How to plan for the next step after Grade 10 exams?

Is it really over or….. has it just started!

Exams are one of those moments in our lives where majority of us have messy schedules. While some of them gorge onto midnight snacks others choose black coffee as their best friend to help them be awake for that extra revision session before bed. Needless to say, the joy and sense of accomplishment on the last day of the grade 10 board examination is one of the most satisfying feeling a student experiences in their lifetime. While the exhaustion from the exams has barely subsided, somebody on the breakfast table asks that one question which every single student would want to escape.” What are your plans ahead?” while this question is often ignored with a fake smile at the table it often lingers around a student's head as he/she knows that a lot is going to change going ahead.

In order to achieve what we envision ourselves to be a decade later, the post grade 10 vacation is that preparatory time that helps us make some of the most significant choices towards achieving our dream goal. Being in a tier one city such as Mumbai, one of the biggest decision that one needs to make is where would one pursue their Grade 11 and 12 . It's not just where one would want to pursue but even which board would help one reach their destination easily. Mumbai has quite a large number of international schools and the first task that one would have up their sleeves is to select the best international school in Mumbai that would offer not just good infrastructure but a well-trained and efficient faculty that would make learning a lot of fun and help every child to climb one step higher on the success ladder. Once the child has discussed the school and the board that he or she would love to take up, the next important question is what are the requirements to get admission in “that” International school of Mumbai. Keeping a track of the entrance exams of the various international schools in Mumbai is one of the most important task as you surely don't want to miss the first bus that would help you reach your destination. It is interesting to note that the reputed international schools in Mumbai also give a sort of a syllabus document which further help the student to prepare themselves for the entrance exam.

“To be proactive means you shape the circumstances and not let them shape you”- Robin Sharma.

While some of them might think of their future universities post their grade 12, there are a few proactive individuals who start planning towards building a successful portfolio for their university application right after their grade 10 exams. Isn't that too much and too soon? is the question that a lot of them ask these proactive individuals. To be honest, I have heard and seen that parents encourage their wards to be friends with such proactive lads so that their child may also get involved in such planning for him/herself. One would now question what does this “Planning” involve? For sure it's not rocket science but a simple take on self-management skills. To provide an analogy, it's like you making a tea for the first time. The first step would be you watching videos on how to make tea, followed by you will see either your mom or someone in the house and note the steps that they take to make tea. Once you have done the background research on how to make tea…the day you want to successfully try it you will first gather all the ingredients and vessels to ensure everything needed to make a perfect cup of tea is available with you. Follow each of the steps noted from our earlier observations there it is: A perfect cup of tea.

While the above analogy may sound very simple in realty the process may not be that simple. Just as one would select the course, board and international school in Mumbai to pursue their secondary education, one also needs to select their universities well ahead of time. There is not a lot of difference in the process though. You look at the website of the universities to get details of the courses, city, infrastructure, basically the FAQs. You also see the requirements for the entrance depending on the board that you would wish to pursue in grade 11 and 12 . Most of the students from International schools in Mumbai generally either take AS/A level or IB at grade 12 and accordingly these universities will have a cut off for entrance. So the goal is out loud there right at the beginning and we have almost 2 years of time to prepare and reach there. Some of the universities may also have entrances depending on the course that you select and of course on the score that you get after you grade 12 examinations. As we know that the top ranking universities just don't look at the academic credentials they also give a lot of importance to the co-curricular portfolio. The co-curricular portfolio must have evidences which prove the quality of being an all-rounder. Most of them pursue their hobbies and interests at different depths during their secondary education or even before that. A certification in any of these co-curricular activities is definitely going to add value to the portfolio. These universities also look at the number of social causes one is associated with it could be a very simple volunteering at a Pulse polio vaccination center to being a part of fundraisers for and NGO.

So it's not the end post Grade 10 examination, it's just the beginning!

Also,

What next after Grade 10th and why is it important to plan and apply now?