Normalisation for NITs

From 2013, NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions agreed to scrap away with individual exams and accept the IITJEE normalisation.

But this has risen to many students scoring lower ranks inspite of securing high JEE scores.

The normalisation from this year, for all technical institutions, except the IITs, is 60 per cent weightage to the JEE (Main) scores and 40 per cent to class XII marks. The IITs take into account only their JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced) scores.

For NIT aspirants, the formula is a puzzle;

Crack this: the 40 per cent weightage for board exam marks will be further split in two. Twenty per cent will be the normalised score of the board, taking ranks into consideration, and the other 20 per cent will be taken from the JEE (Main) scores of the particular board’s 

Experts who managed to calculate scores and normalise them based on the formula predicted that the marking system will be beneficial to students who have scored well in their board exams.

This is exactly what happened when the rank list was published.

Some students have seen their leads of 50 odd marks in JEE mains being totally wiped out by a meer trail of 5 odd marks in Boards examinations. Worse, there are instances where a difference of only 5-7 marks in boards has set a student back by as much 2000 rank.

For instance - 

A gets 206 in JEE Mains and 92.2 % in boards, and B gets 184 in Mains but 95.2% in boards (both are from CBSE). But A with 95.2% board marks has a rank of 8803 as compared to the other, who lags him by almost 5000 ranks at 12960. This means that a candidate who gets 22 more marks in mains, but trails another by 15 marks in boards is 5000 ranks inferior to him according to the selection committee.

 Here are some Data from a Facebook pageComplicated Normalization of Marks riles JEE aspirants.
 

Board : CBSE
Marks -235, % - 96, AIR 1962
Marks- 252, %- 93.3, AIR 2500

Board : CBSE
Marks -164, % - 87, AIR 43827
Marks- 160, %- 96, AIR 8500 

Board : Maharashtra
Marks- 166, %- 86, AIR 16,000
Marks- 165, %- 84, AIR 35,119

Board : CBSE
Marks- 330, %-92, AIR-900
LAST YEAR for 330 marks it would have been under 100 or under 50 rank for sure.

Board : CBSE
Marks- 203, %-96.6, AIR 2905
Marks- 240, %-87, AIR 11498
Marks- 179, %- 81, AIR 47,000

Board : AP
Marks- 187, %- 97, AIR 9000
Marks- 160, %-99, AIR 10,000

Board : ISCE
Marks- 204, %-94.4, AIR 11236

Though the primary aim was to encourage a single board if education by the center (CBSE) and discourage the coaching institutions which have become a mobey making venture it makes one ponder ... should the selection commitee achieve its aim at the cost of the students aspiration and dreams of entering top Colleges in the country..... 

CBSE and TNEA

The most pondered question asked when a CBSE student applies for a BE at Anna university is

' Is there any preference given to CBSE students '

Well the answer is NO ...

Even though the University claims that it neutralizes the marks, theoretically it is negligible.

Neutralizing/ normalisation of marks is that the highest of all the boards are taken and marks neutralized  Say if the highest in Maths in CBSE is 99 and State is 100 then 1 mark is neutralized for CBSE students. But even if there is one student who has attained a centum in CBSE then it stands equal. The irony here is that there would be a 100 students with cent um in State board but just two in CBSE. 

Let's take the case of CBSE topper last year (2012), he scored centum in Maths and Physics and 97 in Chemistry. Think 98% was the highest in Chemistry. Hence the neutralism mark was 1/200 were 100(Maths)+50(Phy)+49(Chem)- 199/200 for CBSE and 200/200 for state.

But since the topper itself had a 1 mark difference he would have jumped to a 0.5, if the TNEA had been fair. But its rarely done. Moreover one can track only when he is a topper, what about the rest ?

SASTRA University is said to admit students through fair neutralization. They display the registered number along with marks at the time of counselling and one can claim if there is any discrepancies.

Its just the way the Education System works...

