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Sunday, May 26, 2013

IIT-B dumps ‘dangerous’ birthday bumps

Mumbai: The tradition of giving birthday bumps to friends, practised in most students’ hostels, has been banned on the IIT-B’s Powai campus. Considered to be a source of great fun in the hostels, it is now seen as a potential danger to the physical well-being of the students. Though, the students’ version of it—spraying deodorant and lighting the back on fire, bathing the birthday boy with garbage bin full of ants, lifting a student to bash him up, hitting the student with slippers or belt—does sound scary. Following some cases of injuries caused due to the bumps —‘GPL’ in IIT-B lingo—the institute has called for a ban on the ‘custom’ followed religiously in the hostels. IIT-B students divided over ban on ‘violent’ birthday bumps
Mumbai: The IIT-B authorities have sent out a notice banning the practice of birthday bumps. In the notice officials have asked all students to refrain from such activities and also stated that birthday bumps will be treated on a par with ragging and the same norms will be applicable.
    In the institute’s circular, the officials have also threatened students of stringent action, without specifying the nature of punishment. General secretaries of the hostels have been made responsible for implementation of the ban.
    Even before the issuance of such a notice, the authorities did not have any reported cases in hand, as the birthday boys or rather ‘victims’ refused to complain against their own friends.
    So far, only informal complaints have been received, and after the notice, no fresh, even informal, cases have been reported.
    “A note against this practice was also issued by the student affairs’ office before. I just reiterated it as because of some reports that they go out of hand once in a while,” said U A Yajnik, dean, student affairs.
    Several students said it is the first time that such a stringent ban has been imposed. It also made hostel councils responsible for such activities.
    While some students on the campus are all for the ban, some said they have continued with the practice on campus and flouted the norms.
    The students’ magazine, Insight, recently carried an article that presented both sides of the ‘GPL’ practice on campus.
    “People would be ready to bear the brunt of a huge mob just because it shows that they have a large following and a good social circle’, argued a pro-GPL student in the article.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Bharatiya 11:26 PM

Tech that and score more

Your cell phone can facilitate studying regardless of wherever you are

From a scenario where the professors were considered as ‘gurus’, students now have access to a 24x7 educator; better known as the ‘Google guru’, which clarifies their doubts immediately and even predicts the next query occasionally.
If used in a tech-savvy manner, smart phones are a boon and very helpful when it comes to studying. They are a godsend for those trying to manage their studies and work at the same time. You can go through college notes on your ‘smart’ phone while travelling to work and even during field assignments.
Similarly, many colleges have students using yahoo groups for sending notes, weekly lecture schedule of lectures and the time table for their exams.

Benefits galore
One of the key benefits of using a smart phone is that, it eliminates the need for clutching printed notes in your hand while traveling in a crowded local train. Many students even work on their projects from their cell phone. In what appears to be a case of technology replacing technology, the 21 inch monitor and desktop computer are no longer an essential requirement for tackling college assignments.

The Bharatiya 11:25 PM

Are you confused about your career?

Special Eduscope offer: Book an aptitude test and get a free counselling session

It is that time of the year when DNA Eduscope takes place. The two-day event taking place on June 8-9, 2013 at Nehru Centre, Worli, is about providing opportunities and selecting suitable careers.
Recognising opportunities and choosing the right career will leave a huge impact on your life.
Your choice today will affect the next 40-50 years of your life. It will determine the kind of friends you make and the lifestyle you lead.
When you are a teenager or a parent of a teenager, this can be a difficult choice to make.
This is why making an informed choice is important. One way to do so is by taking a career test that measures your aptitude and interests. You will get a set of careers based on the same.
At DNA of Careerfundas, we understand that you may require guidance, which is why we have an aptitude test for class 8-12 students developed by leading psychologists from Mumbai University. As a special offer for DNA Eduscope, we are offering free personalized counselling to readers who book our aptitude test online. The counselling sessions will be offered at the Eduscope venue.

