istance. Keep in mind that travelling to the outskirts may affect your attendance in the college if you are not used to it.
For instance, while students from the suburbs yearn to study at a South Mumbai college, Colaba resident Priyanka Jain is currently pursuing her architecture course from one of the colleges at Virar. "It is very hectic for me to travel long distances as I was never used to this before. My school and junior college were at a very close distance from my house. I tried in number of colleges in Mumbai but since it is my dream to become an architect, I had no other options left but take admission in a Virar college. Now, I don't find it much hectic as I am used to commuting daily."

Status symbol
It is often a matter of pride or status that makes some students study in their favourite or reputed college irrespective of the course they get admission for. Some students who scored less marks than what was expected for their ambitious course agree to compromise and apply for the courses that have a lower cut-off percentage.
Rishabh Lodha, a B Com student from HR College, affirms, "I wanted to opt for BMS as I want to go for MBA after my graduation. At the same time I wanted to graduate from one of the most renowned colleges in Mumbai. Since my marks were a few points less than the cut-off for BMS, I decided to opt for B Com in the same college. Currently, I am preparing for my C-MAT entrance exam for MBA simultaneously along with my college studies so that I can go for MBA after my graduation."

Diploma route
If you are not sure about the course that you want to pursue, or there is any confusion in terms of being able to manage the required subjects, fears about finding them too difficult to handle, there is a simple solution. Doing a diploma in a particular field along with a 'plain vanilla' graduation can be a smart way to get an overview of a particular field and your aptitude for the same. That can be your chosen field to pursue at the post-graduation level.
Faiz Nasir, an engineering student from Saboo Siddik College says, "I am currently pursuing my diploma in Mechanical Engineering because it has always been my ambition to become a mechanical engineer but I was a bit confused as most of my friends and relative had said that it is too difficult and requires a lot of time and efforts. Now, I feel it is not a big deal for me. After completing my diploma, I would take a step further ahead to achieve my goal."

Multiple stages
There are various fields available that you can opt for directly after Class XII, provided you have good marks. However, if you are unable to get into a certain course after your Class XII, it is not the full stop to your career aspirations. You can work hard and score good marks in your graduation year and then opt for your dream course.
Saadia Khan who is currently pursuing LLB from SNDT college shares, "I always wanted to become a lawyer from my childhood. I was inspired by one of my uncle who is an advocate. In fact, I use to participate in several extra-curricular activities during my school days like debate because I was very keen about it. After my HSC I had opted for LLB, which fortunately I could get into it and I find this field very knowledgeable and interesting. However, there are many students who also opt for law after graduation so there is an option."
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