Thinking of Dropping a Year? Know If It’s Worth or Not?

Every year many students take a drop to prepare for competitive examinations like IIT-JEE, NEET, or any other examination. 

The most startling thing is, “According to the research, 35-40% of students take a year's drop to prepare. “ As an 18-year-old, you need to make the hardest life decision “what should I opt for?” and “should I take a drop year or not?” 

The students unsatisfied with their grades deal with the dilemma of taking a drop year or not. There’re a lot of things that come to mind when deciding on a drop year. Many thoughts hover over your mind. 

• Everyone will move to another city for a college education, and I’ll be here only.
• Is it worth taking the risk? Will I be able to achieve anything?
• Will I lose all the opportunities for the future? Would the dropper tag stay with me for my whole life?
• 1 year preparing and getting into my dream college vs direct admission and admission into a college according to the qualifying grades?
• What if I couldn’t succeed this time, and then what next?

Today you’ll get the answer to all the questions with a detailed explanation. Keep reading to know the pros and cons of taking a drop year and the courses you can opt for while preparing. Let’s dive into it. 

What do you think taking a Drop Year will Benefits you?

The answer is yes! There’re many ways how drop year will help you:

1. Good Score

 An unsatisfied rank in the previous examination will brief you about the examination and obtain chances for success as well. There might be some students who lost their dream college with a mere difference. For those students, it might be a good option. They can prepare well with time and get a compelling score in the examination.

2. Better Preparation

Taking a year off gives you a clear head and provides you with a new strategic plan to study. Taking time off for preparation will not become a hurdle once you clear your examination and enter your dream college. 

You’ll also be free from school, coaching, and other activities, eventually improving your efficiency and increasing your chances.

3. Dream College

Every student has a goal set in their mind and has a dream college in which they want to enroll. Once they compromise their dream college over saving a year, the thought will be stuck in their mind for the rest of their life, “what if I chose to take a drop year?”, “Could I be able to do it if I took time off?” etc. So what one can do is to give a chance to their dream college.

4. Enough Time 

With school, coaching, and other activities, managing your preparations is a bit hectic. Drop year gives you a calm and composed mind to start fresh and plan things accordingly. Don’t hesitate to start over again; you’ve enough time to explore your options and discover your mistakes and weaknesses. Another year allows you to focus on the parameters you left in the previous session. 

5. Familiarity with the pattern

You’ve already gone down the road, so you know the examination pattern. It will be advantageous to you over the students sitting for the examination for the first time. You can also cope with the difficulty level, several problems, and all the challenges you face in the examination. 

6. Strong Basics

It is necessary to strengthen your fundamentals, and you need to be familiar with the topics. In the first attempt, you managed both your boards and competitive examinations. 

Now you can solely focus on the competitive examination and complete your prep on time.

Do you think there’re some cons to taking a drop?

Yes, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The same goes with a drop year.

1. No Assurance of Success

It is not necessary you get success only after a single drop year. You may be unable to clear it, and then you’ll regret taking a year off. Everything has merits and demerits, and it only matters how you take it. 

2. On your Own

You’re all alone in this. People will always oppose it. It is one of the biggest demerits as it can also be quite demotivating for you. 

Everyone and sometimes even your parents would suggest you not take a year off and continue your studies at a different college. So, it’s only up to you how you manage it. 

3. Lousy Confidence

All the events will hit you a bit hard. You’ll face a lot of hurdles and problems, even if there’s a possibility that you will not get your desired results. But no need to worry, you can still take time off and practice as long as you want. Just believe in yourself and be confident. Everything will surpass. 

4. Mental Pressure

You’ll face a lot of pressure to clear the examination as it requires a lot of hard work and dedication. It is difficult for everyone to ace it in one go, putting pressure on the students. That’s where it ends for them. The solution is to focus solely on your prep and not on people and their opinions on your study.  

5. Loss of Opportunity Cost

The biggest reason for taking a year off is students think they would lose many opportunities if they take a break. But that is wrong. Never take it as a break. You’re preparing and exploring for the examinations. So, don’t be afraid to do something. At least in the future, you’ll not regret that maybe if you give yourself more time, you could do it. 

Drop Year Courses You Can Opt For

Conclusion

These are all the things that you need to know about taking a year off. Think about a drop year only if you’re willing to give everything to your studies and stay focused till the end. 

If you think you cannot make it anyhow with your preparation and strategy, then there’s no need to waste your time. Try to find better opportunities that will benefit your future. 

If you’re sure about the drop, remember you must give your best. There’s no place lacking behind, and you need not worry about it. Sometimes it’s all in the head. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Is it okay to take a drop after JEE Class 12?

Ans. Yes, if you’re sure that you want to go further and that taking a drop will make a difference in your score, then you should definitely go for it. 

Q2. Is NEET going to be held twice a year?

Ans. The answer to that question is no, and there’s no such case. NEET will be held once a year only. 

Q3. Can a Dropper get into IIT?

Ans. Yes, a dropper can get into an IIT. Most of the students in the IITs are droppers as it asks for a highest cutoff in the examination.