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IIM aspirants fret as CAT forms run out Saturday, September 22, 2001

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
VADODARA/AHMEDABAD: Students aspiring to get admissions to the Indian Institutes of Management and other prestigious schools across the country are facing a hurdle at their very first step.

The State Bank of India's branches, which are distributing the Common Admission Test (CAT) forms, have run out of applications due to an unprecedented demand. The shortage has spread panic among B-school aspirants as the last date for picking up forms is Saturday. Only IIM-Bangalore will be selling forms till October 1. The last date of submitting forms is October 8.

Admissions committee chairman at the IIM-Ahmedabad, professor Girija Sharan, said they were facing similar shortages across the country, but there was nothing to worry. They have already air-lifted 200 forms from Bangalore to make up for the shortage in Ahmedabad.

Speaking from Calcutta, where he was attending a meeting of admissions committee chairmen from other IIMs, he said, "We printed 70,000 forms this year compared to last year's 55,000. Normally, we forecast the increase and print 10 per cent additional forms, but this year the rush was unexpected."

All the same, Sharan insists there is nothing to worry. "There must be a shortage of about 2,000 forms and we have already placed the print order. Students have also been asked to request IIM-Bangalore with a demand draft for Rs 1,050, the additional Rs 50 being for postage.

"I wanted a CAT form for my son but the SBI officially the stock is over," said Deepak Budki, an aspirant from Vadodara. Not aware that the Bangalore deadline has been extended, he was worried he might miss the deadline. He is one of the many students from across the state who are walking in and out of banks with a worried look.

An SBI (Mandvi branch) official, handling distribution of CAT forms, said only 700 forms were send to it from IIM-Bangalore. "They decide how many forms to send. We have no say in the matter. However, when we ran out of forms on Monday, we immediately intimated IIM-Bangalore," said SBI small industries and business manager HT Daryanani.
"They told us then that it was not possible to send forms even by airmail, and asked us to have the students contact IIM-Bangalore. They said the deadline in such cases would be October 1. However, it's advisable that students confirm this fact," Daryanani said.

News Source : The Times of India [India's best Newspaper]

 

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