LookAtVietnam – University entrance exam applications show that studies related to economics and finance remain the top choice of students.

According to Tien Phong, many students of average high schools choose to study at Ton Duc Thang, Hoa Sen, Open University and the Finance-Marketing Universities.

Nguyen Manh Tien, a student at Marie Curie High School, registered to take the D1-group exams (mathematics, literature and English) to two universities: Finance and Marketing University and Open University, plus one junior college.

Tien remarked that most of his classmates choose to study economics-related subjects, such as finance and banking, cooking processing and accounting.

“Very few friends of mine decide to take C-group exams (literature, history and geography),” Tien said, adding that C-group exams do not lead students to ‘hot’ study branches.

Students famous schools such as Tran Dai Nghia and Le Hong Phong Gifted School, also prefer economics, but most register for exams at more prestigious universities like the Medical and Pharmaceutical University, HCM City Economics University and HCM City University of Technology.

Preliminary statistics demonstrate that, save for students who plan to study abroad, 2/3 of students have registered to take exams at famed universities that require high exam scores.

The 60 An Suong Exam Preparation Centre has received some 1000 applications for university exams. 65 percent chose A-group exams (mathematics, physics and chemistry) to study economics branches and 15 percent chose B-group exams (mathematics, chemistry and biography) to study at medical schools. Only a handful of students will take C and D1 exams.

Education experts predict that there will be few “virtual applications” in 2010. (Under current laws, every student can take exams at more than one university in March, but later in July they can take only one university exam). Every student now has made two or three applications and very few students have made four or more.

Nguyen Duc Quoc, Director of 60 An Suong Exam Preparation Centre, estimated that the number of student applications at his centre is lower by 30-40 percent in comparison with 2009, since they must pay high fees for every set of application documents, totaling 86,500 dong each. The cost encourages students to apply only if they truly intend on taking the exams.

(Source: Tien phong)