Ankit Kapoor, Managing Director, Pratham Test Prep

As far as their career is concerned, Class XII remains a threshold for students with a lot of unanswered questions pondering inside their head, leaving them confused. The most common notion that students have while deciding to choose the right career revolves around how to choose the right career, which course to choose and what they are good at, among many others.

 Such thoughts oscillating between questions about the future can be daunting, confusing, and lead to an unclear frame of mind. In such a dilemma the one thing that becomes an integral part and adds on to the confusion is “Should I take a drop if things don’t turn out the way I have planned them?

While this question remains a tough nut to crack, requiring countless self-introspection to reach a point where you can swiftly answer this, especially when everything seems to be at stake. The impression of dropping a year has always been accredited with wasting the year and the student has been left behind their batchmates in terms of the academic session. But now the scenario has completely reversed and if one is determined to go to their dream college, with parental support, if a student does not score well as per the desired results in the entrance exam, they have been opting to drop a year.

Dropping a year – Waste or Invest?

There is no absolute answer to this question if one should drop a year or not, with a very thin line difference between waste and investment. It is all about the mindset of the individual, and according to experts one will definitely be investing. Aspirants aiming for their dream career, with disciplined approach, dedication in their preparation are contributing to a positive investment towards their future.

But it is not that black and white to make up your mind so quickly on this question. One reaches to this question after contemplating about various points –

1.    Missed the college by Whisker – A wise student should evaluate the difference between the targeted and actual score. If the difference between the two is small and seems realistic that with a little more effort and reworking the preparation strategy, they can easily reach the required score. However, if the difference is a major one then the chances with some extra efforts are negligible. The fact is to look for an alternative career path. And in other cases where a student gets into a good college but it is not his dream college, in such case he should join the college and continue alongside rather than dropping a year.

2.    Poor scores in both Boards and entrance – This is a tough situation but as they say, every situation has a solution. A child should be very sure of the career path he/she intends to take thereon. While many attributes it as a dead-end situation, but it is not the end of the road and there exists multiple options –  

                         i.        New age careers / skill-based careers

                       ii.        Admissions in Tier-2 colleges

                     iii.        Private Universities

If none of the above-mentioned points works, and if one considers dropping a year to get into a good college then joining some certificate courses that will enhance your performance.   

3.    Need time to prepare and to plan again – The preparation for entrance exams requires hard work and perseverance irrespective of the entrance exam. In this scenario, one should evaluate what were the reasons for the previous performance. Self-questioning about the failure to prepare well, also opens up clarity, and seeking guidance from a career counsellor before taking the plunge also helps in revamping the preparation strategy.

In all these scenarios, one has to think articulately before reaching a decision of taking a college this year or dropping a year. It is not an end of the road if you are dropping a year, it’s only that you are taking one year extra to shape your career the way you want it to be. Also, don’t listen to anyone who tells you that it is a crime to drop a year. In the end, what matters is that you consider all your options well and do well. A happy mind is always capable to do wonders.