Good Luck and Best Wishes in your Admissions....

Admissions VIT '13

Below is a snap shot of the counselling status of VIT.

As mentioned in my earlier blog on admissions to deemed universities, the number of seats allotted for the core branches are in large numbers. Most of these seats fall vacant as many students who are yet to receive the rank list for IIT main ( the remaining from the 1.5 lakh who cleared for advanced), and those who are awaiting board results of CBSE may be opting for NITs and other colleges based on the rank list, or for other colleges which admit through board results (which are yet to be announced) surrender this seat when they get admissions into the other colleges.

This institution clearly announces during counselling, that the vacant seats go as management seats (when falling vacant due to surrendering of seats later on) and it does not have a management quota.. Whereas SRM  University has a second counselling if and when the seats are either not filled or falling vacant due to surrendering of seats later on. 

But both these colleges announce a large number of scholarship for the students at the time of counselling based on the rank list which are wasted by the children surrendering the seats when they move to other colleges. 

Below is the snap shot of the scholarship awarded by the institute. This year 5 out of top 10 rank holders were from Chaitanya academy, Andhra Pradesh.

As most of those following the rank list if IIT would have noted that this academy excels in IIT coaching. Hence it's not difficult to understand that even though the child attends the counselling he is not going to pursue the education here when he clears at IIT or NIT. 

Similarly a very small percentage of the 1000 rank holders will continue to study at VIT. 

If the institute genuinely favours scholarship it should grant them to deserving students in the academic year.

It also goes on to state that the district toppers of the state who have studied in Govt schools in rural areas too would be given a 100% scholarship. Most of these toppers of Tamil Nadu are the 200/200 in the TNEA cutoff and would prefer CEG or PSG were the fees is nominal. Moreover the number of such students would once again be very rare. 

Hence a word of advice, as these institutions strongly deal in advertising, its always better to go for counselling with an open mind.

CEG Anna University

The oldest technical institute of India, is well known for its vast expanse and the red building. What makes this college much sought after in Tamil Nadu.

Initially it is for Its reputation. It was the one amongst the very few technical colleges in the south. It had well educated professors who took pride in imparting knowledge. 

But surprisingly even with numerous colleges mushrooming all over Tamil Nadu it still lives upto it's status.

When I went for admissions I heard many stories. 

- The students are mostly from the rural and even the lectures are taken in Tamizh.

- Lecturers are biased against children who don't speak the regional language.

- Lectures don't take classes and so on..

But I found all these to be completely false after my child has taken admission here.

The college is a wholesome one.

There are numerous syposiums and events taking place through out the year.

There is no rules binding the student, like compulsary attendance, no mobiles in campus, no talking with mixed gender and various other things to suffocate them.

As long as the student keeps up with his routine he can enjoy himself at college.

There is ample opportunity to participate in culturals and showcase his talent.

A huge campus with shady trees and a playground gives a serene environment in the hustle busy Chennai city.

Two huge parking lots for students to use their own modes of commute.

No unwanted fees like college bus and food in the mess.

The liberty of maintaining the required percentage of attendance.

A healthy interaction with lectures and students of both genders.

What more does a college student wish for during his four years of growing up.

Maybe which is why it still stands at No 1 in Tamil Nadu( apart from IIT and NIT), enjoying the location of being within the city in a green environment. 

IIT JEE and selection process

When I read a news on TOI (11 May) about a boy who had made a mistake of ticking OC instead of OBC I recollected reading this last year.

