How would you define your study habits during your time in high school or college? Inefficient, demanding, and accompanied by a serious loss of sleep? They were for me, for sure.

A critical step in the learning process that students far too frequently ignore is picking the appropriate study strategy. No matter how hard a student tries to study, choosing the wrong study approach can prevent them from making any genuine progress. Choosing the appropriate study technique for the circumstance will help students realize their maximum potential.

Rereading is not the best study strategy; there are far better ones. the techniques that the finest learning scientists in the world have created and studied. Surprisingly, not many pupils have ever heard of them. Because of this, using them efficiently will provide you not just an edge but also a huge advantage over the competitors.

The search for the ideal study strategy is ongoing. You cannot wait until the night before the test to take care of it. To learn what works (and what doesn’t), you should be continually enhancing your study techniques. Developing good study techniques can not only make learning easier but will also improve your results in high school and post-secondary.

Learn 10 effective study methods that will help you achieve your next test success.

Pre-test: Before studying the material, students should practice answering questions, even when they get them wrong. This will improve their future learning. According to research, studying for an exam for the same amount of time does not significantly increase test outcomes.

Stay Organized- Setting yourself up successfully and achieving your learning objectives will depend on you taking the time to get organized. Invest in a diary and utilize it to record upcoming due dates for assignments. To participate in class, make sure you have all the materials and equipment you need. To ensure that you are prepared to go right away in the morning, you might find it beneficial to pack your luggage the night before.

Log Notes- Keep your mind active during class by taking notes that you may review as you develop your study strategies. Right there in class, notes can assist you in retaining information for the long term. When you’re finished with tests and tasks, you’ll want to go back and study these notes. It could be helpful to summarize your notes after class so they are understandable and simple to read. Note or emphasize important points. You can ask your teacher for clarification if something doesn’t make sense.

Set Apart Time for Studying- Spacing out your learning periods is one of the most effective study techniques. You will be much more likely to recall material if you spread out your study time across several days rather than trying to cram everything into one extended session. This can aid in profoundly ingraining information so that you can remember it for a long time.

Arranging a Quiet Area for Study- It’s crucial to have a dedicated study space that is free from distractions and enables productive study time. You will be aware that you are there to learn if you are comfortable in your study space. Your general motivation to study will be aided by this way of thinking. Pick a study spot that is peaceful, well-lit, and away from busy areas. Don’t, for example, study at the dining room table if your family or roommates will be entering and exiting the kitchen often.

Quiz Yourself- Quizzing yourself or having someone else quiz you are an excellent retrieval exercise. By using this learning method, you may readily store information in your long-term memory and access it later. Writing down an answer to a question also helps you commit it to memory, which enhances learning.

Avoid Distracting Things- From cell phones to social media to pals, distractions are there everywhere. Understand what distracts you in class and how to avoid these distractions. If you anticipate being distracted, avoid sitting next to pals. Making sure you are paying attention to your teacher will be easier if you turn off your cell phone.

If you’re unclear, ask questions- If there is anything you don’t understand, raise your hand and ask a question. Write yourself a note to remind you to speak with the teacher after class if you don’t feel comfortable asking in front of everyone.

Taking Group Studies- You are more likely to stay engaged when working with classmates in an interactive setting. By doing so, you have the opportunity to challenge one another’s understanding of the subject matter and build one another up personally.

Putting it another way- A lot of us have read a few chapters in a textbook only to find that we didn’t remember a single idea or important detail. Use purposeful learning techniques to demonstrate to your pupils how to avoid this. There are several ways to do this, including connecting what is being taught to prior information, imagining how to convey the material to a 5-year-old, and reflecting on and asking questions about it.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

Successful people don’t do different things, they do normal things differently. It is very much evident that people who are excelling in their fields have a different approach to their quotidian day-to-day things. One such paramount thing is their morning routine. Do you want to perform exceedingly well in your field? Putting in some extra effort would make huge differences in no time. A structured morning routine will encourage you to set up your day realistically, which will promote mental and physical wellness. 

But before you get cracking with your everyday tasks, here is a simple list of things you can do to make the most of your day.

5 things to do in the morning for being successful:

1. Clean your surroundings: First things first, clean your bed after waking up. This way your sleeping area would become clutter-free, and so be your brain. Sometimes you encounter inner resistance and laziness, there are days when you don’t want to leave your bed and even doing your bed seems a hefty task. But don’t succumb to your inner resistance, instead, take it as the very first achievement of your day. Completing this very first task will boost your morale to stretch your limits throughout the day. This brings you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to fight your everyday battles.

 2. Self-affirmations would work wonders

Morning is the time when you can visualise some positive affirmations for yourself. This will create self-belief in you.

Self-care is the key to better health and wellness. Your state of mind in the morning can influence your whole day ahead. It’s quite natural that you doubt yourself and your capabilities sometimes, but starting your day on this note would make you feel gloomy and upset all day. Try to channelise your new morning energy into positive thoughts, you will gain the strength to tackle all the odds. A dramatic increase in self-confidence and efficiency can be achieved by this simple act. Repeat your affirmations daily with a firm belief and intention. 

3. Greet yourself

Most of us greet our elders and senior professionals, but we forget to greet ourselves or respect ourselves. While sitting on the bed or standing on the balcony, greet yourself aloud: “good morning to me. A beautiful day is awaiting me and I will accomplish all my tasks today.” 

Feel the positivity and warmth in your aura. The energy you feel when you realise your capabilities is surreal. Instead of seeking social validation and acceptance, start treating yourself the way you want to be treated right from the beginning of your day. You won’t need any external stimulation or materialistic things to make you feel happy.

Drink a full glass of lukewarm water or tea/coffee by the side of your window or on the balcony with your unfiltered thoughts. Nourish your individuality by paying heed to your notions in the early morning. You become what you visualise, hence start your day with a positive mindset.

4. Plan out your day 

There are fewer chances of slipping into your old habits when you have a list of things to do. Get up early in the morning, or at least wake up at a fixed time and save some extra time in your hands to organise your to-do list for the day. This way you can prioritise your important things and revisit your short-term goals. There are dime a dozen examples of achievers who got success by changing their habits.

Although it is possible that you might not be able to accomplish all your tasks, ticking off even a few things, in the beginning, is quite okay. Don’t overburden yourself.

5. Spend some time in nature: the antidote to exhaustion

Nature and music are the best healers. A recent study published in the International Journal of Mental health and addiction,2022 determined that mental health conditions like anxiety can be effectively cured by nature therapy. Go for some light stretching exercises or brisk walking in your garden area or porch along with motivational music or any music of your choice. Music and workout is the best fit to relax your mind and body.

Meditate and fit in a workout:

Data suggests that physically fit individuals have more productivity throughout the day. Your physical health reflects your mental health. Therefore, to be in the highest of your spirits, one must include workouts and meditation in their daily regimen.

Meditation and mindfulness relax your mind, resulting in positive affirmations. Take time to sit with your thoughts and visualise yourself to achieve your goals.

Each day brings new challenges and obstacles, but performing a retrospective by looking back at your previous achievements would encourage you for betterment. These morning routine tips are easy to follow, and religious follow-up of a morning routine can do wonders if you want to achieve great heights of success.

Along with these tips, we have gathered some scientific research that can increase your efficiency manyfold.

Avoid scrolling down your phone during the initial hours

Most people these days tend to check their phones as soon as they wake up. Scrolling down your phone leads to a waste of your crucial time which will put you on a guilt trip for the rest of day.

What are the ill effects of checking your phone first in the morning?

 Sleep cycle in terms of waves can be roughly represented as:

Delta waves(deep sleep) —– Theta waves(light sleep) —-alpha waves(just awake)— Beta waves(fully awake )

The human brain when switches from deep sleep to light sleep, makes a transition from the delta waves to theta waves, which then move and produce alpha waves when the person is just awake but the brain is not highly active. When the brain starts processing information and complex thinking, it reaches the beta stage.

By scrolling your phone first in the morning, your body makes a skip from delta(deep sleep) to direct beta stage( wide awake), leaving theta and alpha stages. This sudden transition can be risky in the long run as it puts an excess burden on your brain for making the quick switch.

According to the Scientific American reports, the theta stage has a very vital role as the mind’s free flow ideation and subconscious visualisation occurs in this state. Your subconscious mind plays a very important role in visualising your near future and becoming what you want to become.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

If you love pushing your tasks till the last moment and then panicking at the end, you know the hassle of trying to meet deadlines while handling your procrastination. Completing the task is one thing and gathering the effort and energy to begin it is another. If you are a chronic procrastinator, you understand the energy you have to put in to push yourself to complete a task. As you go through this article, you will know why you procrastinate while working and how you can deal with this habit of yours to ease your life.

Why do people procrastinate?

Procrastination begins when you have to complete a given task within the stipulated time, but you continue to delay it till the last moment. You know that if you start this task early, you will be able to complete it on time, but your inner self disagrees. People tend to procrastinate in their work because their desire to delay the task till the last moment outweighs their desire to complete the task. Some of the many reasons why people end up procrastinating include:

1. Lack of proper motivation and self-control. You begin to perform a task when you feel motivated and have a strong reason why you want to perform the task. Lack of motivation often leads to procrastination. You may realize that upon accomplishment of the task, you may get a reward, but the rewards aren’t motivating enough at times.

You may also find yourself distracted through social media and electronic devices, and time management may be an issue for you. You may be addicted to your devices and spend hours scrolling through social media, doing nothing productive.

2. You are delaying the task to ‘feel good’ at the present moment and not bothering about the outcomes. You may sometimes enter an extremely comfortable space, such as sleeping or lying on a bed, and moving from there or making up your mind to work feels difficult. Your mind prefers to stay in a quiet and resting position avoiding all possible work.  

3. Your mood, at times, decides whether you wish to begin a particular task or not. Sometimes you may feel too low and end up procrastinating and not completing the task.

You may also avoid work simply because you don’t ‘feel like working.’ This happens when you let your mood take charge and decide if you ‘wish’ to work or not.

