Students in queue to take admission to Ranchi College. Picture by Ashok Karan

Ranchi, July 14: High cut-off marks have rendered it difficult for many students in the city to get into the colleges of their choice to pursue their three-year degree courses.

Some students who succeeded in making it to the institutions of their preference had to settle for their second alternative as far as selecting a course was concerned.

For example, Nilesh, a student whose application for a vocational course at St Xavier?s College was rejected, said he had got 72 per cent marks, but still his name did not figure on the list of successful candidates.

?That was my first choice, but after being refused admission, I opted for history at Doranda College,? he added.

Nitu Kumari, an intermediate student, wanted to take admission in mass communication at St Xavier?s college, but due the high cut-off marks, she went for her second choice i.e. philosophy.

Similarly, Rajesh Singh, another student with 75 percent marks at his intermediate level, said he was sure to get admission in BCA at Marwari College. But he was forced to opt for commerce, which he had always wanted to avoid.

Many students in the city said they were even forced to opt for some less-favourite subjects, such as Sanskrit and Hindi, because all the seats for courses in demand had already gone to candidates with high marks. The other courses, which the students are settling for, include English, political science and physics.

Sources in some colleges in the city also said they were getting more applications for vocational courses than they got last year. But the cut-off marks here, too, are high because of which several applications had to be turned down.

In-charge of Marwari Women?s College Indra Rai said the students at intermediate level had fetched high marks in political science and psychology, but the rush is towards offbeat courses such as fashion designing.

?Many students opted for regular streams, such as science and arts, only when they did not get admission in fashion designing,? Rai added.

Principal of Doranda College, Ram Pervesh also confirmed that more applications were coming for vocational courses.

?We are seeing a maddening rush of students for courses such as computers, biotechnology, mass communication and tourism. We have 200 seats in vocational courses, for which we have received 466 applications,? Pervesh pointed out, ruing that students had showed a complete lack of interest towards subjects such as Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and philosophy.