Why scrap the BMM entrance exam?

Aptitude and skills will no longer be enough to become a journalist or a copywriter. You’ll need to ace your examinations too. For, admission to the Bachelors of Mass Media course will now be based on marks secured in Class XII. Predictably, not everyone’s happy with the Mumbai University’s latest move.

Before

Colleges were allowed to have their own entrance procedures. Typically, admission to BMM would require a student to clear a written test and an interview, and in some cases, a group discussion.

After

According to the University directive, colleges cannot have their independent entrance procedures. Admission to BMM will now be on the basis of marks secured in Class XII exams.

Faculty speak

University decision is not right

A course like BMM needs people with a fair amount of creativity and imagination. Merit is a very subjective term and one cannot determine these qualities on the basis of a student's percentage alone. Hence, the entrance examinations were useful to assess a student's potential. Now, it will be difficult to get students appropriate for such a course. The university's decision to scrap the entrance tests is definitely not right. However, the university is the authority and we will have to follow its rules.  As of today, I cannot say how this regulation will affect the course. We will have a definitive idea of the outcome once the course starts.—Sudhakar Solomonraj. Head of Department, BMM. Wilson College

The move could hurt the course

We are waiting for the exact guidelines regarding allocation of seats to students from different streams. This is not fair on the students who have secured less percentage in Class XII exams, but who have a keen interest in the course. Class XII percentages do not determine students’ aptitude for the course. For that, we need to interview them, carry out group discussions and then groom them for the course.

Some students will take admissions as ‘backup’ only to withdraw once they secure admission in other courses. This way, the course will suffer because students who have to wait because of their low scores will join very late. We can suggest to the university to amend the decision, but if it persists, we will have to abide by it. —Mohini Dias. BMM coordinator. Jai Hind No official notification yet

We haven't received any official notification yet, but we hope that the University can  provide guidelines on the selection process before Saturday. We want students who are motivated, proficient in English and are aware of current affairs. So it doesn't matter which stream they come from. If they have the motivation and can work hard they will do well.

The entrance test allowed us to assess a student’s inclination towards media. Without the test, we will have to figure out a way to evaluate the marks of students from different streams and different boards. Will a student with 90 per cent in HSC be considered equivalent to a student scoring the same in CBSE? It is not going to be easy at all. We need some guidelines before Saturday. —Margarida Colaco. Head of Department. Sophia College

Been there

It’s a terrible idea

The HSC score cannot be a criterion for selecting students for a media course. The marks secured in exams conducted for a science, commerce and arts course can't judge a student’s inclination towards media. The move to scrap entrance exams is a terrible idea. Without an interview, there is no way to judge a students communication and verbal skills. I scored little less than 60 per cent in my commerce HSC exam. So I wouldn't ever have had a chance of doing BMM. The BMM entrance test is specifically designed to test a student's knowledge of the media and current affairs, while the interview is designed to find out a student’s inclination. — Devang Bhatt. Consumer Research Executive at IMRB

BMM aspirant

Aptitude scores over education

When we select a candidate, it doesn't matter what course he has done, as long as the person has the required skills. A lot of time science students without a formal training in mass communications prove to be excellent as copywriters or client servicing executives.

At the end of the day, it is not about the education but the aptitude of the person that determines his capabilities. Besides, even when we interview students who have done a course in BMM, not all of them get selected. Therefore, even if giving admission to students merely on the basis of their HSC result becomes the norm, we will select those who deserve to be a part of our company, irrespective of the degree they possess. Therefore, the change in criteria for selecting students for a mass media course will not change our perspective towards aspiring candidates. —Talent Manager at a reputed advertising agency

What’s the logic here?

The Mumbai University's (MU) timing couldn't have been worse. BMM aspirants must have invested a lot of time and money in order to get through a good BMM college. And with the HSC results a day away, it's too late for us to do anything about our scores, which have become the deciding factor. Some colleges had informed us in advance about the entrance exams being scrapped, but even then it was too late. 

To make amends, the MU must defer this rule till next year. This will give BMM candidates enough time to study and secure good scores. BMM is a specialised course whose foundation lies in skill and application. How does securing merit in HSC make a student right for the course? The BMM curriculum and that of Class XII are as different as chalk and cheese. What exactly is the logic here? — Subhash Dawda. Santacruz