Well,
it may sound weird, but colleges aren’t colleges anymore. The very concept of junior
colleges is in jeopardy. Junior colleges, I mean the real ones, are on the
verge of extinction. They are being replaced by what are known as ‘integrated colleges.’

Integrated
colleges are nothing but tie-ups through which the coaching institutes in India
have been trying to capture the education sector.  

And
when I mention the education sector of India, I’m talking about an industry
currently pegged at 100 billion dollars by India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).
This industry includes everything that comes under education; pre-schools,
schools, colleges, universities and so on.

Integrated
colleges are a popular choice among engineering as well as medical aspirants.
But there are a few things you need to be careful about before choosing an
integrated course. Let’s discuss them in detail.

1.
Gateway to board exam:

Integrated
colleges serve as a medium for enrollment as a junior college student with the
respective ‘Board of Education’. Once a student enrolls with an integrated
course offered by a coaching institute, he is automatically enrolled with an integrated
college. All in all, they are a gateway to appear for the class 12 board exam.

2.
100% attendance:

Students
need not attend these integrated colleges. They are marked present for the
entire two years. So, no defaulter lists and 100% attendance. Students are
required to attend college only during practicals. Hence, no college, only
classes!

3.
Umpteen study hours:

Students
in integrated colleges end up with ample study time helping them crack
competitive exams like JEE (Advanced) and NEET. This increases their chances of
getting into reputed colleges like IITs, NITs and AIIMS. 

4.
Good internals:

Once
you enroll for an integrated college, you are assured with good internal marks.
This helps you to score well in your board examinations with good practical and
oral marks.

5.
Massive investment:

Everything
comes at a cost. The fee charged by coaching institutes for integrated courses
is usually 50% higher as compared to non-integrated courses. In addition to
this fee, you also need to pay the fee of the integrated college which is the
same as any junior college.

6.
Unfair competition:

Since
all that matters to a coaching institute is money, they accept students with
all kinds of grades and let them compete against each other. This is all very
good for clever students. The ones who suffer are the average students. They
feel incapable of coping with the studies, the competition and the way of
teaching.

7.
No backup:

In
non-integrated courses, students learn in colleges as well as classes.
Therefore, even if they feel incapable of coping with the pace of teaching in
the classes, they always have the backup of being taught by the college
professors. Unfortunately, this backup becomes unavailable for students opting
for integrated courses.

So,
if you are confused while choosing between an integrated course and a
non-integrated course, now you know what to do!

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