May 26 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
TOPPERTALK `No formula for success'
Nidhi Shah speaks to commerce student Aditi Toshniwal who scored 98.33% in her ISC exam without coaching
When Aditi Toshniwal's teacher called her up with the news of her results, the family jumped with joy. The commerce student scored 98.33% (best of four subjects) in her class XII Indian School Certificate (ISC) exam -without any extra tuition and coaching.She hit the bull's eye with the perfect score in accounts and scored 99 in economics, 99 in commerce, 96 in maths and 95 in English.
“There is no formula for success, you have to derive it your way,“ says the Hyderabad-based teenager who had no plan to make it to the topper's list. Her only mantra was `one milestone at a time.' “When I started preparing for my board exams, I just wanted to understand my subjects in a better way. I didn't set any percentage targets for myself. My only goal was to pay attention to classroom teaching and revise my subjects regularly,“ says Aditi, who attended a school affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations.
“I was confident about my accounts score as I practised sufficiently throughout the year. Practical subjects are my favourite. I think theoretical subjects start like a cakewalk, but get tougher at the end of the syllabus.
However, no subject remains alien if we give it proper time,“ she adds.
Aditi topped in her previous school, too, where she completed class X. Her basic routine would include around two hours of extra study daily.
“Quality studies are more important than the quantity. A month before the exam, my study hours grew a little longer but I never locked my self in a room just to study. I believe we, as students, need holistic growth,“ she says.
Her mother Anjali could not agree more. “Apart from studies, Aditi actively took part in dramatics and extra curricular activities.“
A native of Maharashtra living in Hyderabad for the past seven years, she gives the credit of her academic performance to her chemical engineer father and homemaker mother. “Due to my father's transferable job (in a pharmaceutical company), we shifted many places, but my parents never allowed my studies to get disturbed.
They supported my choices. It has always been a study-friendly environment at my home,“ she adds.
Her decision to opt for the commerce stream aligned with her parent's choice. “I was clear that I want to get into the corporate world and I like number-crunching, so commerce was the perfect choice,“ explains Aditi, who plans to apply to Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), Delhi University, and take the Common Proficiency Test of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She concludes by giving advice to her peers, “There is no need to panic if you cover a small portion of your syllabus every day.“ > For more tips on various exams and entrance tests, visit http://www.educationtimes.com
“There is no formula for success, you have to derive it your way,“ says the Hyderabad-based teenager who had no plan to make it to the topper's list. Her only mantra was `one milestone at a time.' “When I started preparing for my board exams, I just wanted to understand my subjects in a better way. I didn't set any percentage targets for myself. My only goal was to pay attention to classroom teaching and revise my subjects regularly,“ says Aditi, who attended a school affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations.
“I was confident about my accounts score as I practised sufficiently throughout the year. Practical subjects are my favourite. I think theoretical subjects start like a cakewalk, but get tougher at the end of the syllabus.
However, no subject remains alien if we give it proper time,“ she adds.
Aditi topped in her previous school, too, where she completed class X. Her basic routine would include around two hours of extra study daily.
“Quality studies are more important than the quantity. A month before the exam, my study hours grew a little longer but I never locked my self in a room just to study. I believe we, as students, need holistic growth,“ she says.
Her mother Anjali could not agree more. “Apart from studies, Aditi actively took part in dramatics and extra curricular activities.“
A native of Maharashtra living in Hyderabad for the past seven years, she gives the credit of her academic performance to her chemical engineer father and homemaker mother. “Due to my father's transferable job (in a pharmaceutical company), we shifted many places, but my parents never allowed my studies to get disturbed.
They supported my choices. It has always been a study-friendly environment at my home,“ she adds.
Her decision to opt for the commerce stream aligned with her parent's choice. “I was clear that I want to get into the corporate world and I like number-crunching, so commerce was the perfect choice,“ explains Aditi, who plans to apply to Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), Delhi University, and take the Common Proficiency Test of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She concludes by giving advice to her peers, “There is no need to panic if you cover a small portion of your syllabus every day.“ > For more tips on various exams and entrance tests, visit http://www.educationtimes.com
