Those grade' expectations

There was a lot of excitement and relief surrounding the Karnataka State results where a lot of students did exceptionally well. However, there are also instances where the results did not match expectations. As these Karnataka PUC students tell us, there is always pressure to be the best, when it comes to exam results.

The problem, as we understand it, is that most teenagers feel let down by one or two subjects, which means that it takes a toll on their comprehensive result. As Anju Joseph, 18, says “I expected more, but I was let down by my marks in Biology as it is my favourite subject.”

Shirin Thomas who scored full marks for her Math paper says, “I was happy but not to that extent, because I did expect to do better in a couple of other papers as well. Scoring full marks in Math was not expected at all, so that was a good surprise and we felt much better.”

Meeting their own expectations and that of their parents is a task. Alan Mathew, 17, who scored 84 per cent while he expected 90 per cent says, “I was expecting more and I was upset initially, but my parents were really supportive and encouraged me to look beyond the point.”

Nainisha Kumar, 18, who scored 90.83 per cent in her final exams reveals that her parents were more happy with the results than she was, “My parents were fine with my results as I am positive that I will get admitted into good colleges.”
Many parents believe that their child’s scores could have been better, and more often than not, it is the little mistakes that cost these bright students their marks. Latha Thomas, a parent says, “I was disappointed initially as my daughter had scored a higher percentage in her SSLC examination. There was a natural expectation that the 12th standard results would top that. But, I understand that her marks reflect her work, and she has done well.”

Students, who work hard and do remarkably better than average, should be commended for their mettle to persevere in all circumstances, and not just be judged by their scores. Shirin, 18, would like a college admission board to look beyond her marks and value her in entirety. “I expect colleges to assess candidates for more than just their scores. There needs to a clear assessment of character, goals and values,” she says. Eventually, everybody learns to accept what they have earned and move on as life presents better opportunities.