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Last Updated On: 20 Jun 2012
About eight hundred OBC quota candidates who qualified IITJEE exam have been pulled out of the admission process this year. This followed after the JEE committee strictly warned against the fake OBC certificates. The JEE committee conducts the joint entrance exam for all IITs.
About 4,805 OBC candidates got through the IIT JEE this year. However, after the withdrawals only 4,000 OBC students remain in the quest for admission to the premier institutes. All of the 2,604 seats reserved at the IITs under this category have been filled in the first round of counseling.
Sources revealed that a majority of those who withdrew from the counseling process did so because they were afraid of getting caught with fake certificates. One out of every six OBC candidates who had cleared the IIT JEE either withdrew from the process or was asked to switch to the general category.
Almost 200 candidates requested to be moved to the general category where they would have to compete for seats on the basis of merit. However, the remaining six hundred students did not register for the counseling process. This year has seen 500 more withdrawals than the 2011 admission process.
The JEE committee had earlier cracked the whip on fake OBC certificates and had issued a warning that if candidates were found to have fake certificates, they would be barred o secure admission in IITs for life. Another reason for the withdrawals was that within the quota, candidates coming from families with an annual income less than Rs.4.5 lakh (excluding salary from agriculture or a government job) come under the non creamy layer category. These candidates are eligible for government sponsorship and professional benefit schemes.
A proposal was earlier made to increase the limit to Rs. 9 lakh for rural and Rs.12 lakh for urban areas. However, this did not come into effect, forcing students who were expecting this to withdraw from the admission process.
Officials from the JEE committee revealed that they had issued a warning after receiving complaints about candidates using fake certificates. The committee verified the complaints by cross checking the OBC commissions’ website, only to find that the complaints were true.
Candidates, who get through the IIT JEE under reserved categories, need to submit their category certificates via post at the time of counseling. June 10, 2012 was the last date to register for the counseling process, while final allotment of seats was made on June 17, 2012. Almost 5.07 lakh students had applied for the exam this year, seeking admission to the 9,647 seats at the IITs, including ISM Dhanbad and IT-BHU.

This year with the JEE main being the criteria for selection to appear for the Advanced Exam, including all the categories 1.5 lakh students have been ranked. The verification of certificate is done only at the time of counselling. 

What if the student had ticked OBC  instead of OC ?

Is he not hampering the chances of someone?

By the time IIT calls for counselling and by the time the fake certificates are scrutinised, the fraud ester has dampened the chances of a deserving student. 

It's not only this, 

Does the system have fool proof method to check the genuinity of the non creamy layer? 

Apart from the OC category who get selected in IITs and NITs no one else can claim to be meritorious. Must this quota system prevail, with so many loop holes? 

Can IIT JEE change its selection process.. and give equal chance to all without bias...?

CBSE students Can apply for admissions into Anna University withoutresults

Firstly I must advice the CBSE students that if you are applying through single window counselling being from open quota then you can expect to find your rank way below the list.

By the time the seats at CEG, MIT , PSG and few more good colleges within the top 10 of Tamil Nadu may be coming to an end. Remember there are a large number of seats for the BC and other quotas.

As I have mentioned in my earlier blog on CBSE students tentative rank list last year, TNEA Stats, you may find that even the topper may not get a seat if his choice at CEG which gets filled up first. 

This year with the tentative dates for CBSE results yet to be announced the TNEA has already scheduled to close down their submission of application forms on the 20th May. The Tamil Nadu State results will be announced on 9th May. 

The Anna University has said today that the CBSE students can send their application with all supporting documents leaving the marks column blank on or before 20th May. It has said that the students can send the mark sheet separately to The Secretary TNEA Chennai-25 after the release of results. And has also said that they will give enough time for the submission but will stick to their schedule of assigning random number in 5th June and publishing the rank list on June 12th...

Good luck and best wishes....

New JEE pattern and more confusion

With the results of JEE main's new pattern announced today, 3000 students have cleared for appearing in the advanced from Tamil Nadu. The Advanced exam is the criteria for selection into IITs. The JEE main was a screening, to select 1.5 lakh students who would compete for the IIT seats, provided their board scores are within the top 20 percentile.

This year the admission  for IITs, NITs and few more centrally funded colleges depend on this rank list. 

