Integrated vs. Regular College: Which is Better?
In today’s fast-paced world, choosing the right educational path can make or break your future career – integrated or regular college, which will give you the edge?
The trend of students joining integrated courses is rising among science students preparing for NEET and JEE exams. In an integrated college, the preparation for NEET & JEE and 11th-12th curriculum runs in parallel to each other. However, the focus is only on the regular 11th, and 12th board curriculum in regular junior college.
What is an integrated college?
When an entrance exam like JEE & NEET preparation runs along with 11th & 12th board curriculum courses simultaneously, it is called an integrated course. In an integrated program, school and coaching run together. Expert teachers clear all the concepts and form a solid foundation for the competitive examination.
Benefits of Integrated College
1. Time-Saving
Integrated college helps in saving time for the students. The students shuffle from school to coaching, wasting time and overburdening the students. While the integrated colleges provide coaching for the competitive examination in the junior college leading to effective time management.2. It helps in maintaining discipline
When students seek dummy admission, they only join the coaching classes which is not good for their growth and development. While at an integrated college students attend regular classes that help to maintain discipline which is essential for the growth and development of the students in these crucial years of career development.3. Formal education
The integrated college provides formal education in addition to coaching classes. Students do not juggle between different topics taught in the school and coaching institute as the course of the school classes and coaching classes run synchronised.4. Subjective exams as per the board
The integrated college takes regular examinations prescribed by the CBSE or state board so that the students understand the board exam pattern along with the competitive preparation. Furthermore, the junior college with an integrated program completes the syllabus of classes 11 & 12 and helps the students to develop a strong foundation of the concepts.
Disadvantages of Integrated College
The students seeking admission to foreign universities should only focus on the board examination as they give admission based on the board results not on the competition exam such as JEE & NEET.
What is a regular school?
Regular schooling is based on student-teacher interaction and follows a strict schedule. Regular schooling focuses more on instruction and educational services. Such schools adhere to strict attendance policies and students must attend regular classes.
Benefits of Regular School
1. A regular school facilitates regularity in the students as they have to attend classes regularly for attendance.
2. The student focuses on one goal at a time resulting in improved grades.
3. After school, students can attend any class or tuition they might find difficult to understand.
4. Subject teachers in school are experts in teaching that subject and clear all concepts in class.
Disadvantages of Regular School
1. When a student joins regular school and coaching class separately, he juggles the two and needs clarification with the different teaching styles. The main focus in school is on the competition of the school curriculum not on NEET & JEE.
2. Students who want to sit for the competitive exam need more concept understanding, which is impossible in regular school as the teachers don’t have enough experience to prepare for the competitive exams.
3. Non-integrated courses require students to learn in both institutions and classrooms. As a result, even if they feel unable to keep up with the pace of instruction in the school, they always have the option of being taught by college professors. Unfortunately, students who choose integrated courses will not have access to this backup.
4. 11 & 12 are the career-deciding years and joining only school will not prepare you for college and students will face issues in the college and will not be able to deal with them efficiently.
Difference Between Integrated and Regular School
| Integrated Classes | Regular School |
| Preparation of competitive exams runs parallel with the board examination. | Students only prepare for the boards in a regular school |
| No minimum attendance percentage is required. | 75% class attendance is mandatory to appear in the exam. |
| Focussed preparation for the competitive exam after class 12 | No preparation is done for the competition students need to join additional tuition classes or coaching centre |
| Students are sure of getting good marks in internal exams. | They need to be assured of good internal marking. |
Conclusion
The trend of integrated learning programs is increasing with the rise in the number of applicants for competitive exams. Students seek admission to integrated learning colleges to explore college life and learn from the experts. MAEER’s MIT Pune Junior College, a legacy of the MIT Group of Education, provides integrated learning courses for class 11 & 12 students in science, arts, and commerce. It also prepares them for competitive examinations such as NEET, JEE, MHT CET, CA, CS, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Integrated colleges can be advantageous since they provide a seamless blend of higher secondary education and entrance exam preparation, saving time and giving targeted coaching. However, their quality varies, therefore it’s critical to research institutions and select the one that fits your requirement.
Considering the student’s perspective, a tense, competitive setting makes studying difficult. Both types of courses have benefits and downsides of their own. It is up to the students to decide which course is superior as both have advantages and disadvantages.
Regular Junior colleges offer the usual science, commerce, and arts combinations prescribed by the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) or educational board. The Integrated colleges provide additional training to prepare for competitive examinations such as IIT-JEE, NEET, CET, CLAT, CPT, and even UPSC.