4. Overlapping lots of tasks, so you end up completing none. Sometimes you may have bundles of tasks aligned in front of you, so you won’t get the motivation to start. The pile of work seems so demotivating that people end up not beginning to work at all. Overburdening your brain with lots and lots of tasks may be one of the reasons why your brain decides not to work.

How to avoid procrastination

1. Gather motivation

The first and foremost thing that will take you a step closer to an accomplished task is motivation. When you motivate yourself to work hard towards achieving a goal, completing the task becomes more manageable. You may try thinking about the result that you may achieve after the successful completion of the task.

 

2. Divide the task into small chunks

Sometimes your brain avoids completing some work simply because it is time-consuming and lengthy. To ease the process, divide the task into small chunks. This will ease the process for you and lessen the burden on your brain. Once you see small chunks of tasks in front of you, you may get the motivation to complete the tasks one by one.

 

3. Reward yourself

Once you complete a specific portion of the work, reward yourself with a small treat, such as a bar of chocolate. This tricks your mind into thinking that it will get rewarded on completion of every bit of the work, and your working efficiency and capacity will be increased.

 

4. Prioritize your work

You may have multiple tasks in front of you, which may be why your mind is procrastinating. Prioritize your work according to its importance and then focus on completing the more important task first. This way, you will get rid of the most critical tasks first, and then you can plan to complete the remaining work later.

 

5. Keep all sorts of distractions away

Television, laptop, and mobile phones are the primary cause of distractions that will deviate your mind from the actual task. You may use these to relax in between work, but while you have made up your mind to work on a specific task, try to avoid all these distractions.

Social media is the most crucial factor that deviates your mind and divides your dedication and concentration.

 

6. Plug in soft, soothing instrumental music

If you can concentrate on your work with music playing, you may play soft instrumental music in the background as you prepare to accomplish your goals. Music helps to calm down your mind and helps you concentrate your focus on the object of importance.

 

7. Organize your tasks and plan your day

It has been seen that when you plan your day prior, your chances of completing work on time increase many folds. If you have a to-do list in your mind and a proper schedule, you may be able to concentrate better on your work. Don’t overburden your brain with a timetable or schedule that is impossible to follow. Set up realistic goals and tick down the objectives on your to-do list as you approach its end. A completing to-do list with points ticked off provides you with the motivation to work harder and tick off all the work listed.

 

 

8. Don’t stress your mind with the additional burden.

When your brain begins to panic about an incomplete task, completing it becomes even trickier. It’s ok if you have procrastinated the entire day and are now deciding to complete the work. Leave stress and any tension regarding the work and its deadlines aside and focus on what can be done next. Don’t make yourself feel bad when you find yourself procrastinating. This will worsen the situation for you. Focus on finding the solution rather than crying about the problem.

 

Procrastinating till the last minute not only makes the situation difficult for you but also lands you in a situation where you complete a certain amount of work within a few hours that you would have otherwise done in a few days. This results in increased tension to accomplish the deadlines and also compromises the quality of work that you provide.

 

Procrastinating till the last moment and realizing that time just slipped off your hands makes the situation challenging. You may instead adopt measures that may help in developing motivation and self-confidence within you, so you complete the task available at hand. Remember that ‘early bird gets the worm.’ You may undoubtedly have an advantage over others when you complete a task on time and do not postpone it till the last moment. So stop procrastinating and get in action! Good things are waiting for you.

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Article by Riya Vasudeva

Life is stressful enough without adding to it, but many people do just that in one way or another, often without even realizing it. Recognizing when you might be unnecessarily making things worse for yourself is the first step toward relaxing. The same goes for the life of a student as well. Every year, it seems like the start of the school year goes by so quickly.. But don’t worry; there are lots of strategies to help you avoid the anxiety and stress that deadlines might bring on. 

Instead of blaming yourself, why not find out what you can do to quit the self-destructive behavior and become your own best stress-relieving ally? Here is a list of tried-and-true advice to help you stay organized and focused as you approach your examinations and any upcoming assignment due dates so that you don’t put too much pressure on yourself with your studies

Set up a plan

Even if you are unsure of the precise dates of each exam, you should at this point be aware of the week(s) in which it is planned. You should also have a good notion of when essays are due. Plan your work schedule immediately to gain a good start. Give yourself a goal to meet each week, whether it is for reading, researching, writing, or revising, to ensure that you are on track to do everything in time for the deadlines. It’s a good idea to buy a wall calendar or notebook so you can mark down significant events. You will benefit from being able to easily understand how much time you have left and when you will work on what.

Perfection is unattainable

Despite the urge to be perfect, this belief is harmful to your whole outlook on life and is not beneficial. Working hard is great, but there is a big difference between giving it your all and trying to be flawless. Problems arise when we try to make everything ideal and things don’t turn out as we had hoped. Self-doubt begins to set in at this stage. Everybody makes mistakes every day, and no one is perfect or always correct. Getting things wrong has several benefits, including the opportunity to learn from mistakes, which can help you advance and improve.

The key is balance

One of the best traits in life is the ability to work hard. It displays your concern. But it’s crucial to pay attention to how you feel at the end of the day, week, or day of school. Keeping your life in balance and releasing pressure on yourself are both essential components of stress management. Self-care is the primary strategy for managing stress. When it comes to properly caring for yourself, doing something that makes you feel peaceful and happy can go a long way. A relaxing lunchtime stroll, a friendly conversation with a friend, a weekend swim, or even a bubble bath at the end of the day are all good options. Regardless of how you unwind, taking care of yourself will support a healthy amount of pressure. Stress and pressure frequently coexist in people’s lives. Pressure can contribute to both. By keeping a journal of your feelings, you’ll be able to identify the internal cues your body uses to say, “STOP… A respite is necessary.

Establish a comfortable study atmosphere

If you intend to study at home, make sure your space is organized and your workstation is free of distractions. As the saying goes, a clear environment fosters a clear mind, which is exactly what you need when working. Additionally, if your study room is a place you enjoy being, you’ll have an easier time concentrating. To create your ideal study sanctuary, take a little effort like adding a potted plant and good lighting. Additionally, soothing music and scented reed diffusers can help you unwind and relax, which will help you focus on your task.

Take periodical pauses

Studies have repeatedly shown that regular breaks help pupils work more efficiently. By dividing up your revision or essay writing into small parts, you’re more likely to maintain attention and keep your mind engaged on the task at hand. You should leave your workstation for 15 minutes every 45 minutes of focused work. Your brain will appreciate it later whether you go outside for some fresh air, do some short cleaning, or stretch.

Eat healthily and drink plenty of water

Students frequently lose sight of their well-being during exam periods as they become too preoccupied with their work. Staying hydrated and avoiding junk food are the simplest ways to assist yourself in performing at your best. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to consume a large glass of water every couple of hours along with some wholesome fruit and nuts as you study. When you’re trying to be productive, the last thing you want is to feel angry and tired from eating foods heavy in fat or not drinking enough water.

Treat yourself

The secret to maintaining motivation when studying is to treat yourself. These can be little incentives, like a square of chocolate for every paragraph you write or an episode of your favorite Netflix show when you’ve mastered editing a particular subject. Consider rewarding yourself with bigger items, like a night out with friends or purchasing those pair of boots you’ve had your eye on for months, when you feel like you’ve been working very hard or when papers have been turned in and examinations have been completed. Never forget that just because it’s exam season, you still deserve to have fun.

Don’t stay up all night; you’ll regret it

You may believe that by working all night, you are keeping up with your academics. However, working all night and getting little sleep might harm your health and hinder your productivity. Staying focused and learning effectively depends on getting a good night’s sleep. When studying, memory consolidation during sleep is crucial for converting short-term memory to long-term memory. To ensure that you obtain the required amount of sleep each night, replace the extra cups of coffee with your bed.

Quitting self-imposed pressure is difficult. Perhaps you even worry that if you unwind a little, everything will fall apart. To feel better and lead a better life, you may need to put less pressure on yourself. Don’t forget that you don’t have to isolate yourself from the outside world and remain in your room if you have work to accomplish.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

Choosing a right career option paves the path for our future. Generally students at their 10+2 level are not mature enough or aware about blooming career fields in the market other than medicine. Every biology student’s prime focus is on NEET and getting a government MBBS seat is considered as the only victory. But there are a lot of other career options too which can fetch you equally respectful and well-paying jobs .In Fact, some of these courses are much more easy and provide you handsome salaries within a shorter span of 3-4 years.

Majority of students keep on dropping year after year for the sake of getting a medical seat in reputed colleges. This situation leads to anxiety and depression among students after multiple drop years , which we think is the biggest demerit of the medical field. Students don’t realise that even after clearing medical entrance, MBBS is a long run. It easily takes 10-12 years to become a super speciality doctor in India. Whereas the options we have gathered are easy to study and can be completed in a shorter span with good job opportunities ,not compromising on the pay scale too .Some of these courses offer much higher packages compared to MBBS after graduation.

Can PCB students pursue engineering?

Did you know? Most of the biology students don’t even know that they can pursue engineering without having maths as their subject in 10+2. As engineering and medicine are still the top priority of students in India, engineering is a more prominent field in this time.It is no surprise that many of you would be wondering How can a biology student do engineering? There are several entrance exams conducted by universities which offer btech in biotechnology, food technology and agriculture for PCB group students. We have covered the detailed information below in this article.

There are a lot of options to choose for PCB students, we have sorted the best career options on the basis of scope, job opportunities and payscale.We have also provided the courses offered and average salary for different career paths alongside .

1. Engineering
2. Clinical research
3. Genetics
4. Bioinformatics
5. Pharmacy 
6. Biotechnology
7. Agriculture
8. Life sciences
9. Microbiology
10. Psychology                
11. Paramedical 
12. Physiotherapy
13. Ayurveda
14. Naturopathy
15. Dental sciences
16. Veterinary
17. Unani medicine
18. Homoeopathy .       

