Have you just completed your 12th grade and now looking forward to getting admission to top-class colleges?
This article is a must for you!
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. – Malcolm X
The future can only be brightened by igniting your passion now!
Every year students, after passing their 12th grade, look for college admission in India.
Year after year, between June and August, there is a herd of faces full of anxiety and fear of appearing in the entrance exam to get admission to college.
In India, it is the ‘season of admissions.’ It is the time of the fruition of all their hard work and aspirations.
What are the challenges associated with college admissions in India?
Getting college admissions in India is as challenging and equivalent to getting school admissions in India.
Parents have wanted their children to be admitted to one of the country’s top colleges for ages. But it is not that easy!
It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and effort to score well on board exams. Not only that but to ace the exams, taking up coaching classes is another hustle altogether.
To state a fact, despite putting in all their efforts, the result is not in their hands because many external factors affect their chances of admission.
Apart from luck,
- The inflation of marks
- Discrepancies in the marking pattern of different boards
- Different colleges have different eligibility requirements
- Various entrance exams
These are some unforeseeable factors that affect their admission to colleges!
University Grants Commission’s announcement in 2022
Considering the current scenario and to make everything equally balanced, University Grants Commission (UGC) made an announcement in March 2022 that from this year onwards, all undergraduate admission into Central Universities across the country will be made through a standard entrance test – Common University Entrance Test or CUET.
What Was the Need for CUET?
With CUET implemented, students have benefitted in many ways, as discussed above, regarding external factors.
- Reduction in reliance on board scores
India has various school curricula and boards. For instance, there are CBSE, ICSE, and HSC academies. Additionally, there are international schools following international curricula, like Cambridge or IB. Each of the educational institutions is governed by a different board; hence, there is a difference in curriculum and marking schemes.
In addition to this, students from different boards won’t be given priority for admission to the university over those from the same boards, making it difficult for them to get accepted.
- Shifted focus from academics only!
College admissions in India and career paths are primarily determined by the score of academics, and that has been the case for the longest time. From the scores of boards to the scores of entrance exams, the abilities of students are determined by the number of marks they have attained.
As a result of the implementation of CUET, immediate problems, such as high cut-offs, variable marking systems, etc., are likely to be resolved more quickly.
- Getting rid of 100% cut-offs
CUET may be a solution to getting rid of 100% cut-offs. Delhi University, MS University, and many more have shown incredibly high cut-off scores for many years. Does this mean students with 95% or more marks are reportedly ineligible to study at the top universities in India?
And we cannot help but wonder, what about students from different state boards who are toppers there yet not granted admission to universities affiliated with different boards!!!
The only hope could be CUET making informed decisions in favor of the students.
Ambiguities in CUET
The CUET is definitely a step in the right direction to support students in further education. Nevertheless, the current UGC guidelines leave too many loopholes and are too ambiguous.
What are the ambiguities?
- It is mandatory for all Central Universities offering undergraduate and integrated-post graduate degrees to follow CUET marks for college admission. In spite of this, colleges can add additional eligibility criteria beyond CUET scores at their discretion, which means there is a disparity between college admission processes within different schools.
- However, CUET is mandatory for all Central Universities; there is still an option for state and private universities to follow CUET scores for college admission. As a result, students will have to apply for those universities separately and take multiple exams, which means students continue to hassle!
Contrary to why it has been executed, CUET isn’t the common entrance test as common as it is stated to be!
A lack of centralized counselling
We are very well aware that CUET is not the first attempt at centralizing college admission for undergraduate degrees. Prior to CUET, JEE and NEET exams were brought into effect for admission into engineering and medical colleges.
CUET’s major difference from JEE and NEET is that JEE and NEET offer a centralized counselling process to allot seats based on students’ scores, while CUET does not.
For a fact, It is up to each university to decide if they want to adopt CUET, so students may have to apply to any university they choose.
Miles to go for CUET
CUET is a brand-new program; therefore, to have various ambiguities and loopholes can be given a pass!
But to state an actual fact, it will be helpful for students to shift away from ‘only marks’ to a ‘holistic profile.’
Save yourself from the hassle of going into exams blindly. Take proper guidance and make informed decisions.
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