JEE 2014: What to do after Results and before Counseling?

By Gopal Sharma

JEE (Main)-2014 results are out. Online Counseling dates (tentative) are out too; according to which the registration for the choice filling will begin in the first week of July, 2014. JEE (Advanced-2014) is done too and the Online Counseling will begin in the second half of June, 2014. Most of you (JEE Aspirants) are of the opinion that the time period between the Exam and the Results is worth next to nothing. You kill this time in your own different ways.

Believe me, this is the time period which worth its weight in gold for you. Remember, the thing you are going to face after this period is the Counseling, i.e., the Online filling of your Choices of different Courses & Colleges. Online counseling has made the admission process smooth. But, it is not an easy task to participate in online counseling process. A better filling of choices can fetch you a seat in a better college and bad choice can spoil your good rank. Most of you guys fill your Choices going by the word of mouth. You make your opinions going by the trend in your friend circles. Experience of the elders also plays a crucial role in your decision making for the Order of the Choices. But, there is one thing which is missing in all these ingredients of Choice Filling in Online Counseling and that is: Your Interest!

The time which you have after the Exams & before the counseling is the time to introspect your interest. Well obviously, this is not the first time you are doing so. But, this one is the most crucial one, because this is going to decide your future. And believe me; most of us don’t know what we want to do and what our interests are. This is where the role of your Coaching Institutes, your teachers, your seniors and your effort comes in. Your teachers in the Coaching institutes know the things very well and if you are lucky enough to have some known in the Premier Institutions, no one can give better information to you than them. You can also post your queries here on Shiksha in the ‘Ask & Answer’ section if you don’t have a contact person to give you the necessary information.

Once you gather some knowledge, start preparing a list on your computer or on paper and keep on improving the list with the knowledge & information you are getting. This list should be an amalgam of your interest, advice of your teachers, recommendations of your contacts in premier institutions or of Shiksha Experts and preferred locations of your parents (it matters too). Now, let me explain to you: how to make a list of the Colleges & Courses.

First, if you want admission in a particular college, fill all the branches of that college right at the top. Even if you get an inferior branch first (not your preferred branch), don’t worry! You will get ample opportunities even after the first counseling. And not just the subsequent rounds of the counseling, you can change your branch by ‘Branch Sliding’ which is an option provided to you by your respective colleges. This option lets you change your branch on the basis of the marks you secure in the first year.

The Branch Sliding is a tough nut to crack though. You are supposed to secure good marks in your first year, if you want to get the branch of your choice. And when I say good marks, I mean to say that you need to be in the top 25 in your college if you want your wish fulfilled. This option also depends on the current strength of a branch. There should be a minimum number of students in every branch. Suppose, you have Civil Engineering at present and only 60% of the seats in your branch are occupied and rest are vacant. If the college has a criterion of a minimum of 75% seats to be filled in every branch, then you cannot apply for Branch Sliding, because, if you do so then the 60% of the seats in your branch which were filled earlier will decrease further. So, you need to be absolutely sure about it and there is always a risk associated with this option.

Second, if you want a particular branch then go for all the top colleges and fill only that branch of those colleges and fill a few inferior colleges too right at the top before filling any other branch. Obviously, if you are doing it, you are playing safe and not taking risk which is associated with branch sliding. Never fill the less reputed college before the reputed ones because it is going to spoil your chance even if you are getting the better college. Never think negative about your rank and do fill the good branches of the better colleges too. Who knows when your luck favors you!

About the author:

Gopal Sharma is a Writer by Choice & an Engineer by Profession! He is B.Tech (Gold Medalist), Mechanical Engineering from NIT Kurukshetra and is currently working as a Design Engineer at Oceaneering, Chandigarh. You can read more about him and his articles at: www.myfrankspot.blogspot.com

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