 

1.Engineering

It is the most sorted and widely accepted career path after Medicine. One can easily land a good job with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. It is one of those fields in which a masters degree is not necessary for getting a good job.

 

Various ways to enter engineering field being a PCB student: Some states like Uttar Pradesh conducted their own entrance exams like UPCET but now most of these universities have merged into CUET(Central universities entrance test). Some private universities like Amity University also allow PCB students to do Btech.

 

2. Clinical research

It is the best path for those who have a keen interest in research .It involves conduction of experiments and research by professionals to find answers of scientific questions in medicine and biomedical zones. The roles one can get in this field are clinical researcher, research associate, project manager and research pharmacist Courses:

• B.Sc. clinical research
• M.Sc. clinical research

Other bachelor’s courses in chemistry, biology and life sciences can also be opted for pursuing research.

Salary- median salary is around 3.5 lakhs per annum in India

3.Genetics.

Genetics and molecular biology are very blooming fields in recent times ,it is expected that the scope of this field would increase many folds in upcoming years. It is a less chosen path because of lack of awareness, but if you are interested in scientific principles of genetics and applied genetics, this field is for you. Genetics is changing lives of people by gene therapy and treatment of genetic diseases. The recombinant DNA technology and DNA fingerprinting have been very useful for us 

Courses:

B.Sc. genetics

M.Sc. applied genetics

M.Sc. Human genetics

M.Sc. biomedical genetics

Salary- average salary is around 4 lakhs INR

4.Bioinformatics

This profession incorporates the use of biology, computer science and information technology to analyse and interpret biomedical data. If you are interested in computers, this field is a classic fusion of biology and information technology.

Courses:

B.Sc. bioinformatics

M.Sc. bioinformatics

Salary- a high pay scale of 9 lakhs can be achieved in this

5.Forensics

Forensic science has a very major application in criminalistics .The main job of a forensic scientist is to analyse crime scenes and evidence, record the observations and findings .

Courses:

B.Sc. forensics 

M.Sc. forensics 

Salary – basic salary starts from 3-6 lpa for freshers

5.Biotechnology 

It is a fusion of biology and technology and is providing many job opportunities for students interested in technology but having PCB group in their 10+2. Manufacturing of new vaccines and amplification of genes to detect diseases is an example of application of biotechnology 

Courses:

B.Sc. biotechnology

M.Sc. biotechnology

Salary- around 5 lakhs

6. Pharmacy

Various pharmaceutical companies hire pharmacy graduates for the roles of medical representative,research and product managing.

Courses: 

B.pharmacy

D.pharmacy

M.pharmacy

Salary-3-6 lakhs

7.Life sciences

Very reputed universities like Delhi University and other central universities offer Bachelor’s degrees in life sciences which can further be continued for research or educational professions. These universities conduct entrance examinations and admission are done on the basis of entrance results.

Courses:

B.Sc. botany 

B.Sc. zoology

B.Sc. environmental sciences

B.Sc microbiology

 Salary- 3.5 lakhs 

Other courses like BPT (Bachelor’s of physiotherapy), BDS(bachelor of Dental surgery), BAMS(bachelor of ayurvedic medicine and surgery), BUMS(bachelor of unani medicine and surgery), BHMS(bachelor of homoeopathic medicine and surgery), BNYS(bachelor of naturopathy and yogic sciences), BVSc(bachelor of veterinary sciences) and nursing can be opted directly from NEET as these are medicine related courses other than MBBS.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

We know anxiety is more than just “worries”. It can influence classroom performance just as much any other learning disability. Anyone who is worried and anxious isn’t doing it on purpose, the nervous system is acting automatically. That’s why “just relax” or “calm down” won’t be doing wonders.

As a student you’ve got a lot on your plate so sometimes stress can get in the way of this juggling act. Normal levels of stress from time to time are expected and can sometimes  be beneficial depending on the circumstances. But, when stress continues at unhealthy levels for an extended period, it can impact studying, concentration and self esteem. When not properly treated, stress affects all aspects of daily life. It can prevent students from reaching their academic goals, which can then lead to developing anxiety or other mental health conditions.

Although often used interchangeably, stress and anxiety have a couple of differences.

Physical Symptoms of stress include:

• Headache, dizziness or shaking
• Chest pains or racing heart
• Muscle tension or jaw clenching
• Aches and pains
• Trouble sleeping or exhaustion
• High blood pressure
• Weakened immune system

Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Stomach pain, nausea or digestive issues
• Headache
• Insomnia or waking up frequently
• Weakness or fatigue
• Pounding or racing heart
• Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
• Sweating, trembling or shaking
• Muscle tension

 

When you recognize that you have become overwhelmed with stress or anxiety are struggling to work through solutions, it’s a good time to ask for help or adopt strategies to help you manage your triggers more effectively.

Exercise

‘Regular exercise can help relieve stress in many ways.’ There is breathing centered exercise like yoga, which is good for grounding and breathing management. Aerobic exercise can equally manage stress hormones, release tension and increase endorphin levels creating a ‘feel good’ vibe. Sports and activities can add a social dimension that can additionally support someone with stress management, as we know that social engagement benefits our mental health and wellbeing.

 

Mindfulness

A relaxation technique originating in Buddhism, mindfulness is a popular coping mechanism for those tackling stress or anxiety. One of the most accessible ways to practice this is through the use of free smartphone apps. There is evidence that regular practice can improve the body’s response to stress and anxiety.

 

Talking to someone

Isolation can have an extremely negative impact on your happiness. Accepting that you need help and talking to someone is the first step to feeling better.

Talking about what is stressing you out can be useful. Try to be clear on whether you are looking for advice or just need someone to listen.

Speak to your friends and family- they know you best and care about you the most.

Time management

Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day? Well you aren’t alone. We often get stressed when they feel that they are running out of time to complete a task. However, simple time management techniques can help you to feel more relaxed and focused.

Try creating a written schedule, breaking your tasks down into manageable chunks, planning accordingly and allocating yourself time everyday to relax.

 

Getting enough sleep

This might sounds like an obvious solution but it’s often overlooked. Your mental health and wellbeing relies on you getting enough sleep, as we can’t function at 100% when we are tired.

Try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time each day. This might not be realistic every night but aim towards this goal more often than not.

Sleep is important for recuperating the body’s systems and allowing us to process. If we don’t get enough sleep, this can make us more irritable, impact on our concentration, coordination and make us more vulnerable to mental health problems.

 

Other stress-busting methods:

1. Take your mind off it. Do something you enjoy and that will distract you for a while like listening to music, reading etc.
2. Eat healthy and consume fresh food.
3. Change your mindset and adopt a positive attitude.
4. Take a break from social media. Comparing yourself and your productivity to others is a recipe for disaster.
5. Laugh (It’s a lame one). But yes laughing out loud actually increases oxygen and blood flow, which immediately reduces stress. So spending  time with a funny friend might help.

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Article by Avantika Gurjar

Because of many sources of distraction, students frequently struggle in class to focus. It can occasionally be due to the use of technology in class. Focus issues could also result from improper organization or a failure to understand what is being taught in class.

 

The biggest difficulty of taking an online course, in my opinion, is maintaining discipline. It makes sense to pay attention, take notes, and learn something when you attend a traditional class in a classroom because you are already “trapped” there for the entire class session. There can be a desire to divert from the material being presented to you in an online course that you can complete at your own pace.

Things that can occupy a student’s attention while taking an online course include-

‍Online gaming

At this point, online gaming is at its height. Demands for online gaming are rising daily. One of the problems affecting pupils’ academic performance is the distractions that the various online game programmes cause in classrooms.

Social Media

The majority of students’ time is spent on social media. They are also psychologically and emotionally impacted by these, which makes them uninterested in their education and extracurricular activities.

Entertainment Videos

Smartphones are also capable of accessing streaming services. This greatly distracts from the task at hand. Additionally, it causes ongoing distractions because students’ use of their devices and the content they access cannot always be watched.

Apps for Online Messaging

Students conversing on their internet messaging apps during lectures is another illustration of a distraction in the classroom. This distracts not only individuals who are using their devices but also the other pupils who are in the room.

Ineffective Learning

On websites and blogs, students can get a lot of information. Reading these during lectures can be disruptive, even though some of it may be helpful. The learning that takes place in the classroom is impacted, and pupils frequently miss out on essential information that their teachers might share with them.

How, therefore, can you maintain your concentration while taking and studying for an online class? Here are some tips:

 

Learn Your Weaknesses and Strengths

Each person experiences distractions differently. What may help one individual tune out distractions may inadvertently distract another. To assist block out distractions from their environment, some students might prefer to listen to music while they write or read.

But for certain people, a focus-aiding tool could become a distraction. The lyrics of a song or the captivating melodies of instrumental music can easily draw one in. While reading, students can find themselves singing along instead. Detecting distractions is the first step in eliminating them.

 

Create a designated study space

Avoid using your dining room or kitchen table as a classroom. Instead, create a calm desk where you won’t be interrupted by noise from your home. An established study space is a crucial component of focusing on an online course and maintaining it.

 

Pace Yourself

Break up your study session to prevent yourself from being too exhausted because taking online classes may be a real chore. You may, for instance, study for 30 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. There are numerous benefits to taking a 5-minute walk break during extended study sessions, according to research.

 

Every night, get adequate rest.

Most focus issues can be resolved with a good night’s sleep. Poor sleep can leave you drowsy, unfocused, and just generally “out of it.” Knowing your limits is one of the finest pieces of advice for online learning. Avoid studying so late at night that you have trouble falling asleep and can’t concentrate in class the next day. Your list of things to accomplish will be useful in this situation. To make sure you have time in your schedule to unwind after a hard day of learning, set a goal to finish everything by a certain time.

 

 

 

Students’ productivity is hampered by interruptions in class, which also makes them more stressed. Students will receive the assistance they deserve if they understand what creates distractions. Additionally, it will stop others from being disturbed while in class, which will enhance the environment and academic success of each student.