As usual adding to the confusion of admissions, the rank list for the remaining students who did not clear for the JEE advanced will have to wait till July 2nd. 

The 1.5 lakh students who cleared the JEE main are eligible for admissions to IITs and will take their advanced paper on June 2nd. Their rank list will be based on JEE advanced inclusive of all categories provided that they are within the top 20 percentile of the board results. Approximately the OC category needs to score 90% and lesser for the others.

The admissions to NITs and other centrally funded institutes will depend on the JEE main result which would be 60% and a weight age of 40% of the board marks. 

The admissions scenario for colleges in Tamil Nadu has already begun. Some have started the distribution of application forms while the deemed colleges have finished their entrances and are sending counselling letters to students. By July 2nd which is when the CCB is likely to release the rank list most of the colleges would have finished with their counselling and admission through management quota would be over. The single window counselling for Anna University too would commence from June 21st. 

 SASTRA University has decided not to wait for the JEE rank list and begin its admissions with the 70% seats through board results. The remaining 30% seats would be based on the JEE rank list.

There seems to be a confusion regarding admissions into Engineering colleges every year. And CBSE students who look for an option of joining state colleges, especially in Tamil Nadu are the most affected.

I hope better administration and co ordination prevails in the future which will give the students a wider option of colleges to choose from, rather than opting for colleges because of the education system blunders... and mismanagement.

When both CBSE and state board exams end almost at the same time, I fail to understand why the admission process to colleges, especially that of engineering colleges are in a chaos and leaves the student stressed out by the time he gets a seat. I fail to understand why the education system in India is unable to decide on a uniform system which would benefit all boards of students ...?

Admission through management quota in deemed universities

When we surf the net under this topic, one finds pages of middlemen offering to help especially for private colleges.

But my experience says that it is always better to approach the office directly first. Maybe if that doesn't work out and if one is very keen on that particular college then one can go to the person offering to help.

Last year I approached both the means for a particular deemed college. The amount quoted was double. Think they wanted me to negotiate with them. When I approached the office directly it sounded more reasonable.

The people at the office asked me to pay half of the amount within 10 days and said that the amount would be adjusted if the child gets through counselling, else the remaining amount could be paid and the seat could be obtained. Thought that it sounded less demanding than any of the state private colleges too ....like SVCE or RMK...


One thing is certain, there are more than the required number of seats existing in most of these colleges. As a number of seats taken on counselling days are cancelled later by students when they get a seat in IITs and NITs. Moreover as these deemed universities are the first ones to start their counselling , many pay
the initial amount and book it as a backup. I found almost all the scholarships given by this University taken up by  these children which went wasted later on, as they discontinued their admission in these deemed colleges and went to better pastures.

I am sure if the student is good who the parent thinks is capable of pursuing engineering he is sure enough to clear at least a couple of the entrances conducted by these universities (being a CBSE student). My sincere advice would be that the child should peruse engineering only if he thinks that he has the aptitude.

Sometimes this period of admission seeking is like a zigzag puzzle falling into place. The picture will finally get completed. We just need to wait plan and proceed .

Good luck and best wishes...

KG Admissions

Since its the season of KG admissions I shall briefly lay out few tips when going for the personal interview if the school is holding one.
I have headed few years at Play schools and have worked with the Kinder Garten for 12 years. Have been a member of the interview panel for almost 8 years. And these were what we saw for during enrolling the students from the long list if applicants.

