enTRANCE Examinations
I have jus finished my entrance exams and have been admitted into the college I wanted. Having come out of all these entrance exams unscathed(luckily), it is only fair that I dedicate a small(a very small) part of my blog to it.

Cometh the beginning of April and it's that time of the year again when all students (except those, gifted few who fall into the unsavory category of nerds and geniuses) across the country are tearing the hair out of their heads, frantically(also read frenetically, hysterically and anxiously) preparing for various entrance examinations. These white papered, pencil shading exams are looked upon as more terrifying than the board exams as they can ’make or mar your future’ if you happen to mess ’em up.

For those of you people out there who are cogitating over where you can spend your holidays after your boards, save yourself the trouble. The end of your board exams marks the beginning of a new period of torture with more sleepless nights and increased hair fall due to the building tension- the enTRANCE exams. The board exams are really not the end, especially for those in the 12th stds, they are just the beginning. The board exam fever soon gives way to entrance exam fever where all thoughts of holidays are soon forgotten. Students across the globe, especially those belonging to the science streams will attempt a few HUNDRED entrance exams in order to make it to ONE of the top institutes for their higher education.

Attempting entrance examinations is a Herculean task . It is a period in which students have to brush up their basic vocabulary, as they have forgotten the existence of words like ‘fun’, ‘easy’, ‘leisure’, etc. They(exams) require sizeable efforts by the already jaded and weary students.
The training for the entrance exams encompasses 10 hours of studying at the various coaching centers, another 5 hours at home in the morning, 3 hours in the evening, a few hours of traveling to these classes and a big hole in the pocket, as the coaching fee for these exams are definitely not small sums.

Once D-Day arrives and the exams are over, fun time still doesn’t arrive cos the results are yet to be announced and this in turn entails a nerve wracking period for us poor students who have reached the end of our tether. The long wait is a period of intense turmoil and anxiety for the students . After the results are announced, counseling begins ,and after the counseling ….the wait never ends….

There was a time when entrance exams did hold value and were of some use as they segregated the best students form the mediocre ones . Now however, entrance exams in most places have become a farce as , students who have not done well still pay lakhs of money and somehow manage to get into the coveted institutions despite pathetic and abominable grades.

As Chetan Bhagat says, exams are the reasons that may have led to the decline in the number of trees due to the increased usage of paper. So, why not do away with them?? You may agree to it, and so will I, but what about others?(the teaching community)

However, once you get into the college of your choice, the burden of these exams are forgotten in the sweet goings-on of college life. But don’t forget it completely as you know what you have been through to get into your dream college.So, the next time someone condescendingly says ‘’ah, entrance exams are a cakewalk long as you prepare for them’’ feel free to stick you tongue out at them and say’ brraacck .’ It is definitely not rude :) .