The objective of this note is to help parents and students in grade X to make an informed decision regarding choices available in grades XI, XII and beyond. Typical questions at this stage include:
- How can I help my child choose the right course in UG?
- Which location – Tamil Nadu, Pan-India or International?
- Should I select the CBSE or Samacheer Kalvi for XI?
- What subjects to choose?
- How to prepare for competitive exams? Which exams?
We commissioned research to answer the above questions and a summary of the conclusions are provided below.
- Course selection depends on the intersection of interest, skills and potential
- The CBSE stream provides an advantage when applying to the top colleges across India as all major competitive exams are aligned to this syllabus. This includes Medicine, Engineering, Law, Architecture, Commerce, Arts and Sciences
- Many top private colleges (Like VIT, SRM, Manipal) across disciplines conduct their own admissions tests that are also closely aligned to CBSE assessment methodologies
- State board (Samacheer Kalvi) helps for regional (TN) admissions for Engineering and Medicine through single window counselling processes as more seats are allotted for the state board
- Normalization of scores and seat allotments across boards does happen during the review process at top national colleges who only consider cut off marks – however this process is not transparent
- International UG programs are especially relevant in the fields of Art, Sciences, Humanities and Commerce. Engineering is increasing too. CBSE, A levels or IB diploma are all relevant preparing grounds for UG abroad
- From a skill development perspective, CBSE and the international programs are better than Samacheer Kalvi
Career Development Services (CDS) at CS Academy
The starting point for all students, immaterial of which course, location or stream is a Road Map that will help them get to their goal. At CS, we have commenced our Career Development Services, which will support students from grade XI until they get into the colleges of their choice. The CDS will help students set their goals, identify top colleges (in India and Abroad) and then create the key milestones students have to hit to get into their choice of colleges. This requires systematic work from the commencement of grade XI. For example to go abroad for UG preparation has to start 2 years in advance ideally – SAT, TOEFL / IELTS, Community Services, Essays and resume building – all have to be factored in.