Getting a medical seat is a dream for so many students and their parents. As the number of medical colleges and seats are limited in India, there is a huge competition and demand for medical education. This might be the reason for looking at China and East European countries for medicine. Some meritorious students may also think that it is better to take a long term coaching for Medical Entrance in India than going to China for MBBS. Coming to the situation of Andhra Pradesh, it is advisable to repeat EAMCET if a student has more than 90 percent marks in Intermediate or +2. If you are determined and really want to go abroad for MBBS, you should first check the quality of education offered by the University or College you have selected. Please remember that those studied MBBS in China and other foreign countries have to clear a tough examination conducted by the Medical Council of India. There are a few good colleges in China and other foreign countries. But one should take decision considering MCI guidelines to practice medicine in India along with the training they will be offered at a particular college in abroad. Here are some more issues relevant to biology students.

1. B. Tech Biotechnology through B.P.C: AICTE has made it very clear that biology students are not eligible to join in B. Tech. / B.E. Biotechnology.

2. Prospects of B. Pharmacy: Job prospects are good for B.Pharmacy students as so many biotech and pharma companies are being set up in the country. Particularly, Andhra Pradesh has number of reputed pharma industries in and around Hyderabad like Dr. Reddys, Divis, Aurobindo, Matrix, Neuland, Natco etc. But students must be careful in selecting the college as many of them lack minimum infrastructure and qualified faculty. One more suggestion is it is always good to go for Post Graduation (M. Pharmacy) after B.Pharmacy to improve your chances of getting a good job. In Andhra Pradesh, separate counseling will be conducted for MPC and BiPC streams for admission to B. Pharmacy course.

3. Alternative to MBBS: There are so many courses like Physiotherapy, Homoeopathy and Ayurveda as alternatives to MBBS. Physiotherapy has been gaining demand slowly and has good opportunities in private sector. Popularity for alternative medicine is growing across the world. You can also start private practice after completing these courses. But you should not expect huge salary packages in initial stages through these careers.

4. B. Pharmacy and running a medical shop: So many students and their parents think that they could end up with running a medical / pharmacy shop after completing B. Pharmacy. One can run a medical shop even without B. Pharmacy degree. There are plenty of opportunities in the industry if you have interest and skills in the subject.

Candidates with Flexible Inter-disciplinary degrees are in more demand these days. Degrees with single specialization are losing their attraction with many universities and institutes are innovating new set of degrees. Interdisciplinary courses are all the trend today. Flexi courses that offer wide variety of subjects are scoring big with employers.

These courses have been started in many reputed colleges because of a demand from industry. These are job-oriented courses and also allow students to sharpen their skills according to the requirements of the companies. Flexible education is the trend global universities are following. Many of the Western Universities offer flexible courses and upgrade content regularly to suit industry requirements. Following are some of the institutes and flexible programs offered in South India:

1. Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Tamilnadu: VIT University has elective courses consist of subjects from all branches of Engineering. Students can choose any two from these branches. There are also courses in Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Law and Foreign Languages.

2. MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT), Bangalore: MSRIT is offering six open elective subjects. These include important and emerging technology topics like Renewable Energy, Six Sigma and Automobile Technology.

3. HKBK College of Engineering, Bangalore: This College allows students to move from one Branch to another. It also offers flexible courses in Soft Skills Training, Management and Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Management and Financial Management and Accounting.

4. Tumkur University: This has started 29 specialised research Centers of Excellence. The university offers Ph.D. Programs in these centers. A student with M. Sc. or M. Tech. Degree of any branch can study any course in this University. They have to attend for a foundation programme in the chosen subject.

5. The Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore: IIIT Bangalore offers 30 elective subjects in various courses. These are mostly off-beat subjects targeted broadly at Technology education.

There are various benefits you can get from pursuing flexible courses. Technology is developing at a rapid pace. This development calls for interdisciplinary knowledge to excel in career. Students are expected to be job-ready when they graduate from professional colleges. They need to sharpen their communication and inter personal skills along with academic excellence. Students usually select a course that suits their career aspirations and needs. A flexible parallel course helps them pursue their area of interest along with satisfying career goals. It also adds variety and flavor to the Degree. Flexible courses can broaden knowledge base of the students in a particular discipline. Students can choose a course in relevant discipline that will help them excel in their own discipline.