CET over, ranking ordeal begins!

For a student, the defining experience in his life is the CET experience. It all begins when a student opts for science stream in PUC and like most others, pursues an ambition of being an engineer or a doctor. Entry into colleges depends on high cut offs based on the reputation of the college. That is only an entrance, but no college in Bangalore needs to bend its back to pay attention to the PU students.

Assume if you have gained entry to a reputed college, what next? According to a youngster who has been there, seen that and done it all, the college you study in, counts for very little, if not, nothing! Why? Because, after gaining admission into the college of their choice, most of the students make a dash for tutorials!

 "For a student, the Tutorials are more important than the college. The lecturers as well as the students approach the tutorials more seriously than the college," says this youngster who's now well landed a creamy job. "You may not believe it, but quite a few of the students go to college only for the mandatory minimum attendance they need to become eligible to take up the exam. Otherwise, it is tuitions all the way. Some of them also deliberately do not pay attention to what is being taught at the college, since this would not at variance with what is being taught in the tuitions and keeping track of both these would only make it more confusing for the student." The daily terror for the students is how to adapt to the two styles of teaching, at the college and the tutorials.

Of course, the standard reason people give for enrolling for tuitions is, you cannot afford to miss your date with CET and then your rankings to decide your fate. The real endurance test for both parents and students kicks off, for virtually the whole of the next two years. Time is in chronic short supply with parents needing to catch up with their children's hectic schedule.

Tutorials make a hefty killing in the form of fees, while parents take a two point beating. As students cross over to the second year tension begins to build up. The concentration is now to bring about their best in the critical second year which is a board exam and merits attention since the marks you secure plays a role in deciding the CET ranking. It is again the tutorials that shift to top gear with colleges just an onlooker.

The students pass through a hectic life, running from pillar to post for the right mix of coaching, some of the students invariably land up with incomplete portions both at college and tutorials. With the final PU exams passing off, the next few days to come is a veritable nightmare, with exam after exam spoiling the summer vacation - AIEEE, IIT, COMED-K, and such other all India entrance exams. 

The students' ordeal needs to have a re-look. They have a distance to go before they can be professionally qualified. They merit better understanding. The time is not right to test their patience. PUC studies should be a sincere effort to groom students for professional courses. It can be done with a little more ease. PUC board examination can be the right competitive test to judge a student's standing and given a free and full-fledged college education, the student will be able to showcase his wares. This kind of a tension free environment is the ideal platform that students in their teens require.