Tips to keep your room clean
Are you facing the disaster of keeping your room clean?

A clean room will change your mental state. It is like having a whole new world.

Keeping your room tidy and orderly will bring you a sense of satisfaction. It is truly an escape from the chaos of life.

We can help you. Getting started is tough. Start from a corner of your room and don't look at your room as a whole.

Too hard to handle, then here is a four-step organising plan.

Step 1: Begin with a plan
Cleaning becomes much easier with a plan. Do it on a regular basis. For a start put all your clothes and other accessories inside your closet.

Out-of-season clothes can be stored in a suitcase or an airtight plastic container, which can be placed under your bed.

Step 2: Sort between clutter
Get started by getting four boxes. Label them as follows: Keep, give, throw and undecided. Start sorting clutter in this manner.

If you find autograph books, slam books or photo albums, put them into boxes and label them accordingly. Don't waste time going through them. Throw all damaged stuff that can't be repaired.

Step 3: Organise the good stuff
Take out the contents in the keep box and store them in their proper places. The give box contents should be given away immediately.

Anything in the undecided box can be sorted in consultation with your siblings or parents. All objects in the throw box should find itself in a garbage bin.

Step 4: Keep yourself organised
The last and most important step in being an awesome organiser is to maintain the new system of organisation in your room.

Being clean has proved to have many good effects:

  1. You'll be able to find what you're looking for without wasting time;
  2. You won't die of embarrassment if someone drops in;
  3. You will always find time to do more.

This is all it takes to keep your room clean. Happy organising.

Students on how often they clean their room:

"I do it every alternate week."
- Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, grade 8

"I do it every two months."
- Rashmi Menon, grade 7

"I do it when I find my room becoming too uninhabitable."
- Keerti Kiron, grade 9

"I do it mostly during summer and winter breaks."
- Ramsha Muneer, grade 7

"My mom does it for me."
- Shradha Dinesh, grade 7, Rosamma Joseph, Kripa jayaram, Grade 7, Our Own English High School, Sharjah

Entrance exam
My son is in grade 12 doing science. He is appearing for the Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Exam/All India Engineering Entrance Exam (JEE/AIEEE) in India. He is a domicile of Maharashtra state.

Queries:

  1. Will he be allowed to enter the Common Entrance Tests (like Karnataka, Chennai, etc)?
  2. I would prefer him to go and join as a Resident Individual Indian. With his school mentioned in the certificates, will this come in the way and compel him to go in an non-resident Indian (NRI) route?
  3. What would be the price differential between these?
  4. Are there any good Computer Engineering Colleges (private) in and around Maharashtra?
  5. What is the price factor differential between Regional Engineering Colleges and private?

- Subbalakshmi A.

Answer-1: Your son can appear in the following exams without any restrictions:

IIT-Joint Entrance Exams.
The Indian Institutes of Technology (seven of them) are institutions of national importance established through an Act of Parliament in India.

These Institutes play a leading role in technological manpower development and have research programmes comparable to the best in the world.

Admissions to the Undergraduate Programmes for all Indian and foreign nationals at these institutions are made through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

The Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi is one of the oldest institutions devoted to education in various engineering disciplines.

Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, a deemed university, is the oldest institution of its kind in India. The admissions to the undergraduate programmes at these institutions are also made through JEE.

For more details, log on to: http://www.iitd.ac.in/jee/

All India Engineering Entrance Exam
The All India Engineering/Architecture Examination for admission to Engineering and Architecture (including Planning) programmes at the undergraduate level in India is being conducted by the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education).

This offers admission to all the National Institutes of Technology and 70 other institutions.

For more information, log on to: www.aieee.nic.in

Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH-CET)
The Government of Maharashtra conducts a single Combined Common Entrance Test (MH-CET) for all Health Sciences, Engineering and Pharmacy degree courses.

The Government of Maharashtra has appointed The Director, Medical Education and Research, Mumbai, as the Competent Authority for the MH-CET.

The merit list of the above examination will be used for admission in:

  • Government/ Corporate/Government Aided Colleges of Health Sciences degree courses.
  • Government /Government Aided / University Managed Colleges / University Departments and Unaided Private Colleges of Engineering and Pharmacy degree courses.

For more details, log on to www.dmer.org

Karnataka State Entrance Exam
The Common Entrance Test (CET) Karnataka is conducted to admit students to first year courses in engineering, medical and dental courses in Karnataka.

Professional colleges in Karnataka that offer medical, dental and engineering education are affiliated to state-run uni-versities and admit students through this exam every year.

There are three kinds of seats: Free seats, payment and management quota seats available in the colleges.

The fee structure differs every year.

For more details, log on to: http://www.cetkarnataka.in/

BITS-Pilani Entrance Exam (BITSAT)
Admissions to the Integrated first degree programmes, both at the Pilani campus and Goa campus, is through a computer based online test conducted by BITS. This test is referred to as the BITS Admission Test, in short BITSAT.

For more details log on to:
http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/Admissions/
bitsat/bitsatmain.htm

Answer-2: If your son clears the entrance exams and gets the required rank to get into the institutions, he will pay the normal fees (that is paid by the Indian students). Students clearing the entrance exams are treated equally.