The Bharatiya 11:23 PM

The Dummies guide to coaching classes

Don’t put your career ambitions at risk, attending the right institute can raise marks to the required level for post-grad courses

How do you define the difference between good and great? Well, for a final year (TY) student, it’s the difference between missing a post-grad course by just a few marks or scoring a high percentage and gaining admission. And what is it that helps you make the transition from good to great? Obviously, a coaching class.
Now why is it that despite being in the best colleges with the best professors, students still need to attend a coaching class to realize their potential? Because the professor who is casual in the college classroom turns into a livewire while teaching at a coaching class afterwards. Logically, students also respond to these two variations. There is a tendency to be casual during college lectures and focused during the coaching classes because of the attitude and approach towards studies at both places.
But how can you maximize the benefits of attending a coaching class during TY? For starters, while selecting a coaching class ensure it is convenient to commute from home or college. Moreover, when exams are around the corner, having your coaching class nearby will help you to clear your doubts without wasting time.

Mind it
Find out if college and classes timings clash, you can’t be in two places at the same time. In case you are working along with your studies, verify whether you can adjust the timings of the class when required. Ensure that the coaching class is located close to your college, office or home. No matter how wonderful the coaching class is, you cannot achieve your goal without proper concentration. Therefore, while choosing a class, make sure the infrastructure and environment in and around the class is conducive for achieving the same.
Rate it
A coaching class is preferred if it has highly qualified and experienced faculty. Don’t go by advertisements; ask students who have studied there about aspects like the standard of teaching, quality of faculty, etc. Check the percentage scored by students who topped for the past few years. Opt for a coaching class that specialises in the subjects you need to score high in.
My view
Marina Carvalho, who just appeared for her TY BCom exams, shares, “Location and timing are two of the important aspects to consider while joining a coaching class. Class timings should not clash with the college schedule. Also, those who are into sports or extracurricular activities should have the flexibility in timings to adjust studies whenever it becomes necessary. It is the professor, who makes students feel that subjects are interesting or boring. You start understanding a subject well only if the professor teaches it in an interesting manner. Also, having limited students in a batch enables them and the professor to focus on the topic at a deeper level.”

5 parameters to select your coaching class

1. Size of batches
2. Personal attention
3. Offline support
4. Flexible timings
5. Competitive environment

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Bharatiya 12:47 AM

NEW GMAT CENTRE

A new GMAT testing centre was recently launched in Mumbai. Inaugurated by, Indu Shahani, sheriff of Mumbai and principal, HR College of Commerce and Economics, the centre is first of its kind in south Mumbai. This centre will provide services to ensure students from that part of city can attempt the competitive examination in the proximity of their homes.
This Pearson Vue Select centre has been set up by the Mumbai based Think Education and is only the second GMAT Testing Centre in the Mumbai Metropolitan region after the centre at Andheri. Testing at this centre will commence on April 15.
The GMAT exam is a popular entrances test for Bschools world over. A large number of Indian B-Schools including the IIM’S and ISB also accept the GMAT scores as an admission pre-requisite. Aspirants can book their testing slots on the official GMAT website - www .mba .com

The Bharatiya 12:46 AM

Student at the Columbia University, appeared for six Advance Placement exams while in high school. She talks about the benefits of the exam and shares tips

A step Ahead

Student at the Columbia University, appeared for six Advance Placement exams while in high school. She talks about the benefits of the exam and shares tips

I am a sophomore at Columbia University studying economics and south Asian studies. I had applied to colleges in the US as well as the UK, and I initially signed up for the Advance Placements (AP) because a few colleges in the UK did not accept Indian board exam marks. As I became more involved with the US college application procedure, I also realised that many colleges and universities give credit for AP exams, allowing you to skip out of certain introductory courses. While I am not planning to graduate early, giving the calculus BC and micro/ macro APs allowed me to skip the mandatory introductory mathematics and economics courses, and still get credit for them.
Looking back, I would say that the most beneficial way to study for the APs is to review the topics covered, and then do as many practice tests as possible. The practice tests should replicate the actual testing conditions— they should be timed and no mobile phones or any other distractions. Once you finish the practice test, it is crucial to go back to every mistake you made and understand why you got the questions wrong. If the exam involves writing an essay, make sure to have someone else read it—preferably a teacher. Online tutorials usually release free response questions of the previous year’s exams.
Appearing for the APs has allowed me to get ahead in completing major requirements, thus giving me more freedom to take classes that I am interested in, including those that may not relate to my fields of study, such as psychology, political science, and dance. In fact, had I not given
the APs I would have probably not been able to pursue two of my majors.

