BENGALURU: As students throng college campuses in their quest for the best undergraduate course , the lure of commerce -a stream associated with lucrative and abundant career choices -is hard to resist. Opportunities for job growth , multiple options offered by colleges and industry involvement continue to give students like Suguna Chandrasekhar the confidence to opt for commerce.“Be it chartered accountancy, marketing, banking, travel and tourism or even teaching, my family has ventured into different branches of commerce and it definitely runs in my blood. The number of opportunities the stream provides is massive,“ said Suguna, 18.TOI's visit to multiple campuses in the city indicated that commerce is a sought-after stream even as many other students await results of competitive exams to bag seats in engineering and medical colleges while some others look forward to BSc and BA courses. Commerce has even broken traditional barriers put in place by families who've for generations chanted the science mantra. Manorama K T, one such parent, said the subject is, in fact, being accepted widely now.“It's simple: Commerce has a lot of scope. Back in our day, science was the most sought-after.There were no other options that would guarantee us a career apart from engineering.But times have changed and commerce is the trendiest subject,“ she said.While it's still early to tell if colleges have increased the number of seats for the subject, the courses offered by them speak for themselves. Apart from the regular BCom course, Christ University offers a threeyear BCom Honours programme as well, which caters to students who want to build their professional competence with a specialized knowledge base in the field of business and commerce. The programme in cludes internship, project, viva and interdisciplinary certificate courses too. Finance and marketing electives are offered to students of the regular BCom programme in the fifth and sixth semesters.Certified programmes in general management, HR skills, international financial reporting system and entrepreneurship and management make Jain University a big draw.Jayasimha Reddy, an applicant to the college, said: “I was impressed with the course design here. It isn't ambiguous like most UG courses are. It's singular and well-structured, focusing on the core subject.“For those aspiring to join Mount Carmel College, Vasanth Nagar, there are plenty of choices to pick from -BCom regular, industry integrated, business management and travel and tourism; professional studies and business process services along with bachelors in business management.Even St Joseph's College of Commerce offers plenty of opportunities to students keen on pursuing the subject. For Shayan Choudhari, who is awaiting his class 12 CBSE results, it's the first preference. “I want to pursue chartered accountancy.One of the reasons I feel many opt for commerce is because of the integrated courses most colleges offer.“