A portal to college

IN THE United States, 40 per cent of applications for collegiate education is done online, a figure expected to touch 70 per cent in the next few years.

Still an alien concept in India to educational institutes and students alike, a beginning has been made, nevertheless.

Started by four students of the Delhi College of Engineeering, www.buckleyourshoe.com is a student portal which could help make the task of applying for a seat less stressful.

"A prospective student from anywhere can now apply for admission to any of the institutes affiliated with the portal," says Krishan Mohta, CEO. "The process is from the step where an applicant needs the application to the stage where it has to be submitted.

"All a candidate has to do is log in, compile his profile and use the search options for areas like choice of subject, level of study and State. He then goes through the list of institutes and compiles information for the new set of queries generated.

"The application is submitted digitally. If the applicant has an e-mail ID, the institute can confirm receipt of his application. The web-enabled service helps the candidate track the status of his application with deadlines clearly displayed," says Mohta. "It is easy too for colleges to sort out forms using various parameters."

According to Mohta, the format was compiled after studying 250 application forms. It was found that 70 per cent were similar. Just 10 per cent of the information required was specific to that institute.

Mohta lists future plans to include a tie-up with over 200 different institutes (At the moment those listed are mainly engineering and management colleges).

... Is it the end then to filling endless forms, avoiding serpentine queues and keeping track of receipts?

MURALI N.KRISHNASWAMY

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