Aarohi has a vibrant thriving community that connects with each other beyond the campus on WhatsApp. One parent had a very interesting question to ask the community which opened up so many perspectives to explore.
Can open schoolers (especially learners who did not choose to give 10th or 12th exam) get college admissions? Do we know if regular colleges allow applications and admissions for learners who did not do 10th and 12th exam.
And pat came the response from Ratnesh, our co founder, taking a leaf out of his life. He shared-
Let me step back and do an overview before answering your question:
Let me start by saying – kindly do not consider these professional options as binary – either college or CoVersity.
There are so many other ways to both explore professional options as well as grow and learn in any field / domain.
Just look around yourself – and you will see so many people who have totally changed their domains (including maybe yourself)
Not everybody who changes their professional domain goes back to a college.
If you are in affirmation to above them extend this to say “not every child needs to go to college.”
In fact its much easier to explore multiple domains at a younger age.
Now – lets explore the question – are colleges open to taking students who did not give 10th / 12th?
A caution – do not answer this question or listen to answer from people who have not tried this – because sadly most people instead of saying “I don’t know” or “I haven’t tried” will go ahead and advise you based on no real experience – based on archaic beliefs.
Expand your horizon
So instead of hanging on with an obvious “No-colleges-will-not” lets explore possibilities.
You see world is a-changing and people are looking, listening and lauding real practical WORK more than academics.
And even if world is not changing it is upto us to make the change happen.
Our daughter, Asawari, at age 20, wanted to do a course offered – for graduates – by Azim Premji University.
Now Asawari has not even done 10th or 12th – forget graduation.
But still she approached them, gave a detailed write up with her reasons why she wants to do that course and also shared with them her detailed portfolio in that domain. She was selected, given admission and completed her course.
Imagine another scenario – lets say child X wants to go for hotel management but has no 10th or 12th.
He approaches a college, shows them his/her work in the field of hotel management – some projects, some internships, his articles, some research, surveys etc. and ask for admission. He even says to the college – I only want to learn here – if you cannot give me a certificate at the end because I do not have 10th/12th – that is fine. I am confident I can manage my placement based on my work in and outside the college. Also you can just give an acknowledgement at the end of the course that I participated fully except for the exams and hence no certificate.
Open learners realise that world is OPEN to so many possibilities.
We can buy gems from a shop
or We can become one.