The MBoSE SSLC results were announced recently and applications started flooding into the best schools in the city. Premiere institutions have been experiencing the usual sea of applications, reflecting the competition among students in the city over the past decade. With people striving for more marks, the standards have been rising continuously and with limited number of seats in local institutions, the board exam has shaped into a competitive exam in itself. Students are expected to meet certain criteria to secure admission in their desired institutions.
Although the emerging level of competitiveness is a step towards progress, the pressure associated with the examination is now more than it had ever been before. The renowned schools in the city cut no slack and only accept students who can be potential rank holders in the HSSLC examination and students strive for admission in the best institutes available.
Students suffer from anxiety and traumatic disorder relating to fear of results. One can see flushed faces all around on the day of results. The fear of not being accepted in a good institution results in perturbation and discomfort among students. Also, the number of strong applicants to selective schools has mushroomed, with majority of students looking forward to taking admission in those selective schools. This leads to disappointment and dismay among students.
While getting good grades is vital, it is not the most important thing in life.
Scoring good grades in high school improves your chances of being accepted in a good university because employers will often require your university academic transcript so it is important to do your best. However, they also look at what you’ve been doing outside the world of academia. Extra-curricular activities such as music and sports go a long way to make you stand out, even if you just participate in these events for fun. Even companies prefer candidates who have diverse interests.
Everyone learns differently and everyone is gifted with a unique talent that he or she should acknowledge and embrace.
You may know of many people who didn’t get good grades but still made it big. Conversely, there are others who worked hard at their academics and made it far. Grades are not the common thread. Passion is.
You are not your grades. You are much more than that.
(Contributed by Simran Lyngdoh, a student of Mass Media at St Anthony’s College)