EXAM REGISTRATIONS College Board’s Advanced Placement exams are scheduled for May 6-17, 2013. They are conducted in 24 subjects and are securely administered at designated test centres in Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Deadline for registration is March 25. For more details, visit www .collegeboard .org /ap -in -india .html

The Bharatiya 12:45 AM

With the time-table for the examinations out, the countdown has begun for students who are juggling between board and entrance examinations.

The balancing act

With the time-table for the examinations out, the countdown has begun for students who are juggling between board and entrance examinations.

    Marking the beginning of a particularly challenging period, students are busy juggling board examination preparations with coaching classes for competitive examinations. Those preparing for medical and engineering examinations, at the state and national level, say they are under pressure to perform well at both fronts.
    “We should keep in mind that a class XII student in the science stream, preparing for the board examinations, is also preparing for other competitive examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) that determines admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) for admission to a host of institutions, including the National Institutes of Technology,” says K Ashish Mithra, professor of physics from IITMadras. Karthik Govindarajan, a final year student at IIT-Madras, says many students who excel in academics in IITs are often those who did well in school examinations, too. “There seems to be a correlation there. But, in my case or in the case of many of my batch mates, the focus was clearly on the JEE,” he says.
    Preparing for competitive examinations also makes preparation for the board examinations simpler, he adds. “Concepts in mathematics, physics and chemistry are covered in-depth in examinations such as the JEE, which enhances our general understanding of the subjects, too,” says Karthick.
    J Sathish, commerce faculty in AKT Matriculation Higher Secondary School says, “Students should try and strike a balance between preparations for the different examinations till the end of January.”
    With revision examinations in school and mock examinations at coaching centres keeping them occupied, students tend to over work and end up being under tremendous pressure. This time of the year is crucial for students in class XII. Refraining from watching television or browsing the internet is one way to ensure there is more time on hand. Parents play an important role in motivating children. The entrance examinations require a change in strategy and orientation for students compared to the board or other examinations. Cracking entrance examinations is all about dedicated practice on the test types that are relevant, followed by revision tests and feedback. Students should follow certain tips from their teachers and parents which will put them on a better track, no matter which entrance exam they are appearing for. You have to identify the areas you are not so comfortable with, and it is advisable to experiment in your practice tests.

The Bharatiya 12:43 AM

BOOKS AVAILABLE

Students wondering what to do with old books/ notes or are looking for study material for the upcoming academic year can use this platform for their benefit. Write to us on educationtimes .mumbai @gmail.com with Book Exchange in the subject line. We will publish your details in the following format:

    BOOKS AVAILABLE
    NAME OF STUDENT: Aishwarya Tripathi
    STREAM OF STUDY: Science (PCM) classes XI and XII, IIT entrance exam preparation.

    BOOKS AVAILABLE: Brilliant Tutorials two-year IIT elite course. Fourteen modules of physics, chemistry, mathematics each (covering every topic in IIT syllabus), compendiums, last 10 years’ IIT question papers, many tests with solutions, as well as AIEEE and BITSAT question papers, compendiums, etc. CBSE classes XI and XII - physics and chemistry Modern ABC reference books, mathematics Pradeep reference book, English Golden Guide. CBSE XII board exam- physics, chemistry, mathematics, english, computer science sample practice papers book set. EMAIL: tripathiaishwarya 19 @gmail .com

NAME OF STUDENT: Varsha Sambhar STREAM OF STUDY: Civil engineering BOOKS AVAILABLE: SOM, DSS, RCC, surveying, engineering economics, entrepreneurship and management, civil engineering notes and question papers. EMAIL: varsha _c 159 @yahoo .co .in

NAME: Ronak Shah STREAM OF STUDY: IGCSE BOOKS AVAILABLE: All imporant IGCSE textbooks and notes (math,ad math,chemistry, physics, business, ICT)
E-MAIL ADDRESS :
ronaks 1996 @gmail .com

BOOKS REQUIRED

NAME OF STUDENT: Siddhant Prakash Goyal STREAM OF STUDY: Mechanical engineering BOOKS REQUIRED: Any book on the following subjects: (1) Engineering metallurgy (2) Solid mechanics/ strength of materials (3) Theory of machines (4) Thermodynamics EMAIL: siddhantgoyal 123 @gmail .com

NAME OF STUDENT: Avik Ranjan STREAM OF STUDY: Science 10+2 BOOKS REQUIRED: IIT JEE preparation material, RC Mukherjee for chemistry, Bansal classes worksheets, notes of career point, resonance, OP Tondon for chemistry, HCV Vol 2, SL Loney for trigonometry E-mail: ranjanavik 007 @gmail .com

