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All CET for the future
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This is the season of fret and fume. CET done, and a million other exams slotted as Plan B, students still stand at the crossroads, wondering where their ranks will take them. The government and private colleges are at a futile war of words, still sleeping over the allocation ratio. Meanwhile, pure science courses become back-up options, and bond fees reminds you of the roadside con-artist who makes you place your money on a card you're never going to pick. Parents slip in subtle brain-washers, "Oh, you can choose what you want, but Dr. Chadda says MBBS has good scope." Every person you know thinks it his/her duty to offer advice and counselling. This season, youngsters who'd rather be playing hand-tennis and one-on-one basketball or just
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Anxious moments at the CET cell - Photos: K. Gopinathan.
"I wanted to do BE Electronics but my rank is not good enough to get a merit seat for that branch. People who have cash can easily pay their way into the best colleges, even if they have a 5-figure rank. Since I can't afford to pay lakhs for these high-demand branches, I don't think I can pursue my dream. I'll have to do computers or something"
Gautam
* * *
"Oh, don't even begin about COMED. It's all just eyewash. People buy seats in private colleges like they buy clothes. Just walk in, pay up and come back with a seat in a top college. They don't care what the hell your marks are in the COMED. It's like a stupid rehearsal for CET."
--Prakrithy
* * *
"I wanted a technical qualification, so I took the architecture aptitude test. Believe me, there were so many objections... Bangalore is the worst place to do architecture, it's tough to get within the first 100 ranks, etc. So I applied in other places also. For BSc MicroBio and BioTech, colleges ask us to pay bond fees for 3 years... Rs.38,000 per year. If we choose BE after that, the whole amount has to be given up. Colleges are experts in making money out of our confusion."
--Lalitha
* * *
"My decision was kind of easy to make because my dad has an electroplating business that I can carry on. I'll do chemical engineering... many people say that I have a job waiting for me, so I needn't bother about whether the college I join will be good enough to assure placement. But I still wouldn't join any random college because my peers have to be good."
--Omar
* * *
"I saw a home office being built and I was fascinated. I decided architecture was my thing. I did internship in hospitals, worked in Biocon, etc., but none of that interested me. Once I decided what I wanted to do, the next worry was getting the rank for a merit seat. Thankfully, I got a good rank. If I hadn't, I would've tried once more after a year. I won't take a second option as a compromise."
--Shreya
* * *
"I wanted MBBS in the beginning, but given the fee structure and the length of the course, I had to reconsider. Biotech seems to be a good idea— a mix of engineering and medicine. But people discourage me all the time, saying it has no potential in India. But I know that I will be among the first 4 batches entering that field, so I see lots of growth chance."
--Shruti
* * *
"There was so much controversy about CET that I did lots of other exams just to be on the safe side. Everyone's doing CET. People think you're worth anything only if you do medicine or engineering. No one's even considering other courses. There is so much demand for people who cater to disabilities, etc. So, I've decided to do speech therapy. It's close to medicine, but very specialised and has tons of potential too. The most important thing is that I'm interested in it."
--Ranjini
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"Any exam apart from CET is only a backup. Very few people would give up an engineering or medical seat. But you even need to decide the branch in BE. If you ask someone, you get even more confused. They slowly try to push the same old electronics and mass comm. on you, saying that other courses are still new, teachers are inexperienced, infrastructure is low, etc. Excuse me... but what about aptitude and interest?"
--Priya
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