In this age when everyone believes in joining a coaching institute (estimated, according to a 2008 study, it amounts to a Rs.10,000 crore industry), some students have enough faith in their abilities to manage studies on their own and get admitted to some of the best higher education institutes in the country.

One of them is Suyash Roongta, who is pursuing an integrated M.Tech degree in computer science and engineering at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. With 94.5% marks in Class 12, this Ahmedabad boy got All India Rank 539 in the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

“The educational environment in Ahmedabad is not as competitive as Delhi. Half of my classmates joined a coaching institute but I wasn’t tempted and thought I could study on my own,” says Roongta. He feels it’s a “waste of time going to a (coaching) centre. You also have to study as per their schedules. A few of my friends tell me that the coaches cover the syllabus too quickly. Self-study meant I worked at my own pace and devoted more time to subjects or topics I found difficult. And of course, I saved on travel time to a coaching centre – half an hour to and fro every day.”

The going wasn’t smooth in the beginning. “In the first four months in my Class 11, it was very difficult to motivate myself because I had no goal, no tests, and no deadlines. I was lagging behind. Then I decided to buckle up. Whenever I was stuck with a problem I would consult my friends who had enrolled at the coaching institute and others and soon I got my confidence back,” he recalls.

Faridabad girl Pushpa Jha, who couldn’t afford private coaching for the JEE, focused on NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) books. She also persuaded older friends to lend her the booklets and notes they received from their coaching centres. Self-study required discipline and time management. “Every time I studied a topic I couldn’t capture everything in the first reading. So, I had to go through it two to four times,” says Jha, now a textile engineering student at IIT Delhi. In her case, “supportive” teachers at school also counted. “They were focused on the Board exams but whenever I asked questions, they were helpful enough to help me through them,” says Jha.

Studying without coaching is as much about capability as it is about self-motivation and willingness to stay the course. Roongta says he had seen some of his buddies give up and join coaching classes after they realised that they are not able to cope with the self-discipline required.

Always have faith in yourself, he advises. “Sometimes, my classmates wondered if I would be able to pull it off on my own. But I didn’t doubt myself for a second,” says Roongta.  

Sitting at IIT-D’s Shivalik Hostel lobby, Roongta’s face brightens as he recounts how he managed to take up the programme of his choice – something that is not easy at the IIT, especially as a BTech in computer science is fiercely competitive. Though he was granted admission to the five-year Integrated MTech programme in mathematics and computing, Roongta made the switch to his preferred course after he managed a good score in the first year.

“I have never for a minute regretted my decision to sidestep the popular route to professional colleges. The feeling of having done it on my own supersedes the disappointment of not getting into B.Tech in Computer Science, though I am doing what I want to – an M.Tech – at the moment,” Roongta adds.

You don’t have to sign up with a full-fledged coaching centre to achieve success. Prateek Khanna, an eighth-semester student, University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, says he only went for private sessions with his school teacher. “I quite liked science subjects but after Class 10, couldn’t decide if it should be engineering or medicine. So, I prepared for both engineering and medical entrance tests,” says Khanna, who ranked 215 (open merit) in the Delhi University entrance test. “When you join private coaching classes, you need to choose just one or the other stream. And I believe only you yourself can ensure your success.”

Khanna says that at school, classmates who attended private coaching academies, “used to know a little more,” but when it came to solving questions they were at par with each other.  It works if your conceptual foundation is rock solid. And it should work in anybody’s case, says Khanna. But he sounds a cautionary note: “The environment is changing.” Some extra guidance could be necessary for students preparing for important entrance exams.

None of these students trash coaching centres. “You shouldn’t take the risk. If not for the content, then at least for the approach,” says Khanna. Jha, an IAS aspirant, says she would like to go for a coaching course for the civil services exam “instead of losing one or two years”.

Source: hindustantimes.com

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