When you are finally through with your 10th standard Board exams and opt for PUC, you enter into the wider world of college. No more uniforms, no more watchmen locking up the gate and keeping a hawk’s eye on you.
There are huge classes where you can be conveniently lost in the back benches, and there are lots of distractions outside.
After being under high pressure for a year because you faced Board exams for the first time in your life, you also, perhaps for the first time in your life, have chosen the subjects you wish to study.
You know very well that 1st year PUC (or the 11th standard) marks are not counted in the finals, and only next year’s Board exam will be the crucial one to decide your future.
Hence some of you may think that the 11th year of your study is a paid holiday to enjoy and take life easily. This is a very bad trap that some can fall into. For ….. after one year of neglecting studies, it becomes very difficult to get back to intense study that is required in the next year.
And for Science students at least, the final PUC exam is not the end – you will probably be giving the IIT-JEE, AIEEE, CET and what not. Others may find themselves struggling through competitive exams of National Law School or Common Proficiency Test of Chartered Accountancy.
And that is when the realisation dawns that your study habits have deteriorated, your concentration has come down, and your memory is not as it was before.
As it is the 11th and 12th classes have a much wider syllabus than that in 9th and 10th. Added to that is the larger numbers in classes, lack of personal attention by teachers, and maybe even your parents are not proficient to help you in most of the subjects.
If in these circumstances, you too start slipping down, you will find your grades going down at the time when you need them to be the highest – resulting in your losing out on your career goals. Keep in mind that the “plus two” years give you the strong foundation that will take you through difficult and professional courses, and don’t allow yourself to slide back.