The Bharatiya 12:42 AM

SPECIALISATION SWITCH

I completed a Diploma in Production Engineering and a Graduate Diploma in Materials Management. I have 25 years experience and want to pursue a one-year executive MBA in US or UK. Please list recognised institutes that offer the same. Also, do international universities offers degrees in engineering via correspondence?
    - Rajesh Have a look at the executive MBA offered by University of Chicago, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Northwestern University in the USA, London School of Business in the UK and IE Business School in Spain to see whether it suits your requirements. University of London in the UK and University of Phoenix in the US offers distance learning courses.

SPECIALISATION SWITCH I am pursuing economics from SRCC, Delhi University. I do not wish to pursue majors in core economics. I plan to switch to financial economics. I don’t want to apply for a course that has too much of theory to study. Is my decision right? Please list courses and international institutes that offer the same. What are the career prospects in this field?
    - Chahak Have a look at the programmes offered at University of Warwick (MSc in Finance and Economics), University of Manchester and City University (MSc in Financial Economics) in the UK and Bond University and Monash University in Australia to check whether it interests you. Finance has very good scope globally. No one can ever guarantee you jobs after you graduate. If you network well, you may get a job after you graduate. However, job prospects are better if you graduate from a well known university. Firms in India sometimes recognise students with an international qualification and may give employment preference to these students.

CAREER CONFUSION I am a class X student. I wish to complete ISC (arts), and want to make a career as a journalist. However, my parents feel I should choose medicine since I am good at biology. I find it difficult to choose since most family members are doctors and engineers. Does the arts stream form a good base for journalism? Is the science stream equally good?
    - Anquna Before deciding on your choice of course you must first analyse your aptitude and your future career aspirations. There are many options to choose from. Every field of study will have many lucrative and successful career options. It is imperative that you choose what you are most interested in. I would recommend that you appear for a career aptitude test. This may help you make an informed decision on the field to pursue further. Have a heart to heart conversation with your parents and explain to them your interest.

The Bharatiya 12:38 AM

Clean up your online act Your online image can say a lot to potential employers and colleges.

Clean up your online act

Your online image can say a lot to potential employers and colleges. tells you what to look out for

    It’s that jolly time of the year when college applications have been sent for some, and placements are looming closer for others. In this interim period, there is one thing that all potential students and employees must do: get their online act together.
    Says Sarala Vaidhyan, a college counsellor, “This generation lives and breathes on the internet, and their entire life is on display: pictures, posts, statuses, blogs, web groups and communities that they are a part of. When you add it all up, it makes a difference.”
    Kanishkaa Menon works for a leading software company, and often doubles up to work on the recruitment team. She talks about the process of sifting through literally thousands of applications, and often resorting to doing a quick online check to see if there’s anything that will tip the scales. “There usually is,” says Menon. “People tend to list ‘blogging’ as a hobby or skill on their résumé. If all we find is a Wordpress link with about six posts talking about life and parents and love, we’re unimpressed. That does not qualify you as a blogger.”
    Facebook profiles are, unsuprisingly, where a lot of decisions are made. “We know people go out and enjoy themselves, and we aren’t moralising, but we don’t need to see pictures of you dancing on tables. Be smart enough to untag yourself from those pictures,” she explains.
    The process of cleaning your online image isn’t even as tedious as you’d think. There are a few websites that can help – you can link them to your Facebook profile and they will automatically delete all questionable content based on parameters that you set. Also, simply Google your own name and see what comes up.
    When Nicky George was applying for his MBA abroad, he took as many precautions as possible. “American colleges tend to take online checks quite seriously, and I didn’t want to take any chances,” he says. His course of action was simple: he merely changed his last name on Facebook. “I went by Nicky Armani,” he chuckles. “People made fun of me, but so what? I changed my profile link too and I worked on my LinkedIn and Blogger profiles, so they came off as more professional. I also unsubscribed from a ton of superficial groups that might reveal my religious and political leanings, just to be safe.”
    However, Sarala warns about going to the other extreme as well. “In your quest to censor your online self, don’t remove it completely,” she says. “It’s not a positive thing to Google someone and get almost no results. Make sure your online persona exists, but just in a professional, affirmative way.”