Students have begun to reconcile themselves to the confusion created following the allotment of private seats by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) preceding the allotment of government quota seats by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) this year.
A steady stream of students poured in for COMEDK counselling (engineering) on day two as well, thinking it wise to reserve their seats in the much-sought-after engineering colleges in the State now that allotment of seats by the KEA will begin only by July 10.
Top colleges
Of the 2,550 students who were asked to attend the counselling on Saturday, 1,375 had appeared by 2 p.m. Students and parents were kept on their toes by the projector where the seat matrix was being updated. Seats from Bangalore colleges such as M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (MSRIT), M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (MVIT), Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering and B.N.M. Institute of Technology were swiftly claimed by students.
Students and parents found the counselling process on day two to be smooth and organised.
Nonetheless, they continued to feel disappointed about the fact that they would have to wait for the second round to be sure of their college.
Subhash, parent of Srinidhi Subhash, who reserved her seat in MVIT, said: “The counselling started on time and we faced no hassles. But my daughter couldn’t get MSRIT despite getting a good rank owing to the increased demand for seats through COMEDK this year. We are hoping that she gets it in the second round.”
Chief Executive of COMEDK, A.S. Srikanth, said the delay in KEA allotment was not the sole reason for the increase in demand for COMEDK seats.
“We ensure complete transparency,” he said.
“We follow a time-bound structure that creates confidence among the students.”
He added that in accordance with the Visvesvaraya Technological University circular that required that classes start by August, the entire process would be completed by July 30.
On Sunday, the first round of counselling for students who have obtained ranks between 5,101 and 7,800 would be conducted in six sessions starting at 8 a.m.