Choosing a PU College after Class 10 can be hard, as you have to weigh in the pros and cons. Here are six essential checks to consider, while choosing a PU college:
Quality of teaching: Up to Class 10, your study was ‘a mile wide and inch deep’ i.e., your courses were elementary. From PU, studies start delving deeper into concepts you already had a basic understanding of. Such courses require specialised lecturers having a minimum experience of three to four years.
Students often choose colleges wherein the lecturers are academically highly qualified. However, a well-qualified person need not essentially be a good lecturer. He or she needs to be able to lucidly and comprehensively explain the concepts. A great Physics lecturer is one who grabs the attention of the entire class by performing an experiment every day in class. An exemplary Economics lecturer is one who draws the class to the thought-processes of some of the greatest economists.
Infrastructure: Higher studies are rarely complete without the right infrastructure in place. Ensure the PU College you are choosing has all the essential lab infrastructure, centres of excellence for your chosen topics and a system in place wherein the lecturers complement or integrate their class content with examples from real-world happenings.
Mentoring: It is most useful when the content to be learnt is huge, as lecturers first introduce students to essential aspects and then encourage them to explore their way around and learn along the process. The best way to gauge this aspect is by interacting with current students.
Competitive exam coaching: Choose a college that gives you coaching on campus and coaching for your desired competitive exam. Remember, the coaching should not be robbing you of precious time without adding the desired value.
A common mistake that I observe parents and students making is assuming that competitive exam coaching must be done by a different set of lecturers. The opposite is more desirable.
When the same lecturers who take regular class take coaching class, they can modify the teaching methods to accommodate all the students, as they are aware of each student’s abilities.
Self study: Four core subjects along with two languages each day can create enormous academic pressure at PU level. Hence, narrow down on a college that provides at least three hours of self-study time where you can take charge, plan your schedule and maintain a sharp focus.
Affordability: Choose a college that you and your parents can afford. More often than not, parents are blinded by equating the cost of PU education with the quality provided. Avoid this fallacy. Also, every rupee saved in PU education is a rupee kept aside for higher studies. So spend wisely and avoid following the crowd.
(The author is Principal, Anandathirtha PU College, Udupi)