Avi has just cleared his Class XII with 80%. He has been a bright student who was fairly popular in his school. Always among the toppers, he also followed the path that every student followed. He religiously went through the grind of three years in best coaching institute of the city.
His journey was like a distorted sine curve; smaller crests and bigger troughs. In Class X he was a star. But from Class XI that sheen was gone. His performances fluctuated in Coaching and at the end his JEE Score was way lower than he wanted. His class XII performance was lackluster as well.
Now he is at a juncture where he has to either choose some private college or take a drop and prepare again for a year. Lacks of students have to face this decision for JEE / NEET preparation. I’ve personally counseled hundreds of students stuck in this conundrum. Here are some important tips that would help you take the best decision.
Start with a position that you shall not drop a year for JEE/NEET Prep. Then ponder upon these questions to convert that answer from NO to YES.
Ask Yourself: Do you feel determined about doing well in JEE/NEET?
Without super high amount of determination you cannot survive the grind of one year of preparation. This journey is going to be tough and no temporary shots of motivation shall help you. Only determination and hard work shall see you through.
Ask Yourself: You shall have to study Class XI-XII syllabus again. Do you think you can do it?
This one sounds a simple thing, but believe me you, this is going to be big. You have to study chapter after chapter that you already know. That makes us complacent and complacency in a drop year is Criminal. So, commit yourself to unlearning and relearning with enthusiasm.
Ask Yourself: Did you take coaching in class XI-XII for JEE?
This is very important. If you had a proper professional coaching in class XI-XII and still did not get decent result in JEE/NEET, then you have to introspect sincerely. What were the reasons of under performance? How sincere were you? What improvement you would do this time? Why these improvements were not implemented in your last attempt? Every year this group of repeater creates few amazing success stories and many tales of epic failure in their repeated attempt. You have to introspect about each question mentioned above.
Ask Yourself: Did you not take coaching in
class XI-XII for JEE?
If you didn’t had an opportunity to take coaching in class XI-XII, then it makes sense to take drop. After all a good Medical / Engineering college can have a substantial impact on your career.
Ask Yourself: What are the other available
options if not JEE / NEET?
With your current rank in JEE & NEET what options of College & Specialisation do you think you would get. If you are not getting any Engineering/Medical college, then what kind of options are there. You have to look at the quality of options available and find how fit is that choice to your Career Goals. We are talking about a lifetime of Career vs. one year.
Ask Yourself: What is the Worst /Best Case
Scenario?
When taking a decision it is useful to think in terms of Scenarios. What is the minimum marks possible and what would be available College /Program Choices. Be realistic in your estimation. Remember you have to work hard even for what you scored this year.
Ask Yourself: How important is one year in
terms of Career?
This is a highly debatable question. Many people around you would have told you one year of drop would make you one year behind all your friends. But being behind your peers has many aspects: being behind in position, being behind in money earned, being behind in emotional/spiritual development & of course being behind by one year. In case due to a medical reason a student misses a year of study would we mind it much? Then why do we bother so much about a year for drop.
Other Considerations:
- Don’t take a drop just because your friend is doing it.
- Don’t take a drop just because you don’t have good College / Course choices.
- Popular opinion: Without pressure of boards preparation would be smooth. I absolutely disagree. 90% of students with top ranks have done it with boards (as a fresher). If you can handle such highly competitive exam like JEE / NEET then even boards are possible. That alone can’t be the reason to decide in favor of drop.
- You can be successful in drop year even if you have to also write board improvement exams.
- You would have many-many self doubts in this stressful journey, be prepared for it.
- You have no option but to be Mentally Super Tough to go through this journey successfully.
DO NOT OVER STRESS ABOUT RESULT DURING THE YEAR. JUST FOCUS ON EFFORTS.
YOU CAN HAVE A MARVELOUS CAREER EVEN IF YOU DO BADLY IN THIS YEAR.
These are nuggets of wisdom coming directly from my experience of 17 years working closely with students targeting the toughest competitive exams. Follow the process underlined with utmost honesty & sincerity. You have to be unbiased as well. Sit in a room alone and then introspect. You should take your parents & family along. Your existing choices might not be as bad as you might think. Our blog has many resources to help you there.
Happy exploring & happy learning!!
About Author
Anurag is a Certified Career Counselor and Coach. He is an Engineer & MBA with 20+ years experience in Education Industry. All of knowledge that you find here stems from first hand experience of coaching thousands of successful students. He has been passionately working in the field of career counseling since 2019.
Hello sir please guide me
Hello sir please guide me