- the care in which the application form was written ( legible, neatness, following the instruction given, completing the form with appropriate answers, and signing at the end) and handed over ( in an envelope, do not place them in official covers, select an appropriate size)
- The proximity of the school from the students house.
- if the child is having a sibling in school.
- the back ground and education of parents.
- the neatness of the parents and child while attending the interview.
dress the child in comfortable clothes with proper foot wear, preferably shoes.
- the manner in which the child interacts with the parent and vice versa.
it is better that both the parents attend the interview and I underline only parents.
if either of the parent is unable to attend do mention his/ her absence and the reason why briefly.
do not take grand parents inside the interview room, they can stay back at the car park or away from the main premise.
- Any tantrums the child is displaying.
keep the child in good mood till you leave the room.
Let the child have a good sleep before
the day.
Take his favourite toy or book if you
may need to wait.
Be punctual if time slot is specified and
don't rush, as it will hamper the mood.
Take a small snack if you think your
child could become hungry. But don't
mess up when eating.
Do not carry your child into the interview
room, let him walk. It doesn't matter if
he refuses to come inside , and don't
ever force him.
You can prepare him without making him too anxious. Make it sound normal (as
now every child has gone through a year
of play school.)
- switch off your mobile when entering. Would advice to keep it in silent mode when waiting outside.
- your interaction with other parents. Do not group up outside and start gossiping. Even if you need to talk keep your tone low and don't crack jokes and laugh loud.

The schools doesn't even know you before that moment. They only want to take the best when they have a wide choice before them. Be friendly but never become too informal even if you know the people in the panel. Show your interest in being part of the institution.
You have only few minutes with the interview panel so why not make it a good and a cherish able one.
The people sitting there have no grudge against anyone and just want to do their bit transparently. So don't go back and demand an admission... if refused. It's definitely not the end and don't apply for just a single school... Keep your options open.

Remember
With every child the world is born new
And we need to give what they are due ...
And definitely the school aims at doing this...

Hope my article is of some help for those who are tensed about the admissions of their lil ones.

Good luck and All the Best...

KG Admissions

Getting a child admitted into reputed schools at the KG level is much tougher than getting an admission into professional colleges. Now why is this so? Are we the cause for this hype ?

It is more a status symbol to say that their child is studying in a XYZ school for the parent. The parents don't mind the child traveling through the traffic everyday to and fro in a hired commute. Unheeding to the fact that the child gets tired and falls ill most of the days. Agreed that the schools near by may not have results as the XYZ ones. As long as the school has the infrastructure and experienced teachers to handle young children why are the parents looking at 12th board results which is going to happen after 14 yrs...
I never did understand...!!
Now when most of the parents are educated and are capable enough to teach the basics up to primary section why task the young ones with hours of travel.
I'm sure with suggestions and voluntary help from the parents any school will strive to do better. Instead of spending the extra money on donations and in fuel for commuting the parents can contribute to the so called ordinary schools in the neighbourhood and make it a better place for the future generations. I always felt that's how the present XYZ schools too would have attained its status. No school is the best right from the first day of establishment.

Let's make the child happy and healthy going to school, than taxing the child with earlier waking up time, half finished breakfast and longer hours of travel to reach the XYZ school on time....

Status Of Deemed Colleges in India

Following is a copy of the article which featured in Times of India journal-

This article is sure to throw some light about the deemed universities which advertise as AICTE , grade A ...

Eight institutions ‘pass’ deemed university test
Akshaya Mukul, TNN Apr 8, 2013, 02.19AM IST


Tags:
Tandon Committee|Supreme Court|deemed university test

(Universities affected…)
NEW DELHI: Even as the Supreme Court is hearing the deemed university case, eight of the 44 found deficient on certain counts have made it to the 'deemed university' list after rectifying the faults pointed out by the Tandon committee in 2009.

In its comprehensive review of 126 deemed universities, the Tandon committee had found only 38 (group A) fit to qualify as deemed universities while 44 (group B) were found deficient in some parameters that needed to be rectified. Another 44, put in group C, were found totally unfit to be deemed universities. The affected universities went to the Supreme Court and the matter is being heard.

Meanwhile, eight group B universities have made it to the A list. This includes Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore; SRM University, Chennai; NITTE, Mangalore; KLE, Belgaum; Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune; HBNI (Homi Bhabha), Mumbai; Sathyabama University, Chennai; and Avinashilingam Institute of Higher Education for Women & Home Sciences, Coimbatore.