 

However, by employing the proper methods consistently, these issues can be resolved. High school children can overcome these challenges, learn to use their technology responsibly, and improve their concentration in class with the support of their parents’ or teachers’ supervision.

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Article by Sujata Bayan

For clearing any competitive exam or for being a successful student, having a productive Sunday routine is very important. As Sunday is the only day in the whole week which we have completely to ourselves without any classes , utilising your day in an effective manner is a must.

What is the importance of Sunday in student life?

Everyday is equally important for a student, but weekdays are quite hectic and organising your weekdays according to yourself is quite tough as the time gets distributed in classes , but one can easily plan their Sunday in the most effective way to utilise every bit of it. By utilising Sunday, doesn’t only mean studying the whole day, that’s practically impossible. There are other things too, which will make your Sunday more profitable. As a productive Sunday will boost you up for the week ahead.

 

If you want to utilise your Sundays properly, the following list is a great place to start:

Wake up early, complete your daily chores

Set your goals

Prioritise your mental well-being

Analyse past mistakes and volatile topics

Clean your study space

Devote time to friends and family

 

What is a productive Sunday?

Taking Sunday as an extra credit and doing all your vitally important extra curricular things is considered as having a productive Sunday. This helps in yielding favourable results for the upcoming days.

Things you can do for utilising your Sunday:

1. Set goals

Set your weekly goals and targets. Make time to decide a tentative study plan for each day seperately.Long term study plans tend to seem vast and non-achievable, and not completing it on time would put you under pressure whereas short term study plans are more realistic and productive. You can make your short term plans for a week or for every single day in particular. Try to complete your targets, even if you are not able to fully stick to it, still it would motivate you for the next day to stretch your limits and do more.

 

Make sure you take some time out for  physical fitness in your schedule as it is scientifically proven that physical activities can increase your productivity. According to studies, students who participate in physical activities get better sleep and this increases their ability to focus and manage stress. It reduces the risks of anxiety and depression among students.

 

 

2. Give time to mental health

After a hectic week of studying, your brain also needs some rest . Although sleep can help in rejuvenating your nerve cells, another very important aspect for mental well-being is meditation. It does not only relax your mind but also helps you build concentration and focus. You already know the value of both for a student. It also helps in sharpening your retention power. In 2013, researchers found meditation can help in reducing anxiety and depression too. So, starting your Sunday with a light meditation and exercises would be very beneficial. For references, you can search out guided meditation on your browser or YouTube .

 

3. Analyse past mistakes and revise volatile topics

You must be facing topics which are hard to remember .Sunday is the day when you can alot at least 2 hrs to revise your previous volatile topics to remember them for a longer time.

 

Tests and mock tests are very important during preparation, but analysing your mistakes in paper and why you committed those mistakes have a greater importance. For instance, one should go through the paper after test and see for the conceptual errors, silly mistakes and new questions to jot down in a separate notebook,referred as mistake notebook.  Toppers reveal that they review their mistake notebook multiple times so that they do not repeat the same mistake. On Sundays you can revise your mistake notebook and short notes .

 

4. Cleaning your study space and room

Organising your room and study space tends to look a bit tedious task during weekdays but it can be done on weekends or every alternate Sunday. A clean study space helps in concentrating more. It spreads a whole new energy to your room.

 

5. Spend time with friends and family

Spending leisure time with your kith and kin fills you with joy and enthusiasm. If you are living away from home, take out time and talk to your parents or go for an outing with friends.

 

6. Hobbies

As students ,we don’t devote much time to extra curricular activities, but hobbies are what keeps us alive during continuous study time.  One can easily revisit their hobbies on Sunday.

 

 

In these ways , you can plan your day according to the  time slots which suits you best.

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Article by Alishka Kushwaha

The period before Diwali Vacations was so much better and easier. All one could think about was going home. Some of you wanted to relax, while some had a list of topics you wanted to revisit and learn. Whether you ticked off your To-Do List or not, Diwali Vacations are over and now a new word has taken your fancy, MAJOR TESTS.

What are Major tests?

Coaching institutes conduct various types of tests of different formats through out the year. In this article, we’ll be covering Major tests and their importance. Major tests are conducted after every three minor tests in most institutes. They are named so because of the scope of syllabus covered in the respective tests. Major tests comparatively cover a wider scope of syllabus compared to other formats.

Why are Major tests important?

1. Preparing for major test is much similar to preparing for the actual test where you have to revise a huge number of topics efficiently in a short time.
2. Preparing for major tests sharpens your efficiency, time management and decision-making skills and helps you practice how to revise rapidly in a short amount of time.
3. Major tests cover a wide range of topics and syllabus and hence closely mimic the actual exams.
4. Major tests are better are evaluating your memory retention capacities as the topics are not closely related unlike Minor tests.
5. Major tests teach better time division skills because the scope of topics is wide apart.
6. Major tests better help evaluate your strategies you use to approach a test.
7. They also help you play your strength and weaknesses better and hence manage your time properly because the test syllabus is widespread.
8. Major tests also help to test your memory retrieval skill as you have to mentally skim through a broad syllabus in a small span of time.
9. The results of Major test help in better analysis of your shortcomings, as it is a close mimic of the actual test.
10. The ranks and percentile of major tests provide more accurate reflection of where your performance really stands.

Major Test or Minor test?

A lot of students tend to misjudge either format of test. While both tests are important if one has to choose between either, you should be well informed.

Minor tests deal with small number of topics, hence have the scope of covering a topic in intricate details. This might sound like a good idea but is only effective in 2 scenarios.

1. If you are a beginner and have ample time for covering a topic from scratch.
2. If you have covered your syllabus well and are confident. And you are looking to give your preparation an extra edge over other candidates.

Minor tests are a very bad idea to focus on if you are somebody with less time and have a perfectionist attitude.

Major tests might sound scary and might intimidate you at first but should be a go to option for anybody trying to wrap up their preparation, get over their perfectionism or revise the entire syllabus in small amount of time and a smaller number of tests. Since the scope of Major tests is enormous, examiners and test setters tend to focus on the most important topics of the syllabus. Which is exactly what happens in the actual test. The scope of questions mostly revolves around NCERT, the holy grail of Competitive exams.

Online or Offline?

While opting the format is a luxury only to those who go for exclusive test series, we will still be covering this question. Why? Well, cause where else are you going to look?

Online or Offline is mainly a decision of preference, but it would also be better to take into account the format of the actual exam you are aiming for. This will prepare you for challenges of the real life.

While Offline tests help you practice filling OMR, which trust us, is a very vital part of your preparations for the competitive exams, online exams have the leniency of changing your answers after you have marked them, and helps reduce negative marking due to silly mistakes.

So, like we said earlier, all formats of tests are important and crucial to your test prep, but in the event, you have to choose, we hope this article comes in handy. Manifesting nothing but success your way.

 

We all want to get successful in life whether we are students, preparing for competitive exams or anybody else in order to lead a happy and healthy life.

As a student, by success we mean to score good marks and picture ourselves in our dream college. As a good student, our first priority must always be studies and we must manage our time in an effective way by setting smart goals. But shouldn’t we get involved in other co-curricular and extra-curricular activities while preparing for exam to maintain a balance? If we manage the time effectively and stay punctual always we will be easily getting time to study and meanwhile enjoy our hobbies and get time to play our favourite sports. You must know even sugar intake is good if it is in some ounce.

Don’t bother much playing your favourite sports or getting involved in other activities is definitely not a waste of time, not only there will be a boost in your state of mind but also extracurricular enriches your survival in college as there are many clubs and groups which will make your four-five years of college a little better. Adding on, they are all around a lot of fun.

 “Get the most out of your student years”

 

If you think that being a student is all about hitting every page and line of a standard book, take comfort in knowing that this is far from the truth! There will definitely be times when you need to wave goodbye to your social life and other activities to make 100% of it but your student days are much more than exam and only exam and taking little breaks to rejuvenate is never a bad idea. So to make most of it and having a life ‘outside the classroom’ maybe these tips can help-

1.Choose subject that interests you.

This is the only beauty  you will see, once you pass your tenth boards you choose what you study so the best tip is to choose subjects that interest you. Look for the subject that challenge you or allow you to further develop an area of interest.

2. Avoid doing the bare minimum.

Change the mind-set that being a student is just about compulsory subjects and that one exam. Get involved in group discussions, debates and student programs.

Beyond that, if you want to join a charity event where you can teach unprivileged class of society, don’t take the step back. Letting alone the college application, these are just things that make you a more productive member of society and a completely better human being.

3.  Passion over pressure.

Don’t to something just for the sake of “it will look good on application”. Don’t do something just because parents want you to. Don’t do something just because your friends are doing it. DO SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU WANT TO! This is your future! Carpe diem it!

4. Quantity ? Quality.

Choose what you want to do wisely, as this is gonna be a BIG TIME COMMITMENT. Don’t be the one whose plate is too full to do anything valuable. It will be a lose-lose and won’t help anybody and you will end up stressed and wasn’t this supposed to boost your state of mind?

 

I feel that students can really shine bright outside the classroom either as volunteers, interns, sportsman, or just as a concerned member of a community or team.

(I will use myself as an example. I write for IHOIK)

 

Amidst of all this just to make sure you get the most out of your studies and to achieve success here are some necessary steps :

1. Keep studies your first priority and stay committed to studies
2. Set small yet SMART and realistic goals
3. Manage your time effectively
4. Pay attention to what teachers teach
5. Avoid distractions and scrolling social media
6. Don’t compare yourself and your performance in a particular mock with others (We all have our own speedometer, don’t we?)
7. Learn from your mistakes and note them down in your brain to not repeat.
8. Follow a healthy lifestyle

 

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           Report by Avantika Gurjar

If the spirits are strong, even the most difficult destination becomes easy. The promising son of a father selling panipuri has proved this to be true. He himself used to clean the plates at his father’s panipuri shop but now he will fulfill his dream of cleaning the blockage from the heart in the human body.

