Counselling de-mystified
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"Our doubts were cleared and we gained confidence" was the refrain
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SOUND ADVICE: The Higher Education Minister, D. Manjunath, addressing the gathering at the The Hindu EducationPlus pre-counselling guidance for CET aspirants at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall in Bangalore.
WITH THE CET (Common Entrance Test) counselling to commence on June 14, student anxiety levels are rising considerably. Will I get a seat in a good college? Will I get the course of my choice? Which degree will lead to the best career? These are just some of the questions that have been weighing heavy on the minds of those seeking admission into professional courses. Thousands of students take the CET every year but the written exam is only the first step. The crucial counselling session comes much after, where students have to select a course and college of their choice, a decision that could influence their entire career.
To help demystify the entire counselling process, The Hindu EducationPlus organised "Pre-counselling Guidance Programmes" in Mangalore (June 3), Bangalore (June 6) and Hubli (June 8). These sessions, which attracted hundreds of students and also anxious parents, gave them an opportunity to interact with eminent educationists and clear their doubts regarding courses, career prospects and admission processes.
Positive responses were in plenty. "I found the pre-counselling session very encouraging, it has given me a lot of confidence for the actual counselling session," said Harini, who aspires to do biotechnology. Echoing similar views, Premalatha, a parent, commented, "We had a lot of questions regarding the admission processes and the counselling rounds of the CET. We couldn't get any answers from the CET brochure, but the speakers at the pre-counselling session cleared our doubts."
The experts invited to guide the students. _ Photos: Sampath Kumar G.P.
Sugaranjani, an aspirant for a medical seat, agreed. "When I got my CET rank, I didn't think that I would be able to get a good seat. But at the session, when I heard that even a 35,000 ranker could get a seat, I immediately regained confidence." Rohit, an aspiring engineer, said, "Initially, I wasn't too sure about the choice of the college. But now, having heard what the speakers had to say, I have decided to pursue the course of my choice, even if it is not in a famous college."
Whether to make a decision based on the reputation of the college or according to the course, was another dilemma that was addressed by the panel at the event. The Visvesvaraya Technological University Vice-Chancellor, K. Balaveera Reddy, emphasised the importance of doing well in the course, rather than depending only on the reputation of the college.
The guidance session was not just limited to the process of CET. Driving home the need to upgrade different skill-sets during the study period, Hema Ravichander, Senior Vice-President and Group Head of Human Relations, Infosys, gave insights on what industry looked for from students. "Infosys has employed students from all fields of engineering. What we really look for while recruiting is discipline, learnability and consistency in performance."
Her words influenced many young minds. Priyadarshini, an engineering hopeful, said, "When I heard that Infosys even hired a ceramic engineer, I realised that as long as we study well, engineers can get placed irrespective of what stream they are from. This has now given me more confidence." Holistic development was what a student should look for from an institution, not just excellence in technical knowledge.
The pre-counselling session helped many, but not everyone left completely satisfied. "I felt there was not enough focus on students who wanted to do an MBBS," complained Bhavana, a student. Gopalakrishnan, a parent, added, "Only 60 per cent of what the panelists said is practical. We do not have the time to go and evaluate campus facility. It would be helpful if there was a centralised body to rank the colleges and make it easier for us to decide." At the session, most of the queries pertained to the CET process and the Administrative Officer of the CET Cell, Syed Jamal, clarified the doubts of many a student during and after the session.
ADITI CHATTERJEE
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