Gauri Chabbra
Getting into college is not only the beginning of a new phase in one’s life, it is also the time when majority of students actually start thinking about their careers, jobs and professional life very seriously. Among the vast majority of jobs and fields available to students, it is the civil services that remains an indisputable leader. A large number of students be it in engineering, medical or in the humanities stream nurture the dream of clearing the civil services exam and joining one of the elite groups in the country. If you are one of those who have Civil Services on their wish list, and would want to steal the limelight by clearing the coveted exam, let me tell you it is not as wishful as you think.
Instead of staring up the steps with awe and wonder, just step up the stairs by focusing on the following:
Start Early:
One question that one oft hears from the IAS aspirants is “when is the right time to start preparation?” Should I start after graduation? Can I start building the blocks after XII?
Though several competition preparation institutes would mention different time periods ranging from two to four years to be fully ready for the civil services exam, there is no better time to start preparing than on entering the college. In fact if you can start even after your X, the better it is. This will help you lay a solid edifice for the exam as the NCERT text books become the foundation of your Civil Services. If your heart is set on entering the civil services then go about it in a planned and organized way aligning your academic as well as co-curricular activities in college with your ultimate aim.
Selection of subjects:
While making a selection of subjects, you can actually make the right choice by choosing the subject that forwards your goal of cracking the Civil Services. For a humanities student, Psychology, Economics, Public administration, History, Political science can be good choices. The criteria for your selection of subjects should be bi pronged- your interest and availability of guidance. Your interest and gravitation towards a particular subject will always give you an extra edge that is needed for the optional subject. For a dynamic subject like Economics, you need to have someone to guide you. A prudent choice of subjects will give you a head start as through your three (or four) years of graduation course you will also be able to prepare for the Optional Subject as well as the General studies paper.
Manner of preparation:
The manner in which you prepare for your college examination, can also prove as a stepping stone towards the Civil Services. While making notes , try to write the main points on a plain paper.This would give a maturity and legibility to your hand and would prove helpful for doing the Mains exam. Meticulous preparation involving making notes and understanding of basic concepts along with the detailed study of your subjects will go a long way in making you ready to tackle questions in the prelims as well as the mains exam.
This strategy usually will also allow you to save a year or so of preparation as against those who start preparing after their graduation or postgraduation.
Participate in Youth festivals:
College also provides a platform for gaining oratory skills which will prove very helpful in interview. In most of the literary competitions like debates, the topic is given just 24 hours prior to the competition. Participation in such competitions will hone two skills – to work under pressure and to speak with eloquence.For this, the colleges also start preparation early. They will inculcate in you the habit of reading the newspaper. To make it an inherent part of yourself, follow the 28 day schedule diving it into 4 sets of seven days each. In the first set, read the front page and any supplement of your choice be it sports, movies or literature. As you linearly move to the second week, shift towards other topics and make pockets of different news items by following them daily. Try locating them on an atlas. For instance, you may wish to follow the bomb blast incident at Bodh Gaya. This would help you in forming a chronological sequence of events and also make you in good stead in case you opt for Geography as a subject. As you graduate into the third week, move to reading the editorials as well as the news of international significance.
During the fourth week, consolidate all that you have read by bringing about an integration of the news from different perspectives. Also try to identify people and incidents from visuals and pictures so that the entire event conjures a picture in your mind that stays with you during your exam.
General awareness coupled with sound oratory skills will help you ace the interview.
Join NCC and NSS:
College is also the perfect pitch to practice and master the qualities and gain skills that will stand you in good stead during personal interview. So,join National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme(NSS) in your college to get the confidence oozing and establish a campus community linkage.The aim of NCC is to develop a spirit of comradeships and weave strength of character and integrity of purpose. The cardinal principles of the NSS program that involve combined service to the community provide a sound base to the aspirants who wish to inculcate interpersonal and social skills that are imperative to crack the interview. During this lap, you would come face to face with an Interview Board that may comprise of people with unique personalities and skills sets and all of them are gauging you. Your NCC and NSS training will help you learn the nuances of communicating with a group of people on the same platform yet giving each of them their own unique due. This is a very subtle art that can only be mastered through community service and participating in the fine art of nation building.
Moreover, when you learn to contribute to the welfare of mankind, the habit of giving and participating in common good thus formed gets cemented when you actually become a Civil Servant. You already have mobilized and mastered the skill of community participation that makes you move ahead in life.
So what are you waiting for.? As you take the first step into college, plan ahead.
Remember, the journey of thousand miles starts with a single step… so take it… NOW.
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