Alpesh Rathod from Meghraj in Aravalli district of Gujarat, who sells panipuri with his father, has taken a giant leap of success in his life.  Alpesh has cleared the NEET exam, he will soon be able to do MBBS from a government college. He has secured 613 marks out of 700 in the NEET exam and dreaming of becoming a cardiologist.

He says that, ‘After making a career in Cardiology, i also wants to move forward in Neurology.’ The great thing is that after getting his MBBS degree, Alpesh will be the first doctor not only from his family but from the entire Kenthwa village. Along with studies, Alpesh has also been sharing his father’s hand in work.

Regarding his daily routine, he says that till class 10th, he used to wake up every morning at 4 am and help in making pani puri and masala with his father Ram Singh. After this, he used to decorate a paani puri cart for his father. In the evening after finishing school, Alpesh used to sell golgappas to the customers as well as wash the leftover utensils of the customers.

Even with this routine, Alpesh was very smart in studies. Along with working at Golgappa shop, he studied and got 93% in 10th standard. These numbers made him realize that he can achieve big goals in life. According to Alpesh, his teacher Raju Patel and his wife guided him about many career options. In those days, Alpesh’s father was suffering from eye problem, and medicine affected him. In such a situation, Alpesh gave all his hard work in the preparation of MBBS entrance exam.

It was not easy for Alpesh’s father, who earned only 15 thousand rupees a month, to accept this decision of Alpesh. His family can hardly survive with this income. In such a situation, it was very difficult to arrange money for the coaching fees of NEET. His parents said on his decision that there is a lot of risk in it, which can ruin him financially, but Alpesh somehow convinced him. He did not allow his decision to be proved wrong and that is why his family is happy with his success today.

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Report by Devesh Kumar Sharma

Kota is a city of dreams, dreams of thousands of students who decide to embark on the Journey of NEET/JEE and choose Kota as their partner. Every year, students get down at Kota Railway station with a bag full of dreams and expectations on their young shoulders. But the question is ‘Has Kota been completely honest to them?’

As soon as one hails an auto from the railway station to their institute/hostel, their attention is caught by ginormous hoardings boasting the faces of toppers of that year. Hoardings of every institute, claiming their right on the topper who won the last race, putting everyone and everything behind. At that moment, one is bedazzled, bewitched, a gush of determination fills their heart. Such is the enthusiasm and magic of this city. Kota finally touches their hearts and sows the seeds of dreams, determination and motivation. It is nothing but truth when I say every student dreams of their face on the posters in that moment. But is it dream or a mere mirage they decide to chase in the moment? Are these posters the only and entire truth of this journey? Is your journey only successful if you reach these posters?

Not only this, as soon as the exam concludes, various institutes start claiming their position on the rank list. They have huge roadshows, posters about it. They felicitate the students even before the results are declared. And this escalates to a whole next level as soon as the results are out. Cash-prizes and expensive gifts and tours are announced for the toppers, there are interviews and exclusive sessions. So, is your journey only successful if it ends here?

No. Absolutely not!! Because what you see on these posters is far from even a portion of the truth of this journey. How come posters of different colours have the same faces? How come a single child enrolled in multiple courses over a course of a single year? Is it possible? NO! The topper that you see today was a student like you in the beginning of his journey, right? They got the same opportunities as you, right? NO!

We will never try and undermine the blood and sweat these students have put in to end up where they are. Of course, they did something extraordinary to end up victorious in this race. They put in hours, sacrifices, sheer hard work and focus. But we’ll also not let rest of you be deluded by a small part of the whole truth and question your capabilities.

So, here’s the thing, what you see is actually marketing and not the truth. It’s a way to ensure that the class rooms are filled in the following year. Institutes know completely well how to leave an imprint of young malleable minds. You will be told of success stories, glamourised struggles, spicy personal life titbits. What you will not be told of is the real truth. Truth about how the toppers had a slightly different path than you.

Every batch starts with a few students that have been part of coaching institutes as early as 8^th or 9^th class. In the first month, things are normal. But after the first test the dynamics start changing. The focus now revolves around the toppers of these tests. A few institutes take it up a notch and have special groups for rankers where they have exclusive tests and classes for them. Is it fair? We don’t know. We won’t be talking about that here, because life isn’t fair. We will only put the truth in front of you. However, this kind of distinctions remain in practice till the end of session.

A lot of these students sign up for DLP or change institutes and this is marketed by both the institutes to their profits when the results are out. This is you’ll see various institutes advertising their claim on the same student.

So, is the journey already meaningless before it even starts? No! What we don’t realise or acknowledge is the growth one underwent over the course of this journey. If you secured a college that is as good victory as anybody else, if you didn’t then you realise a new journey of self-retrospection. You either realise, your heart lies somewhere else, or you have a checklist of what not to do the next time. And its not all about whether or not you land up a college, it is also about the basic life skills you learnt, all the new things you discovered in yourself.

Another question that comes is, “So, Will we never make it to  posters?”. Well, we don’t know, neither does anybody else. All that is in your hand is being honest. Honest to yourself and your goals and your dreams.   Once you are honest to yourself, you get focussed. Know that there is no shortcut, there is no alternative to practice and persistence. With a lot of hard work, you never know!

 

 

 

 

Kota is not so very mysterious place, but is it a simple city? No. Kota is full of surprises and hence you should be prepared for what is coming unto your life when you first step here. Kota as most of you know is the study hub but it is just not limited to that. As a student you should expect myriad number of vibrant opportunities.

This article will tell you the Dos N Don’ts once you’re in Kota. Now this is not a hard layout but just a general guideline of what have been observed in the past few years. It is not targeted to devoid you of any experiences that you might want to have as a student coming to Kota, but in fact it will suggest you have the better form of the same experience so that it doesn’t affect your goal as a student in the long run.

Let’s kickstart with one of the most brutal foes of a student in Kota. Distraction. It is not a word but a sentence. Distraction may take various forms and depending on how invested you are in it; its affect can vary severely in magnitude.

The first thing that you would love to do in Kota when you come is to find the most optimal route from your place of stay to you coaching class. Now, to put emphasize on improving social skills it is heavily suggested to find seniors who go to same coaching classes and ask them the route they take. Google maps not always tell you the most optimal path of commute. Secondly, you must always have a backup route, public transport, that is. There will be times where you just didn’t make it on time for your class. You must know where you could find the nearest Auto-rickshaw (one of the most lament modes) to get you to your classes.

Next, work on your concentration skills. Sometimes people misunderstand it for long hours of study which is solely false. Concentration leads you to ‘active studying’. For some of you this might be a new term; active studying means the phase of your study time where your soul and shivers are invested in what you are doing. For people who have played some sport, might know it as the ‘Zone’. It is when you are at your peak efficiency and your learning abilities enhance multifold times. This zone is a bit strenuous on your body and you might want to start with as less as one minute for each session you plan for your studies. Remember, the goal is to reach 3 hours in a stretch because that is how long generally the competitive exams are.

Upcoming are right habits. There will be not much emphasis this as no habit is right or wrong. It is just the time that defines your act as correct or incorrect. For students, up to some context, right habits could be that of making a schedule and most important of all, be truthful to oneself. If you are unsure about what bad habits are, just ask yourself a question whether you would suggest yourself doing any specific activity if you were assigned as an advisor or counselor to yourself. This all roots from the step one of being true to your own self.

Let’s conclude this with one of the 2 most overlooked parts of a student life. They are sleep and food. According to a Harvard study, “high school students (ages 14-17) need about eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. For young adults (ages 18 to 25), the range is need between seven and nine hours” (Harvard). The key aspect that a lot of students miss here is the right time to have these hours of sleep. The 7 hours of sleep mentioned here is the nighttime of your sleep and is continuous rather than in parts. Some signs of chronic sleep deprivation include:

• Daytime sleepiness and fatigue

• Irritability and short temper

• Mood changes

• Trouble coping with stress

• Difficulty focusing, concentrating, and remembering

• Brain fog

 

The last thing to include here is the right nutrition. Healthy body directly corelates to a healthy mind. Some foods to avoid –

• Added Sugars
• Fried Foods
• High-glycemic-load carbohydrates
• Alcohol
• Nitrates (Preservative found in packed foods)

Sorry to put it in words, but cup noodles or any sort of noodles are not a good meal for any student. They can be used as a backup when you have run out of all options, but if they are a part of your diet, it is going to hinder your development in numerous ways.

If you are looking for what to add into your schedule, nuts, beans, green and colorful vegetables, dark chocolate, fermented food, spices, and herbs is the answer. They can enhance hair, skin, eyes, brain functioning capabilities, overall growth and many more.

The last thing that can be put in the list would be making memories, more good than bad and with the right people. These will be the days to look back and be proud throughout your life. It doesn’t matter if you performed a bit bad on this test or maybe your roommate isn’t good, or maybe even your parents put constant pressure on you, with right people around you everything will gradually be better. As one of the most hardworking athlete Cristiano Ronaldo said, “I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well” we must always stride towards better and not directly aim for best because in marathons people tend to take small steps and run rather than make huge leaps and injure themselves in short terms.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan released the NIRF Ranking 2021 on Thursday listing the top institutes and universities in India this year. The education minister went live from his Twitter handle with Minister of State Sanjay Dhotre and AICTE Chairman Anil Saharsrabudhe to announce the top universities of India. The live recordings an also be seen on YouTube and Twitter.

The top two institutes remain the same as last year in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). IIT Madras has topped the ‘Overall’ NIRF Rankings and the second spot was taken by IISc Bengaluru. The third spot has changed from last year’s IIT Delhi to IIT Bombay.

The number of Indian institutes registered for the NIRF ranking 2020 increased by 20 percent as compared to 2019. In 2020, 3,800 institutes participated in NIRF Rankings. In 2021, the number was 6000.

The top institutes and universities of India are judged on the basis of certain predetermined factors for the NIRF Rankings. These include — Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), Peer Perception.

