all the way upto even JEE ranks–if you’re inclined in that direction). Take this information as you will.

At the end of the day, as I said, it’s kinda dumb to choose classes based on what so and so university is going to say, but that’s my answer to your direct question. Cheerio.