Answer-3: In case you choose to take admission through the NRI quota available in some of the institutes, the ratio of the fees could be (approximately) 1:10 (Entrance exam cleared:NRI quota admission).

Answer-4: The Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT), is considered one of the good private colleges in Maharashtra.

For more details log on to: www.pictsctr.edu/

Answer-5: It would be very similar to what was mentioned for the previous question on the fees.

Difference between CA and CFA
I am confused whether to take Chartered Accountancy or Chartered Financial Accountancy as a career. As of now, I am planning to do B.Com. I want to know the names of the good colleges here in Dubai that offer the course.
- Nilesh Hirani
For B.Com courses, visit www.kv.ae for a list of institutions that offer the bachelors course.

CA

  • Awarded by: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (www.icai.org/)
  • The institute has its headquarters in New Delhi

Requirements:

  • You can join a CA course either after your 10+2 examination by registering for PE I Course of 10 months duration
  • You can join after graduation with specified percentage of marks by registering for PE II course of 10 months duration.Those who don't have the specified percentage of marks in their graduation examination, will be registered for the PE I course

To become a charterholder

  1. Pass PE I, PE II, FINAL EXAMS
  2. Meet the work experience requirements
  3. The practical training for students of the Chartered Accountancy course involves working in the office of a chartered accountant in practice or a firm of such chartered accountants for three years.

Course content:

  1. Accounting
  2. Mathematics and Statistics
  3. Economics
  4. Business Communication and Organisation and Management
  5. Auditing
  6. Business and Corporate laws
  7. Cost accounting and financial management
  8. Income Tax, Central Sales Tax, Direct and Indirect Tax
  9. Management Accounting and Financial Analysis
  10. Corporate Laws and Secretarial Practice
  11. Cost Management
  12. Management Information and Control Systems

Number of years required to complete the course, excluding work experience: 3

CFA

Requirements:

  • Have a US bachelor's (or equivalent) degree, be in the final year of a bachelor's programme, or have four years of qualified, professional experience or a combination of work and college experience for at least four years
  • Meet the professional conduct admission criteria
  • Be prepared to take the examinations in English

To become a charterholder:

  1. Pass each of the Level I, II, and III exams. Requires a minimum of 250 hours of study with substantially more depending on individual circumstances.
  2. Meet the work experience requirements.
  3. Four years of professional work experience are required for regular membership. An individual must be a regular member to be eligible for the award of the CFA Charter.

    This experience may be gained while the candidate is in the CFA Programme, after the candidate has passed all three levels of examinations, or from previous positions.

Course content:

  1. Ethical and Professional Standards
  2. Quantitative Methods
  3. Economics
  4. Financial Statement Analysis
  5. Corporate Finance
  6. Analysis of Equity Investments
  7. Analysis of Debt Investments
  8. Analysis of Derivatives
  9. Analysis of Alternative Investments
  10. Portfolio Management

Number of years required to complete the course, excluding work experience: 3

- The higher education responses have been provided by Subramanian K.,head of the Dubai branch of Career Launcher, one of India's largest education companies

Editor's Pick

The truth in the assertion that we are all social animals can be tested when a student ventures abroad for an education.

Indeed, most high school graduates in the UAE tend to travel around the globe to pursue a degree.

However, moving to a new university is not like switching high schools - it is about moving to a new land - a new planet if I may say so - novel customs and ideology and a drastically different social setting.

It is this change that to me represented a challenge. A new land can be highly intimidating, and for people like me who take a little time doing as the locals do, the effects can be detrimental.

Many students take a shot at blending in but as many shy off and when they stay reclusive in their little cocoon, life as a student becomes extremely difficult.

You make fewer friends, meet lesser people and divorce yourself from society thereby isolating yourself to tackle university pressures on your own.

By remaining thus confined to a small space, students with an inability to blend in and socialise easily find themselves victims of depression - the awkwardness of being in a new land simply never goes away.

Odd one out
You find yourself the odd one out and the time period of incorporating yourself into the structure simply lapses - you skip orientations, sneak out of socials and shy off conversation.

Before you know it, you are months into university with no life beyond your books, no sources of help beyond your study guides. You become your society and as any social doctor would tell you, this can never be good! At university it spells loneliness and you shoulder a burden that not one has borne alone.

My suggestions

  • Therefore before venturing abroad, give yourself a few lessons on socialisation.
  • Educate yourself on the culture of the land you shall soon call home.
  • Make use of the resources on campus.
  • Most international universities have dedicated social groups; try and affiliate yourself with one.
  • Indeed, you may find some of the activities in a new place, awkward - even bizarre; but keep an open mind.
  • Stamp out shyness and stand strong. Attempt to be a part of the university culture and make it your home.
  • From my experience thus far, a little effort can go a long way and by making more friends, I am really seeing a happier chapter to my university days.

Knock out the loneliness, and believe me, university life becomes a totally different ball game. But yes, just be careful not to overdo your social skills - after all you are at a university to study!
- Abbas Ali
Toronto, Canada