Students attend a tuition class in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 6: The summer is here and students have just completed their matriculation and Plus II examinations. Instead of taking it easy, however, many students in the capital have promptly begun burning the midnight oil once again. This industrious lot seem inclined to keep studying, taking tests and “being prepared” for the challenges ahead: in medical and engineering entrance tests and Plus II science.

Institutes across town are offering a slew of courses to choose from and ever-ambitious students and their parents are spoilt for choice. Some private institutes are offering foundation and integrated courses for students who want to take medical and engineering entrance tests.

The one-month crash course for students from the Plus II science stream continues to be the top favourite. A number of institutes offering these courses have come up over the years. Students are offered lessons in physics, chemistry, math and biology. The course includes a mix of activities, tests and classes and is popular among medical and engineering aspirants.

“This course has a huge demand among students as we conduct four hours of classes everyday along with regular tests. We have as many as six batches of students for this courses,” said A. Mallick of Padhee’s Tutorials.

Courses like this one can be taken up for a price between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 depending on the institute.

For students who have completed matriculation, there are two-month summer courses for subjects, including physics, chemistry, math, biology, and IT electronics.

“These courses come for a price of Rs 12,000 and help the students prepare in advance for their Plus II.

“Summer crash courses are especially meant for students who are willing to occupy their spare time in learning the basics of what they are going to be taught in the days to come. Students who take these classes are definitely better off than their counterparts as they have a grip over the subjects even before the session begins,” said Piyush Mohanty of Narayani Tutorials.

“Practising basic assignments and study material are a great help,” said Prakash Jena of Books Tutorials.

For students who wish to pursue arts, the choices are limited. They have a choice of computer crash courses. These courses span three to six months offer training in Java, C++ and many pther computer programming languages. They come for Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000.

Thankfully, there are some courses for students who want to spend their holidays as they should be spent: without burying their heads in books. This lot wants to learn something new. For them, there are courses in communicative English, animation, computers and even kitchen basics. These courses are not just less expensive but more fun, according to some students.

“I have always wanted to improve my spoken English so that I do not face problems when I join college. I think vacations are the best time to join a spoken English course and improve my skills,” said Pratusha, a student of Class X.