Sunday 4 July 2010

Future IITians and IIMians would not be stars ****.

Entrance exams to IIT and IIM are considered to be the ultimate frontiers to cross for a student in India. Once a student crack either of these exams he or she is considered to be having a high-paying, smooth and successful career for rest of his/her life. These institutions have been there for long now. And we have seen the products (pass-outs) of these institutions achieving great success in their chosen fields later in careers. And since the earlier alumnis of these institutes have achieved huge successs in businesses and other areaes, we are attaching more and more importance now to those who get into them. As a result students who crack these exams become overnight celebrities because they are considered to be sure to be successful.
But I have a kind of fear and doubt that not all of this new breed of celebrities would be successful in their careers. Because there is difference beween the kind of students who were getting into these institutions earlier and students getting in in last few years. Now a days there are coaching institutes who train students. Coaching class teachers and students put all their efforts and energy for cracking these exams.
So it's not that only talanted students are getting into these institutes but average students are also getting in. The average stuents put extraordinary effort and get through these exams. But such average students can not perform at the same high level all through their lives. So obviously such students would always be average later in their careers (Though this is not true for every average student).
Earlier only the real talented students would get through in these institutes as there was not much rote preparation so the quality of student would be maintained. So we see the alumnis of these institutes achieving extraordinary successes in their careeres. But now when average students are getting in, there would definittely not be superachievers. But this would only be realised very late.