Please note that depending on the category for which an institute has been judged, their scores may differ. The categories NIRF has chosen in 2021 to rank colleges in are:

Overall
Research
Universities
Engineering
Management
Pharmacy
Colleges
Medical
Law
Architecture

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 20 institutes in ‘Overall’ category

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 86.76

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 82.67

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 82.52

Rank 4: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 81.75

Rank 5: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur

Location: Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 76.50

Rank 6: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal

Score: 75.62

Rank 7: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Score: 71.40

Rank 8: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati

Location: Guwahati, Assam

Score: 69.26

Rank 9: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 66.61

Rank 10: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 63.10

Rank 11: Calcutta University (CU)

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 61.45

Rank 12: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Location: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Score: 59.87

Rank 13: Jamia Millia Islamia

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 59.54

Rank 14: Jadavpur University (JU)

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 58.93

Rank 15: Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Location: Manipal, Karnataka

Score: 58.91

Rank 16: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 58.53

Rank 17: University of Hyderabad (UoH)

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 57.67

Rank 18: Aligarh Muslim University

Location: Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 57.38

Rank 19: University of Delhi (DU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 56.03

Rank 20: Savitribai Phule Pune University

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Score: 55.83

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Research’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 86.48

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 86.01

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 80.93

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Universities’ in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 82.67

Rank 2: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 67.99

Rank 3: Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Score: 64.02

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Engineering’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 90.19

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 88.96

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Score: 85.16

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Management’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Score: 83.69

Rank 2: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 83.48

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

Score: 80.04

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Pharmacy’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Jamia Hamdard

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 78.52

Rank 2: Panjab University

Location: Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Score: 77.99

Rank 3: Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS)

Location: Pilani, Rajasthan

Score: 75.57

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Colleges’ in India

Rank 1: Miranda House

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 75.42

Rank 2: Lady Shri Ram College For Women

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 69.44

Rank 3: Loyola College

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 69.28

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Medical’ colleges in India

Rank 1: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 92.07

Rank 2: Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER)

Location: Chandigarh, Chandigarh

Score: 82.62

Rank 3: Christian Medical College (CMC)

Location: Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Score: 75.33

NIRF Ranking: Top 3 ‘Law’ colleges in India

Rank 1: National Law School of India University

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Score: 78.06

Rank 2: National Law University (NLU)

Location: New Delhi, Delhi

Score: 74.55

Rank 3: Nalsar University of Law

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Score: 72.39

NIRF Ranking 2021: Top 3 ‘Architecture’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Location: Roorkee, Uttarakhand

Score: 82.65

Rank 2: National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut

Location: Kozhikode, Kerala

Score: 76.50

Rank 3: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur

Location: Kharagpur, West Bengal

Score: 76.14

NIRF Rankings: Top 3 ‘Dental’ institutes in India

Rank 1: Manipal College of Dental Sciences

Location: Udupi Karnataka

Score: 81.30

Rank 2: Dr. DY Patil Vidyapeeth

Location: Pune, Maharashtra

Score: 80.72

Rank 3: Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Score: 78.33

In an unprecedented move that would have big impact on future of engineers produced in the country, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made mathematics and physics at Class XII-level optional to get admissions to BE and B.Tech courses from 2021-22.

Students who are seeking admission into engineering colleges must have passed 10 + 2 with three of the following subjects:

• Physics
• Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Electronics
• Information Technology
• Biology
• Informatics Practices
• Biotechnology
• Technical Vocational Subject
• Agriculture
• Engineering Graphics
• Business Studies
• Entrepreneurship

In its handbook AICTE said that candidates will have to score 45 per cent marks, and 40 per cent if in reserved category, in the above subjects taken together. “The universities will offer suitable bridge courses such as mathematics, physics, engineering drawing for students coming from diverse backgrounds to achieve learning outcomes of the programme,” it said.

The move has proven to be a controversial one with many experts stating that physics and mathematics are absolute essentials for a course in engineering. Many experts have urged AICTE to reconsider its decision.

AICTE Chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe told that the choice of three mandatory courses as input to engineering has been expanded. “Hence for different disciplines there could be different three mandatory courses,” he said. He said that this would give a lot of flexibility in line with National Education Policy but acknowledged that physics and math are important to understand engineering otherwise a lot of bridge courses would be required.

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Report Based On Inputs from News Agencies and handbook released by AICTE

Eleventh day of February witness the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, by the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on 22 December 2015. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is implemented by UNESCO and UN Women, in collaboration with intergovernmental agencies and institutions, as well as civil society partners. The aim of the day is to promote women and girls in science and recognize the crucial and vital role women and girls play in science and technology. Also, the day resonates on the promotion of equal access for participation in science for women and girls.

The exponential increase in the undergraduate degrees of women over the past two decades was appreciated but it still was not able to harness the efficiency and productivity of women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Women were holding only half the degrees as compared to men in STEM. This was alarming. Women being the equal participant of the world affairs was lacking behind. At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent). Hence, it caught the attention of the world and an international day was designated for the purpose of bringing women up to their designated deserving place. This was also included in the 2030 agenda for Sustainable development.

The hindrance in women progress might be due to long standing biases and gender stereotypes or various social or economic reasons. But today on 11^th of February let us grab a cup of coffee (if chai, then heaven) and have a look to some of the contributions of women and girls in science.

MARIE CURIE

• Marie Sklodowska Curie (1867–1934) was the first person ever to receive two Nobel Prizes.
• The first in 1903 in physics for the discovery of the phenomenon of radioactivity
• The second in 1911 in chemistry for the discovery of the radioactive elements polonium and radium.
• She is the only woman to win to win the award in two different fields.

ALICE BALL

• American chemist Alice Ball was the first woman and first African American to receive a master’s from the University of Hawaii and went on to become the university’s first female chemistry professor.
• Ball developed a groundbreaking treatment for leprosy — a disease which previously had little chance of recovery and forced victims into exile.
• Prior to Ball’s research on leprosy, the best treatment available was chaulmoogra oil, which was difficult for patients to ingest or apply topically and too thick to inject. Ball developed an easily injectable form of the oil that ultimately saved countless lives and became the best treatment for leprosy until the 1940s.

ROSALIND FRANKLIN

• British chemist and DNA researcher Rosalind Franklin was the first to demonstrate the basic dimensions of DNA strands and reveal the molecule was in two matching parts, running in opposite directions.
• Her data was used by James Watson and Francis Crick to get their research on the DNA model across the finish line, and was published separately as supporting data alongside Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins’ research articles in Nature.

TESSY THOMAS

• Known as the ‘Missile Woman’ of India is the Director General of Aeronautical Systems.
• She was the former Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• She is the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India.
• She has contributed in guidance, trajectory simulation and mission design at the DRDO. She designed the guidance scheme for long-range missile systems, which is used in all Agni missiles.

RITU KARIDHAL

• Dubbed as the ‘Rocket Woman of India’ Ritu joined ISRO in 2007 and was also the Deputy Operations Director to India’s Mars Orbiter mission, Mangalyaan.
• As Mission Director of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, Ritu Karidhal was feted for role in helming one of India’s most ambitious lunar projects.
• She was responsible for detailing and the execution of the craft’s onward autonomy system, which independently operated the satellite’s functions in space and responded appropriately to malfunctions.
• In 2007, she also received the ISRO Young Scientist Award from APJ Abdul Kalam, then President of India.

MANGALA MANI

• Also known as the ‘polar woman of ISRO.
• Mangala Mani is ISRO’s first woman scientist to spend more than a year in the icy landscape of Antarctica.
• In November 2016, she was part of the 23-member team that went on an expedition to Bharati, India’s research station in Antarctica.
• She spent 403 days at the southernmost continent operating and maintaining ISRO’s ground station.

The contribution of women in the field of science cannot be made limited to just these faces. There are several other countless works of women that had went unnoticed or unrecognized from the eye of the world. Yet from the very limited ashes the world gave to women, they have been making it possible to convert theses ashes into the stardust with par elegance. To every beautiful women out here reading this, I wish to say, the world might have stayed rough on you in the past, But if you are reading this, the world needs your help. Take this as an appeal but take this as a humble request, to come forward and be the light which will outshine all the darkness the world has and will see in the future. On this day of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I invite you to come forward and be the momentum which will lead the world.

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Report by Sumit Yadav

Happy National Girl Child Day! Yes, fortunately the ministry of women and child development initiated the celebration of this day from 2008, to spread awareness on gender based discrimination that a girl faces and to bring change in the attitude of people towards girls.

A very famous quote speaks all about those unpopular people who are & who will be excelling in their lives like anything, “Women aren’t created to do things a man can do, but women can do even the things a man can’t do”.

Today, we are stepping into a hi-tech digital world where on one side, we proudly announce the victory of women in different fields, but, on the other hand, we still have keen interest in knowing the gender of the unborn  child, unburden ourselves from a baby girl without knowing the perks of being blessed with a girl in the world where there’s no field in which women aren’t excelling.

With time, we will understand how tremendously a girl, a woman can perform anything and everything. Even today, there are many amazing women personalities who will leave us amazed:

1. Bhawna Kanth
2. Arunima Sinha
3. Hima Das
4. Seema Rao
5. Smita Sabharwal

Bhawana Kanth:

One of the first women in the list of India’s Female Fighter Pilots. She was declared as the first combat pilot along with her two cohorts, the trio was first selected after the government of India decided to bring women fighter pilots into Indian Air Force.

She was the first female fighter pilot to be a part of republic day parade based on the theme of make in India. Her bravery made the nation proud and women more empowered. In 2020, she was honored with Nari Shakti Puruskar by Ramnath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Thus, she is the one who inspires all of us to always look for the things out of the box.

Arunima Sinha:

She is an Indian Mountain climber and a sportsperson who reached the heights of mountains with the zeal and the burning desire for her passion even with the physical disability she is suffering with. She was the world’s first female amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013 and has again set another record by climbing Mount Vinson, the highest peak of Antarctica. She never made her disabilities define her. She is one of the most inspiring woman of the nation, today even with all the amenities we are ready to escape from, to make excuses for her life, her achievements are the biggest lessons to be learnt and inspired from.

