Monday, 30 Dec 2024

Author - Akshay Bellubbi

Current College Application Landscape in India

We all have been through the grunt and sweat of visiting colleges physically, standing in the queue, striking conversations with strangers and possibly classmates, paying application fees (only in cash), filling up the form, submitting all documents, waiting for updates endlessly and finally ending up in complete excitement of admission or rejection.

The college application process in India remains inconsistent, with some institutions embracing online systems and others sticking to offline or semi-digital methods. While many colleges in Group 2 have a strong reputation, the overall landscape is evolving slowly. Change is needed to make admissions smoother for Gen Z and beyond.

The boomers started this trend and millennials just followed through with slightly improved online admissions in certain universities. We all have our own stories that we will cherish forever when it comes to college admissions. We all have somewhat gotten irritated with the “during our days” or “Humare zamaane main” conversation from our boomers. All said and done, the process was tedious and hectic. Do you think the current generation Gen Z will go through the same grunt?

I(the Author) am a millennial and I would not want the next generation to go through the same grunt. But, to change something, we need to understand the current application landscape.

Does Generation Z still have to endure this same hassle?

As a millennial, I hope not. But to bring about change, we first need to understand the current college application landscape.

I recently explored a few colleges in Bangalore and analyzed their admission processes, both online and offline. The results were varied and inconsistent, with asymmetric information across websites, the internet, and physical processes. Here’s what I found:

Group 1: Colleges with Online Applications

These colleges offer the convenience of applying through their websites or via a physical visit that redirects you online. The process is streamlined and fully digital. However, only a limited number of colleges fall into this category. There’s also the downside of your data potentially being shared with unknown colleges, leading to unsolicited calls, messages, and ads.

Group 2: Colleges Using Google Forms or Offline Applications

This group represents the majority. Applications are either handled through a simple Google Form (which lacks robust tracking) or entirely offline. Offline processes often require students to download a form, print it, fill it out, and pay application fees via demand draft or bank transfer. Regardless, a visit to the college is usually mandatory.

Does this mean Group 2 colleges are inferior? Absolutely not. Many of these colleges have an excellent reputation and are focused on delivering the best education possible. While some are actively working to improve their processes, others are in the early stages of adopting new technologies.

This is the current college application landscape — disjointed yet evolving. There’s a long way to go, and I’ll be diving deeper into topics like privacy, college search, shortlisting, applications, and documentation in future blogs. Stay tuned!