{"id":1911,"date":"2017-04-19T18:05:39","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T12:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.univariety.com\/blog\/?p=1911"},"modified":"2020-07-06T14:52:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T09:22:34","slug":"how-indian-students-take-decision-about-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.univariety.com\/blog\/how-indian-students-take-decision-about-career\/","title":{"rendered":"A Glimpse Into Indian Student’s Mind – How Do They Make Career Decisions?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Which brings me to my question – How do Indian students make college decisions<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and what criteria do they follow?<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Cognitive Process of Decision Making\u201d<\/em> by students from University of Calgary suggests that \u201cDecision making is one of the basic cognitive processes of human behaviors by which a preferred option or a course of action is chosen from among a set of alternatives based on certain criteria.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Before dwelling deep into a student\u2019s psyche, one should note Indian students aren\u2019t sole custodians of the decision made towards their career. Their parents and significant family members play an equal role in decision making. Research states that in over 45% of the cases, it\u2019s the parents or family that takes the final call on the colleges that a student can apply to. Peer influences also play a very big role in an Indian student\u2019s college decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

A thorough analysis of college choices of over 200,000 students, over the past 5 years indicates specific parameters that play diverse roles in making an informed career decision in regards to college admissions<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

These parameters have different weights, some are non-negotiable and some come into play when the location i.e. the country choice has to be made<\/span><\/p>\n

The Non-Negotiable Factors\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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  1. Admission Criteria: <\/b>The bare-minimum expectations set by the university\/college to filter out the student pool, no longer has the same importance as it used to 10 years ago. Students look at the previous year’s cutoffs and analyze their chances of getting shortlisted.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Courses and Subjects Offered:<\/b> There has to be a course\/subject match-up between the students\u2019 aspirations and the courses that universities offer.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Location: <\/b>Most students give significant importance to location as they either want to live in a certain part of the country or because of financial constraints. It\u2019s interesting to note that, the choice of location is one of the major factors that cause Student-Parent conflicts in terms of college choices.<\/span><\/span>\n
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    • For example, in the USA students choose \u2013<\/span>\n
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      • East Coast \u2013 Michigan, Massachusetts, New York.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • West Coast \u2013 California, Indiana and Los Angeles.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        • Even, when students make a conscious decision to travel internationally, they tend to pick cities that have traditionally been chosen in the past.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • While traveling internationally, students also tend to evaluate their college choices on the basis of the presence and the strength of the Indian community in that particular location.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • It\u2019s an observed trend that 7 out of 10 students prefer not to leave their home state and city. No huge surprise here, but, it\u2019s a nice reminder that you need to have a more focused approach for students who aren\u2019t in your home state\/region.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Internships: <\/b>In today\u2019s world, experience trumps everything. Career recruiters give high importance to a relevant internship or research experience. Thus, having access to internships has now become a necessity in a student\u2019s mind.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Placements: <\/b>The placements of past cohorts determine the university\u2019s standing among other institutions. They are the biggest selling point, when it comes to students, especially as their entire educational journey<\/strong> gravitates towards finding compatible jobs and building a career.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          A Glimpse Into The Indian Perspective:<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n