Hima Das:

“Dhing express”, is a 21 years old Indian sprinter from the state of Assam. She holds the current Indian sprinter from state Assam. She holds the current Indian national record in 400 meters with a timing of 50.79 s that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships.

At such a young age, bringing medals to the nation is not an easy job to do. Hats off to her performance.

Seema Rao:

India’s wonder women, is India’s first woman commando trainer, having trained Special Forces of India for over two decades without compensation. It seems like she has mastered the art of fighting in tight proximity, and is involved in training many Indian forces. She even holds a black belt in Taekwondo and Krav Maga, in addition to that, she has 8th degree black belt in military martial arts. She is also the world’s highest qualified women instructor in Bruce Lee art of Jeet Kune Do. In the country of traditional martial arts, nothing can be more beautiful than seeing her bravery act.

Smita Sabharwal:

“People’s officer”, the youngest aspirant to clear UPSC exam in Telangana, also the first lady officer to be appointed at chief minister’s office. Apart from this, she even motivates women for active participation of women in productive work and in the issues they are facing through. Another most inspiring woman of India.

In a country where girls are regarded as Goddess and never leave anybody down by their performance in any field. Today, women are excelling in every field without any exception. There’s no limit to the achievement of a woman; they are not just matching the pace with men but also leading with dignities.

This will probably never come to end but here’s to the limit ending with a beautiful saying let’s just keep empowering women and celebrate their victory.

“If we educate a boy, we educate one PERSON, but if we educate a girl, we educate a FAMILY”. 

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Report by Sneha Verma

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Monday said that students will be asked questions in the upcoming board exams on the basis of the revised syllabus. Further, the minister said that engineering and medical entrance tests JEE Main 2021 and NEET 2021 will also be held on the basis of reduced syllabus.

“Those preparing for JEE Main and NEET have doubts in their minds as the syllabus for boards have been reduced. I can assure that you can study based on the revised syllabus and not be at a disadvantage as the JEE Main 2021 will have more options than usual and students who have studied the curtailed syllabus will find questions from the parts they have studied in it,” Nishank said during an interaction with teachers and students of Kendriya Vidyalaya.

"शिक्षा संवाद": Interacting with the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya. #EducationMinisterGoesLive @EduMinOfIndia @PIB_India @MIB_India @DDNewslive @KVS_HQ https://t.co/WZY780Kp9C

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) January 18, 2021

The JEE-Advanced test for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology is scheduled for July 3. The relaxation in admission requirement of 75 per cent marks in class 12 which was announced last year in view of COVID-19 pandemic will be offered this year as well.

For admissions to IITs, apart from qualifying the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced, the candidates are required to secure either minimum 75 per cent marks in class 12 board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

While JEE-Main is conducted for admission to engineering colleges across the country, it is considered as a qualifying test for JEE-Advanced.

Meanwhile, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct board exams for classes 10 and 12 physically from May 4 to June 10. Practical examinations will be conducted by schools from March 1. The results of the board exams will be announced by July 15.

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With inputs from Times Of India and NDTV India

Every year on January 12, the country celebrates the National Youth Day to honour Swami Vivekananda. It was on this day in 1863 that the youth icon was born. The day is also known as Yuva Diwas and is observed at schools and colleges with functions, speeches and so. Let’s know more about the monk who underlined the importance of youth making a better nation and changed the world with his modern thoughts.

Born on Jan 12, 1863, in a Bengali family, Narendra Natha Datta was a precocious child who was what we call nowadays, an all-rounder, excelling in music, studies and athletics. His father Vishwanatha Datta was a well-known attorney. As a youngster, Narendra suffered a crisis of faith and met Sri Ramkrishna in Dakshineshwar near Kolkata. He became his disciple and nursed him when he was unwell, even though his own father had passed away and his family was forced into poverty. Upon Sri Ramkrishna’s death, along with other disciples, Narendra took the sannyasa.

Following this, he went on a long journey across India, where he was shocked to see first-hand the appalling poverty of the masses. To fight the malaise of poverty, he chose to bring in effect a ‘machinery’ which would come to be known as the Ramkrishna foundation, which included educational, economic and religious betterment.
It was 1893 that would be defined as his annus mirabilis when he addressed the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago where he presented his Master’s message to the world. His welcoming address there earned him a standing ovation. Here’s the starting of the speech:
Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects. My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honour of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.

His speech was so well-received that he spent the next three and a half years in USA and London in the UK spreading Sri Ramakrishna’s message of Vedanta. He finally returned to India in 1897 and delivered a series of lectures here as well which sought to increase religious awareness as instil pride in Indian culture. He also looked to help increase awareness about practical Vedanta. Later that same year, he opened the Ramakrishna Mission, which provided various forms of social service, including running hospitals, schools, colleges, rural developments centres and hostels and also do relief work.

A year later, he acquired land on the Western bank of the Ganga where he built his monastic order that started earlier at Baranagar. Among his disciples were Margaret Noble (Sister Nivedita), Josephine McLeod and Sara Ole Bull. His health deteriorated and he passed away in 1902 but not before changing how the world viewed Hinduism

National Mathematics Day is celebrated on December 22 to commemorate the birth anniversary of India’s mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. For the budding mathematicians of the country, who want to pursue the field but are unable to continue their higher education due to lack of funds, here is a list of institutes and organisations which offer scholarships and fellowships for students aspiring to make a career in mathematics.

Institute of Mathematical Sciences

It provides doctoral, postdoctoral fellowships for undergraduate, and postgraduate students. The junior research fellowships are awarded to PhD students. The fellowships include a month-long stipend ranging from Rs 25,000 to 28,000. While, for post-doctoral fellowships, the stipend varies between Rs 30,000 to 40,000 a month.

For both junior research, postdoctoral fellowships, applicants need to have a PhD. The fellowships are awarded for up to five years, the duration can be extended based on the candidate’s performance. The candidates are selected through a written test and interview.

Chennai Mathematical Institute

It offers a scholarship programme for its undergraduate programme. The candidates’ eligibility will be reviewed every semester and renewal of scholarship will depend on their academic performance.

The students eligible for a full scholarship will get a waiver on tuition fees and a monthly allowance of Rs 4000, while a half scholarship will consist of tuition fees being waived. Meanwhile, all students will receive an additional monthly scholarship of Rs 1000.

Indian Statistical Institute

It offers six months research fellowships at the postgraduate and postdoctoral levels. The candidates in their first and second year will get a stipend of Rs 16,000 while Rs 18,000 in the subsequent years. The candidates with a postgraduate degree in statistics, mathematics, electronics, computer science can apply for the programme. The interested candidates can mail their applications at scc@isical.ac.in.

Indian Institute of Science (IISc Bangalore)

It offers an integral PhD programme in mathematical sciences. The fellowship amount offered varied between Rs 16,000 to 35,000 as per the merit of the students. Apart from it, the institute offered fellowships of Rs 31,000 to 35,000 to PhD students, Rs 12,400 to MTech, MTech (residential), MDes programme students. The institute also provides government scholarships, fellowships for selected students who are GATE/JEST/JAM and ME/MTech/MSc (Engg) qualified.

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

The Centre For Applicable Mathematics, TIFR has an integrated PhD programme in mathematics, among other doctoral programme. For the integrated PhD programme, the eligible students receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 21,000, while fellowships between Rs 31,000 to 35,000 for other PhD students. The fellowship students also get accommodation facilities. The admission process usually commences in August every year.

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With inputs from The Indian Express

“I am a failure. I have failed my parents and their expectations for me.”

“I don’t love what I am doing, but that’s the only choice I have!”

“I want to be an artist but I am forced to take forward the legacy of singers.”

“I think I am the most worthless creature in this world!”

For once, we all have come across these moments, days, weeks or even years when we belittle ourselves. We devalue our existence and continue to endure the miseries of losing ourselves! We think material possessions, relationships, degrees are our biggest assets and they make us happy. Being around our loved ones is the only thing we carve for? In reality, it’s only our own SELF which is our best possession & partner! It’s a tragedy, how we are losing ourselves in order to find something/someone else!  It must have been ages since we last had a conversation with ourselves but here we are thinking about the future we don’t know if it would even exist! Yeah, we should be optimistic about the days to come, so should we be about ourselves too!

There are many justifications we keep giving of losing our bright smile, peaceful nights, health, dignity and SELF. But if something/someone requires us to lose ourselves to achieve it, is it even worth it?

• HEALTH IS OUR ULTIMATE POSSESSION:

We neglect our health by sleeping late, eating processed food because we are eternally in a hurry to achieve silly deadlines. But never do we ponder that these achievements are nothing without our health! During Covid-19 era, it has become evident how even one’s family abandons and refuses to do the last rites of a deceased family member! Let’s take the lessons?

• SELF ESTEEM:

No! Never! Losing our dignity at the cost of getting anything isn’t a fair deal at all! Even if it may seem relatively lucrative, such things make us lose ourselves & often rob us of our happiness. NOTHING, YES NOTHING IS IMPORTANT IN THIS WORLD THAN OUR DIGNITY.

• FRIENDS/LOVERS SHOULD NOT BE THE REASON TO LOSE:

Persuasion is a communication skill which is indeed a privilege but some people misuse it to convince us to go astray from our paths. We often try to imitate our cool friends involved in things we don’t conform to! That’s when we start losing our identity forgetting we all are unique! “You are the only one of you, Baby that’s the fun of you!”

•  ACCEPTANCE, DENIAL/REJECTIONS ARE A PART OF LIFE:

Life is very interesting. We do things, get appreciated, feel we are on cloud nine. Next moment, we do things, get criticised, and then begins the term of self-doubt, a vicious cycle. Remember no one ever kicks a dead dog! Criticism is often a misguided compliment which should motivate us to improve.

Also, learning to reject or say ‘No’ is extremely crucial. This makes our lives better and easier as we don’t go under the mental strain “log kya kahenge?”. We simply deny the norms because they make us feel uncomfortable and cause so much harm to our well being and hence it’s worth denying things.

