It’s that time of the year again, when most colleges in the city are buzzing with students and parents discussing courses, submitting application forms and waiting to see their ward’s name in one of the college lists.
When one takes a closer look at the large picture, one witnesses students, mostly confused about their interests levels across various courses and streams. “Students should decide their career choice prior to their Higher Secondary schooling. This would help them choose the required stream and groom themselves accordingly,” said Prof. Balaguruswamy, Former Vice Chancellor of Anna University.
While the course material, faculty combination, infrastructure, student welfare and university/college reputation are some factors to be kept in mind while short listing colleges, before that it is very important for a student to understand her passion and have clarity about the course one is willing to pursue.
S. Keerthikasri, an English Literature student, says, “Once I was sure about Literature, I then researched colleges that offer the subject. I spoke to a faculty and some seniors to gather information about the curriculum. Then I shortlisted three colleges in the city and applied for the same”.
Sometimes, the interest of students might not satisfy the needs of students. “Not all can be engineers, it requires significant talent. If it’s media or fine arts, parents must equally support their children,” adds Prof. Balaguruswamy. With new media offering all the required information, practical experience can make huge differences.
Krishna Murari, Co- founder of a Chennai-based Ed-tech, PaperHut says, “After Class XII examinations, students could shortlist their interests and spend their vacation volunteering or interning with an organisation based on their career choices, whereby they would get more clarity while entering college.” This battle can therefore be easily won when one is focused on what they want to achieve in life.
