“I Failed”

Poonam Vaidya

As the marks were declared through various the internet and the cell
phone, and will soon be out through official and tangible “marks
cards” across the city, we hear hoots and cheers rising up from
various students, and celebrations all around. But what about the
students who continue to stare at their computer screens, shocked and
dumbfounded, or those who shut their eyes tight and repeat “It can’t
be….it’s not true”? The ones that hang up their friends’ calls and
ignore messages, knowing they will only ask the ultimate question,
“How much did you get?.” Those who face scornful, judgmental glares
from society?

Caught in this crisis are 3,43,519 out of 6,06,321 students (56.66
percent) who failed to  clear the exam this year. Is all lost for
these aspiring students? Failure should  not be perceived as the end
of the world. Failing exams doesn’t make you a failure in life. If
anything it presents you with a range of options, one of which is
retaking.

Dr. Ali Kwaja, founder of the Banjara Academy, a secular,
non-commercial and non-sectarian organization, which offers  training,
counseling, emotional support and an opportunity to serve mankind,
says a lot of people have come to him for counseling, regarding
examinations. “I look at each one with the individuality, as they are
all different”.

Apply for revaluation, photocopy or retotalling: According to
psychologist Ali Kwaja, this is the first step to be taken by
students. “I advice students to go for re-evaluation, since their
failure could be attributed to a glitch in the system, but I always
warn them not to rely on it, instead move on and reapply for a
supplementary exam, which will give them admission in some college,
albeit it may not be the college of their choice.”  The supplementary
exams will be held between June 25 and July 4.

Deal with your feelings – However you respond to the news is fine.
Whether it is shock, denial, frustration or even anger, your emotions
will be running high so it’s important to let them out..

Indulge in a bit of serious analysis – Ponder upon the reasons why you
failed. There is a big range of factors that can contribute to
failure. Says Dr. Kwaja “The second step is to determine the reason
for failure in the subject, and decide whether theY want to opt for a
different stream.”

Stop blaming others-  You might what to believe you are a victim of
circumstance, but stop projecting your shortcomings on to others, so a
little introspection about where you went wrong. Your actions are
something you yourself have sole authority over.

‘Get advice’ –  Talk to your lecturers and find out what are your
academic weak points.  You’ll find just putting your words into
feelings will help you to gain some perspective. So turn to friends,
family.

Start revision as soon as you can.

Make sure you have all the required materials like notes, textbook,
old question papers. Buy a guide if required.

Consider taking time off- Decide instead if take a break from the
tension and stress and doing something you always wanted will help
you. This will require seeking permission from parents or guardians.
List toppers include travel, a short courses in animation, computers,
personality development, public speaking, or social service, taking up
a job, etc. Remember, this will make it harder to get readmission, and
you will have to risk discontinuing your education.   In the context
of whether taking a break is beneficial, he says “ I strongly oppose
it for those who have failed, although it might be beneficial for
students who have scored well and need some time a perspective to
decide on which stream to take up next”

Dr. Lakshmi advices parents not to do a “postmortem” of the issue,
“they must support and remind the child to stay positive, as they
still have another chance”

Details
Last date to apply for obtaining a photocopy May 16
Cost of obtaining the photocopy of each subject Rs 300
Last date to apply for revaluation May 20
Cost of Revaluation for every paper Rs 750
Last date to apply for retotalling May 20
Cost of retotalling each paper Rs 200