44 colleges under one roof, multitude of courses on offer

BENGALURU: At the crossroads of their career, with a wide array of options to choose from, students gathered in large numbers at St Joseph's Boys' High School for the fourth edition of

Times UniverCity

, to get a step closer to deciding the path they would embark on after class 12.

The two-day event that kicked off on Saturday provides a forum for both students and parents to interact with representatives from as many as 44 colleges. The event also features motivational lectures from eminent personalities to help students get a better perspective on how to pursue their passion. From aircraft maintenance engineering to integrated IAS courses with BA and BCom degrees, the wide assortment of courses on offer at the event clearly left the students spoilt for choice. Expressing his delight at having been able to interact with representatives of 10 colleges on a single platform, Radhakrishna M, who accompanied his son to the expo, said, “Both I and my wife are from a commerce background, but our son wants to pursue science. We literally had no clue on how to go about it. We are happy to learn about the many options that are on offer.“

Kannada film actress Sruthi Hariharan's career graph is a medley of many streams. After pursuing science in pre-university, Sruthi opted to study commerce in undergraduation before deciding to follow her passion in dance. “I like the fact that there's a lot of seriousness about the choices students are offered at this juncture. This is what students need today not a lecture, but a platform that provides guidance to students,“ said Sruthi.

Inspiring talks by successful personalities who overcame overwhelming odds were among the highlights on Saturday.

Founder of Scapic, a virtual reality application that simulates experiences, Richa Singh, co-founder and CEO of YourDost, an online platform that focuses on emotional wellbeing and

Varun Agarwal

, author, filmmaker and founder of Alma Mater, which specialises in providing customized college sweatshirts, were some of the guest speakers at the event. YourDost also conducted a workshop on mental health at the event.

In the evening, radio jockey, emcee and comedian Danish Sait, and filmmaker Saad Khan, delighted students with their wit and sharp answers.

Shashank Murali

, founder of TapChief, a firm that connects aspirants with experts in the respective domains, recalled the challenges he faced when he started out as an entrepreneur. “It's always impor tant to talk to experts so you know for sure, what you are getting into. Initially, there are challenges, but they can be overcome,“ he said.

Day 2 of the event will feature guest lectures by music jockey Nikhil Chinappa, men talist Vish, founders of

Zenith Vipers

Yuvraj Bharadwaj and yashraj Bharadwaj, founder of Mad Over Marketing Siddhant More, Bert Mueller, founder of California Burrito and musicians Raghu Dixit and Gaurav Vaz.