The Entrance Saga
Sitting in the lawns outside the examination centre, waiting for my brother to wrap out his IIT entrance exam, I can't stop wondering how easy life was when I passed out of twelfth standard. With an engineering degree in sight, the only entrance I considered was the JEE. Other than that, I knew that I could get into a good engineering college solely on the basis of performance in Physics, Chemistry and Maths in the borad exams.
Compare this with what my brother is going through. He has been juggling regular college with extra classes (meant for the various engineering college entrances) for six days a week, for some hundred odd weeks now. Sundays are not meant for breaks but for taking tests that judge what he has studied for the last few weeks. And mind you, the Sunday tests cannot be taken lightly as your place in the merit batch as against the regular batch is decided based on your peformance in the Sunday tests. Am sure the uncertainty in the mind of an average Indian cricket team player of making it to the playing eleven is much less than that of my brother retaining his place in the merit batch. Every month end there is mock test, IIT ishtyle, wherein you are tested in all the three subjects at the same time. Almost every two months there is a parents' meet, where the parents have to face the harsh reality in terms of their ward's performance in the innumerable tests (ouch!).
I had plans for my 'post 12th standard vacation' about a month before the board exams started. Almost a month after his board exams, all my brother has planned for is the number and dates of the entrances that he is to take in these couple of months. The saga does not end with the preparation, mock tests and actual tests. There is a lot more to follow in the form of results for each one of them (4 to be precise) followed by the counselling for some if not all.
But if you look around, you find comfort in the fact that he is not the only one going through all this. Cut throat competition is a way of life today and you don't want to concede an inch if you are aware of it. Beating competition is something that my brother's generation has learnt a lot earlier than I did. And, not to forget, given the kinda importance an IITian or someone from a NIT or from BITS enjoys the ordeal mentioned above seems all the more worth it. So, here's hoping that my brother can make it to an engineering college of his choice. Cheers!