The review committee made an assessment of progress made by these universities and found that substantial improvements were made, be it conforming to UGC guidelines, governance, quality and innovations in teaching, research output, faculty resources, doctoral and other research degree programmes and admission process and award of degrees.

It is not that these universities came up with flying colours on all parameters but marked improvement was noted in key parameters. The minimum score needed for category A status is 30 and all eight of them scored 31.

In case of Vellore Institute, it was found there was noticeable change in number of faculty with PhD degrees. Also a perceptible improvement in research output had taken place. Similarly, in case of SRM University, research output had increased as well as the number of students registered for PhD.

The key parameter was governance of these universities as it was found that most of them were run by family members of promoters. The review committee did not comment on governance aspect of most of the deemed universities, except Bharati Vidyapeeth where it found a real change in the administrative structure.

-----

In Tamil Nadu, Sastra university had obtained Grade A status in 2009 and 16 colleges of Tamil Nadu were given 3 years to upgrade themselves. VIT had a score of 25, SRM had scored 21 and Satyabama 24 as per 2009 and all three have secured 31 clearing the expected score of 30.

I'm sure this article will solve the dilemma about the status of deemed universities. Tandon committee reviews the deemed status of up-gradation every 3 years and the universities have to constantly keep upto to the recommended criteria specified. Currently there are only few Grade A meaning a college of approved deemed status in Tamil Nadu-

SASTRA university

Amrita University

VIT

SRM

Satyabama University

TNEA does it again

The war between CBSE and Anna university continues every year. Anna university has announced that it will issue application forms from 4 th May 2013 and the last date of submission is 20th May '13.
Whereas CBSE announces its result only during the 3rd or 4th week of May.
In 2010 it was declared in 21st May
In 2011 it was on 23rd May and
In 2012 it was on 28rh May.
This year too we can expect the results to be around the same time or later.
The students once again have to run around to attach their online mark results and submit before the date, which is impossible. More so for the students from other districts of TN.
Wonder why this happens year after year?
Is it cause of miscommunication between AU and the CBSE or is it that AU discourages CBSE students applying for admission in their state colleges (affiliated to Anna University) which has almost 50000 seats going vacant every year.....

Heard that the Tamil Nadu State 12th board results are to be published on 10th. Enough time to submit with mark sheets even from remote corners if the state...

The Ever Changing CBSE

It is surprising how the education system of CBSE is constantly changing.

Let's have a brief overlook of the changes which happened over the last 5 yrs.

2007 HOTS was introduced. 20% of the questions were based on higher order thinking skills of the student.
2008 - 20 marks of science paper for 10th was objective .
2009 - The marking system was to be changed to grades.
2010 - Grades were given instead of marks for the 10th board exams.
2011 - 10 board exams became optional and CCE was introduced .
2012 - The education board wanted to have a single board for all boards across the country, which luckily did not happen. Else it would have been a chaos.
2013 - The CBSE wants to implement open book system for a certain percentage in few subjects from 9 to 12 exams from 2014....
It does not mean that the student can take the book into the hall, but a portion of the syllabus will be marked and the questions would be definitely asked from those notes.

With the ever changing system of evaluating the students at crucial phase of their higher education .. Parents and students are left in a dilemma every year.

When ever some one asks me now, whether it is wise to change the child to a CBSE board to avoid the rote learning done in state schools ... My answer to them is that at least it is constant and does not confuse the child preparing for the exam. Most importantly the teachers who plan their lesson plan at least know what is expected out from them in state schools than attending seminars and workshops during the academic year to update themselves on the new system of evaluation.


Long live Central Board of education and hope they clear their confusion of how
they want the student to be evaluated... On whole it's very vague whether they want bright students who can solve 20% of HOTS questions or want mediocre to attain 20% through rote learning from the open book method. Maybe they want them to be both to attain a 100% ....