• EMPATHY IS BASIC LIFE SKILL:

Although empathy is a basic life skill and should be nurtured, keeping ourselves in someone else’s shoes for long is dangerous! Imagine the torture we are giving to our SELF by being away from our SELF for so long trying to get the facts clear for someone else! If we can’t be with ourselves, we can’t do it for someone else as well!

The chromosomes that made us, had so much probability of becoming someone else, but they made us, therefore, there must be a reason for our existence! While being influenced by someone is reasonable, imitating them to lose our SELF isn’t, ” Kyun roshni Tu bahar talashe? Teri mashalay hain andar tere!”. We should learn to be confident of who we are. We are something new in this world and should embrace it because what we got, no one else has got it! Constantly trying to prove to the world our integrity doesn’t make sense. Becoming better each day for ourselves should matter, not for impressing others. Our void should be our own self. We work so hard for attaining a bright future that we forget to live in the present. One day our heart will stop beating and we will wake up in the darkness of the grave and none of us our plans or fears will matter. ALL THAT WILL MATTER IS HOW WE LIVED. Then why waste it because someone abandoned or we didn’t achieve something we aimed for? Let’s learn to live, love, and enjoy our own company. Let’s not imitate others because there is nothing more miserable in this world than a person who is constantly trying to be someone he/she isn’t!  Let’s find ourselves and be ourselves. Even if we want to help and spread happiness around it will begin from our SELF. NOTHING, I REPEAT NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT IN THIS WORLD THAN YOU! We ought to love ourselves more.

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A report by Ruqayya Asif

Teenage is the onset of puberty. They go through a lot of physical and emotional changes which are beyond their comprehension. They pass through a period of stress & storm and feel they are on an emotional seesaw. One moment they may be happy after getting ‘chicken dinner’ or winning an argument but the next moment they may be disheartened for being unable to conform to their peer group. They are in a constant search of self. Due to these reasons, there is bound to be a change in relationships of teens with their parents.

1) Identity crisis and ambiguous status

Adolescents in this stage are in the identity crisis and parents usually add to their confusion and frustration by giving them ambiguous status. When they try to indulge in adult conservation and give suggestions, they are told that they are “too young” to do that. But when they procrastinate some work or refuse to clean their wardrobe, they are scolded for being irresponsible and are asked to act “according to their age”. This creates resentment in the mind of teenagers and leaves them with a big question, “Who am I?”

2) Love-hate relationship due to freedom vs control

Teenagers share a love-hate relationship with their parents as there is an increase in the child-parents conflict. According to them, their parents don’t know the modern world and try to impose their old school rules over them which triggers them a lot. They believe that their parents don’t understand them. They want freedom and rebel against any restrictions imposed on them. For instance, when they aren’t permitted for a night out at a friend’s house, they protest and argue to win over the situation. They are rigid and uncooperative.

Such conflicts often make them feel less close to each other. Parents often tense that their children aren’t growing up to the mark. They feel that they are disobedient, ill-tempered, have no value system and are irresponsible.

3) Generation and cultural gap

Adolescents are exposed to a different environment through school activities and peer groups. There is a change in their mentality, thoughts, values and belief systems. And due to the advancement in technology, they come across different cultures and believe in idealism. Generation and culture gap is another reason for deteriorating child-parent relationships. Children are impulsive and if parents refuse to accept their beliefs and try to take control over their mind, things do not work out!

4) Privacy

They aren’t as close to their parents as they were in early childhood. They don’t share everything with parents like before especially related to sex or girlfriends/boyfriends. Parents can’t accept the fact that their child thinks or talks about sex. They add to the confusion by scolding and criticising them instead of explaining them.

They become secretive and resist spending time with family members. They demand their privacy and like to stay in closed rooms and discover things on their own.

5) Studies and career

In India even before the child is born, he/she is earmarked for engineering or medical. Children do fantasize becoming a doctor/engineer but growing up, they explore other areas of interest. Some parents accept their choice but some parents are reluctant and don’t accept there is any scope for an art graduate. Although adolescents are quite impatient they always look for their parent’s advice regarding their career and streams. The collision between their interests and parents’ choice often land them in a state of stress and pressure.

Families who are friendly and entertain the opinion of everyone, their children are confident and don’t deviate from the path. However, in families, where parents exercise control over their children, adolescents are unable to develop confidence and suffer inferiority complexes. The parent-child relationship is very crucial. Parents must understand that there are various techniques of control over their children instead of beating them. They must also respect the boundaries and understand their interests. A friendly attitude towards them will always convince them than a stern voice giving orders.  Adolescence is the most crucial period of life, if nurtured and appreciated, they have a lot of potential to make a marked change in society.

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An article by Ruqayya Asif.

Nothing comes without a sacrifice. Being an average kid, I have always wondered what special do toppers do. Why some people excel in every field and why some struggle for even the little things in life. A year in Kota taught me things that were priceless.

Kota, the place famous for its astounding results in two of most difficult exams of the country IIT JEE and NEET creates an educational environment for almost 1.5 Lakhs Students every year. But what does a Kota student do that gives him an edge over the others. Let’s see:

Their daily routine of an aspirant is pretty much involved in attending classes and solving problems. But the mental state is on a whole another level.

The day starts with a loud alarm and some post examination stress that comes along with the weekly test. Aside from the tiresome homework, getting up in the morning with around 4 hours of sleep is probably the most difficult task every Kotaite faces. We hurry to the classes with a breakfast of “Poha” and “Kachoris” which are immensely popular and available of every street.

We get to the class and get the seats; with our friends the latecomers are welcomed with class cheering “Aaaaaaaaooooooo” Then comes the exhausting part that requires 6-7 hours of classes. But fortunately, that’s equally the most fun part. The reason is ” The awe-inspiring teachers”. They are undoubtedly the best teachers one could ever get in life. The way they uplifted our spirits when we were demoralized was admirable. They would crack jokes, tell stories, techniques and methods for increasing productivity helps us in many aspects to life other than studies too. Their way of teaching which makes even the most dreadful chapters easy to understand is amazing. They would speak up about the problems they faced and how we may tackle them.  After 6 hours of classes the last bell seems to be a savior. It’s like ending of one phase.

Close to 2’o clock, the extreme hunger compels us to reach the mess as fast as we could. No matter how awful the food is, you’ll get used to it eventually and start appreciating the little “Specials on particular days.”

The afternoon sleep after the heavy lunch ends in no time and before you know it the work timing starts again.

Around 4’o Clock we are back to the study table. This time of self-study is something which remains with us for the entire life. During these days I learnt to be alone and not lonely. How to work in a closed room without distractions and not stressing about what people think or what they are doing. Being cut off from the world and giving more than 100%. It’s not about the studies it’s about pushing your limits.

Sometimes there might be days of feeling low and claustrophobic when we might question our decisions and no one to talk to but that’s what improves us in the long run.

A Samosa or Pani-Puri break helps a lot in focusing. Not to forget the group studies (that were not actually group studies but group joking sessions) and study break we took to visit the City Mall or eat Biryanis or watching movies once in a week. Those were some good times.

The dinner time is at approximately 8:30 PM, where we are hoping on the way there might be something delicious (but of course that’s not the case almost 90% of the time).

On the way back to the hostel with friends there aren’t conversations about Bollywood or Politics or Religious. In Kota it’s different, it’s about what teachers provide better notes who have better style of teaching what questions are challenging. And most popular “This inorganic chemistry is the worst”.

After bunch of discussions and goodbyes we reach our hostel and the same schedule is followed again. During nights you could find two types of people The Night owls and The Early Risers.

Being a night owl myself I assure you the late-night snacks has a separate significance (The Night owls will relate). It’s not until our eyes are tired and we can’t stand studying anymore we go to bed. Complete homework is a myth. No matter how hard you work there will always be a thing or two that you left off. But after working all day long the satisfaction when we’re off to sleep is immense. With another few hours of sleep, it’s morning again and “BACK TO THE ROUTINE”

And that’s how you transform an average student to an extraordinary rank holder. It’s true they say “NOTHING COMES WITHOUT A SACRIFICE”

Report By: Ayush Arya

Hello! Hope you are fine and into the play as a real warrior. Quarantine is a challenge! Yes! For me, you and everyone… But it’s a tougher one for you, who can’t simply “Netflix and chill”. You are on your battlefield preparing for the ultimate shot. The shot which is probably considered having the capability to either make or break you. Well… I strongly disagree! Nothing except “you, yourself” can break you. You are a warrior and it’s about the day and you are into the play for yourself. I still remember the NEET exam of 2018 which despite of me being over prepared made me drop a year more. After february when the syllabus gets completed and you are sort of free from the daily schedule you practice, things might take a bitter turn. The situation is almost the same.

Having your exams postponed might bring a feel of joy, but it is the time to tighten your shoe laces and go for it with even more enthusiasm. “Hey! Is it going to be a zero session year? Will the dates extend even more? What should we do? How to overcome boredom?” are some of the queries which would be definitely be popping up your minds as a notification everytime you go through the sheets/DPPs. But, no one has seen the future. Inquiring more and more won’t bring a favourable outcome. It’s the time for you to be in attacking mode and most importantly, don’t let stress defeat you. You are a warrior and can’t afford to distress yourself! The main cause of stress as per my opinion is OVERTHINKING. Don’t set targets for the whole month. Take each day as a target and achieve it. Enjoy the victory of everyday. Trust me, the moment I started being a true _Befikra_, things changed and with lesser preparation, I succeeded. Well, being a _Befikra_ definitely doesn’t mean leaving it all and enjoying. It’s just about being a warrior who doesn’t has time to think about the results. Every day is a new target for you. Utilise it beautifully. Be in proper contacts with your mentors and keep yourself motivated. The mindset of yours affect your subconscious and ultimately the results. Be a warrior, fight with enthusiasm and you will definitely come out with flying colours.