BBA program - The easy way

Arif Ashraf Nayan

Phase two begins in the life of thousans of students who are starting their undergraduate programs this spring. The university life is undoubtedly the best experience in the life of any student. This is the time when a person gets a legal ticket of being mature and comes one step ahead in pursuing their dreams. Over the years in schools and colleges the students dreams of their career and they start to live their dream once they are enrolled in the university. The exams are over and many students have secured their places in the universities to pursue their dream career. Thanks to the advert of so many private universities in Bangladesh students do not need to go abroad for pursuing their education if they cannot manage to get a place in the public universities for their desired course. One of the most demanding degrees in Bangladesh recently is the Business studies courses especially BBA. Almost all the universities in Bangladesh are offering this course and are quite competent in the curriculum and courses. Nevertheless, students especially those who are in the first semester or in the first year are often confused and face difficulties in the initial phase of their university life. So here are some quick tips for the BBA program that will make your life easier in the early days of your university.

Business studies in a nutshell:
Business studies are one of the most demanding degrees in the context of Bangladesh as there are ample of job opportunities after completing the course. The business studies courses equip the students with all sorts of tools for being a competent candidate in today's job market. Bachelor of business administration is a combination of courses from almost all the major disciplines of academics that is science, arts and commerce. To successfully complete the BBA course students generally need to go through three phases of courses consisting of basic, core and major courses. In many universities there are specific guidelines of courses from the university or the students are allowed to choose from several offered courses. The BBA program aims to provide a comprehensive knowledge about the different business courses so that the students can independently manage a business. However, there are scopes for students to do majors in one or more particular fields which will be their area of specialization. Some of the majors include Accounts and Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, Operation Management and Management Information System.

Courses:
It is very important for the students to choose the courses wisely because without the proper combination of courses it might become difficult for the students to have a better understanding of their courses. Most of the courses in the BBA program are inter-related and is important to take courses in a sequential order so that the students can have the best out of their BBA program. Many students perceive that in the semester system of education they only have to go through a course for a single time. But as a matter of fact the knowledge from each course are applicable to most of the other courses in the BBA program. Students in the early phase of their BBA should concentrate more on the foundation courses specially for those students who come from science and arts back ground. Basically the courses are elaboration of the basic concepts and are highlighted from different dimensions, therefore, it is important to develop a concrete basic in the initial stage.

It is seen that many students jump for their major courses before completing their fundamental courses which is definitely not a good move. It is important for the students to understand their area of interest after going through the fundamental and core courses. Major courses should be selected on the basis of interest and ability of the students. It is highly recommended that the students should consult their teachers before choosing any course. Many times students go for suggestions to other senior students but many times it is not a good idea because the seniors are themselves students so it is better to take advice from teachers or academic counselors before choosing the courses.

Communication skills:
Communication skills are the most important factor for pursuing education in the field of business studies. The medium for education in universities is English and the students should develop their English communication skills both verbal and written for excelling in their BBA program. There are many students who feel shy to communicate in English inside the class. However, this shyness will do them no good because university is the learning ground for the students and it is important them to know that it is ok to make mistakes. The teachers are there to correct their mistakes and if they don't make mistake then how they will learn. In the universities specially in the private universities there is a very freindly student teacher relationship. The teachers are always there to help the students and it is the duty of the students to take help from their teachers. For developing the English communication skills the students should be more participative in the class. The teachers do appreciate original ideas , the students can clearly pick up critical academic concepts if they take more active participation in class room and group discussions. Most universities offer several English courses in the BBA program the students who are not very comfortable with English language should take the courses seriously for their own benefit. English courses teach students how to write reports, make presentations and many useful topics that are helpful in many other courses. Presentation and report writing are almost common in every course so it is better to have a good foundation of these two in the initial stage.

Assignments, term papers and group studies:
Assignment, report writing and presentations are the most important aspect of BBA program. Students face a great deal of trouble with these issues in the early stage of their university life. The assignments are generally given on topics taught in the class and if the students are attentive in the class then assignments are not a problem. It is better to study on a regular basis and flip the lecture sheets and the textbooks after the class, this helps to retain the lectures and help develop a better comprehension about the topics. While taking the classes it is important to listen to the lectures than taking notes because the course teachers usually provide slides and lecture sheets after the completion of a chapter. Students should not entirely rely on lectures sheets and slides but they also must consult their textbooks. There is a tendency of plagiarism in the early days of the university life by downloading study materials from the internet. This is however a very unethical method plus the teachers can easily catch the downloaded materials. It is better to do individuals assignments without any help from the friends. If the students try to do their own work they learn on a trial and error basis and more over it is also important to develop the habit of self study.

There are a lot of group work and projects which is the most important part of the BBA program. Group works and projects are intended to develop the team working among the students which is essential in the corporate field. The students are expected to interact and contribute equally in the group. However , many students have the tendency of piggybacking which is quite damaging for the development of the intellectual faculty of the students. From the beginning the students should show interest working in group and this can be done by allocating and dividing the tasks among the group members.

Term papers are an extended version of the assignments and are done once for every course in a semester. The term paper generally involve research based tasks and it is good for students to take serious type of topics. The topics for research on term papers are often mentioned in the curriculum vitae at a later stage so concentrate on doing research on subjects that will add value to the BBA program and help understand the course better for which the research is done.

Group studies are a common practice for the BBA students which helps them to clear their conception about their subjects through discussion with peers. However, group study should be done very carefully taking care of the fact that too much time is not wasted unnecessarily.

Case studies are an intricate part of the BBA program and is important to understand the real world scenario of the business world. Moreover case studies clearly shows the relationship of the academics and real world practices and help students to clearly understand the application of theories in business practices.

Extracurricular activities:
There are a lot of options for students to participate in the extra curricular activities by involving in different sort of clubs such as debate club, drama club, business club etc. participating in the club activities gives the students the opportunities to interact will different people from different department and help them to develop leadership and organizing skills. In today's job market the employees seek candidates who has balance in both curricular and extra curricular activities. Therefore students participating in the different activities have an option to develop their inter personal skills and enhances the students' confidence.

To make the best out of the BBA program students should be proactive and should try to enjoy their studies. The grade point average depends on the overall performance of the courses and students should try to maintain a steady CGPA right from the very beginning or else it will become very difficult to have a good CGPA at the end of the program.

If there are any more queries regarding the BBA program feel free to ask the star campus team by email at starcampus@thedailystar.net

 

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