It’s February already and students in their twelfth grade will be going through the trying time of preparing for their finals while also short-listing courses and colleges that they would like to apply for their undergraduation. A very difficult time for many, in a lot of cases, both schools and parents can sometime fall short in guiding the child towards what suits them best. This is where a little extra help could make all the difference. And this is where Univariety hopes to make that difference.

A higher education planner service that was started in the city about two years ago by two former college-mates, Univariety helps students through the process of finding a course, either in India or abroad, and also walks them through the process of admission, scholarships and so on.

Operating in cities like Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai, the consultancy has partnered with over 150 schools and 40 universities across the country and globe, and have so far, guided 15,000 students of class 11 and 12 to befitting courses and careers through scholarship-aided programmes.

‘’These days, we see more boys showing interest in different fields of engineering like bio-medical, animation-based, robotics, aerospace, film making, etc and girls are showing keen interest in mass communication, fashion designing, bio-medical engineering and statistics. These are their preferred career choices,” shares Varun Agarwal, MD of Univariety.

Varun, along with and Jaideep Gupta, has been working towards giving information and supporting children who have aspired for a course that fits them as snug as a glove.

“Both of us wanted to be entrepreneurs. If someone had talked to us or helped us in our school days, we could have become entrepreneurs a decade or more earlier,” explains Varun.

The two friends and budding entrepreneurs, teamed up together after working extensively in the field of education across the globe, to fulfill their dreams of starting a venture. And so, it was the same helping hand they wished they had that they hope to extend to students today.

Despite not being from the city, the duo chose to base their operations in Hyderabad due to the large number of quality schools and a high number of students aspiring to go abroad for higher studies. This includes 12 major schools like Oakridge International, Gitanjali schools, Hyderabad Public School, Chirec International School, Meridian International School, Delhi Public School-Hyderabad, etc.

According to them, though a degree in engineering or business management has been the traditional choice of higher education for most, or a foreign degree in the same field especially for those from the state, there has been a 20 per cent dip in the preference for traditional forms of engineering, changing the scenario of higher education.

However, at the same time, Varun points out that students today make their choices in isolation and with imperfect, and sometime incorrect information, guided by friends, parents and other influencers who themselves are not fully informed. “We wanted to help them, and their need for help is global. We did not want to be counsellors, we wanted to offer solutions and change the way teachers stress on the need for good percentages for a better future.”

Through partner schools, students can create their profiles on the Univariety portal and find guidance based on their preferences for preparation of various tests and choose suitable training institutes. They also helps students shortlist and apply to an ideal list of universities and avail best fit scholarships too. Per school, Univariety charges anywhere between`25,000 and `5 lakh, which would entail students of class 11 and 12 of that school to avail their services. Students can also avail personalised features to help them get individual help through the entire process of college admission. This could cost about `35,000 – `50,000 for each student.

‘’There are usually two types of students — one who is clear about what he wants and one who doesn’t. Our online tools will find them solutions up to 60 per cent. If they are still not happy, we have our counsellors who go to the schools to talk to them. Every reputed college is there on our list and now and we are extending the services to class 9 and 10 students from May; this we have already extended to schools in the Middle East,” he shares.

So, if you’ve been spending the better part of your time biting your nails in frustration instead of studying, here’s one way to sort some of the college-related anxiety. You can log onto www.univariety.com for more information or email them at guideme@univariety.com.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rahul V Pisharody – Hyderabad / February 04th, 2014