After a long stressful year that culminated in the board exams, students of 10th and 12th grade are enjoying their vacations. Their time for relaxation will end soon as the exam results are set to be announced next week.
This is an important turning point in every student’s life as the group/course they choose will be based on their professional career aspirations. To guide the students in this important decision, Somasundaram, an educationalist, has provided valuable advice.
What are the benefits of studying the vocational group with engineering subjects, and how does it differ from the other groups?
According to Somasundaram, there are 130 groups under the Tamil Nadu Education Board, apart from maths, science, computer science, and commerce for higher secondary education. He pointed out the vocational group, Agriculture, and added that 12th graduates in this vocational stream have a special reservation in Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU).
He also advised students to take a vocational group that is focused on engineering-based subjects, as these graduates will get a reservation (2%) at Anna University.
Furthermore, students who take up engineering after their diploma are more skilled and well-placed in IT and those with a diploma in pharmacy and physiotherapy are admitted into medical institutions and earn more than professional careers.
Somasundaram says that all groups and subjects are equally valuable, but students should study with an interest, not with the insistence of parents. Parents should also not insist on their children to do only professional courses.
Hardships of doing medicine in foreign nations
In some foreign countries, Indians who pursue medicine must know the regional language. If not, the students will not be allowed to treat patients. Therefore, Somasundaram requested students to study medicine in India
What are some entrance exams that students can take and how can they prepare for these exams?
There are many entrance exams like the National Defense Exam (NDA), Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA), and Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design (SEED) which are for professional courses. However, Somasundaram also encourages learners to explore other courses like music, photography, forestry, and animation.
To prepare for the entrance exams, his suggestion to solve question papers of the last five years and practice them continuously
