Self study or Coaching – What to Opt for?
Self study or Coaching – Which is better? – Are you preparing for the competitive exams and confused that whether to opt for self-study or coaching?
Then you are not alone, the majority of aspirants are suffering from the same dilemma.
Some of them do not have enough money to afford the expenses of coaching classes and others lack motivation; some of them want to study alone but need proper guidance and others want to join coaching centers but are not sure if the teacher would be able to pay attention to each of them.
Let us have a look at some major points including both pros as well as cons of self-study and coaching to make things clear for you.
See: Self Improvement Article for Students Success Articles
Self-Study:
Pros:
Convenient for the pocket
If you belong to a middle class or a poor family and not able to afford the expensive coaching classes or it does not fit in your budget then self-study is the most suitable option for you. It won’t cost you a single penny. You can save and spend the money on purchasing some good help books.
No fear of criticism
There are few students who are quite shy and reserved in nature. Such students find it difficult to gel up with others easily and don’t feel comfortable in the crowd; and consequently, they stifle their feelings due to the fear of criticism.
No distraction
For many of us, studying in a quiet surrounding work like a miracle. You can gather whole your attention and energy to one thing while studying alone. There will be no one to distract you and you will be able to solve your own doubts.
Time-saving option
Time, being the most valuable thing in human life, should be utilized to its best. If you are the one to whom it matters a lot to completely utilize the time without sharing it with someone else or without scarifying it for someone else, then self-studying could save you those extra hours you waste traveling towards your coaching center and in those useless chit-chats with your buddies.
Freedom to explore
You could utilize the benefits of the internet. You have the liberty of studying whatever you want, wherever you want and whenever you want according to your needs.
See: Career Preparation And Planning – Self Analysis
Cons:
No one to help you
If you are among those who often need the help of classmates or friends to clear your doubts then self-studying could be a bane for you.
Imagine your exams are near and you decided to do self-study this time then chances are that you will end up wasting most of your time calling up your friends again and again to clear your doubts. Once you have no time in your favor then no matter how hard you try, you will not get success.
Lack of motivation and guidance
There will be no teacher around you to correct your mistakes and guide you in the proper way.
If you are the one who seeks motivation from friends and classmates around you in order to boost up yourself and stay focused towards your goal, then let me remind you there will be no one around you and you may get lazy sometimes.
Coaching:
Pros:
Proper guidance
The benefit that you will get right away from the coaching class is that a well-qualified teacher will always be there to correct you at every point of time. Coaching classes could provide you the right approach and training you need to clear an exam. They know the exact pattern and the level of questions, which would really make it good for the student.
Peer support
If you are the one who enjoys studying in a group because of the energy you get from there works as a fuel for you to achieve your target then the coaching classes will work as a wonder for you.
You will meet more motivated and like-minded students like you with whom you could seek out the different ways/methods to solve a particular problem.
Mental Preparation
Apart from the studies, the mock tests and the surprise tests will make you mentally strong for an upcoming examination. Moreover, those tests will be of the same pattern as your upcoming exam is going to be, which will make you more comfortable while sitting in the actual exam.
Cons:
You may feel aloof
As mentioned above, If you have a shy or reserved kind of nature then there is a possibility that in coaching classes you may feel disconnected from others and which could put a bad effect on you and your studies.
Could affect your pocket
Most of these coaching classes are way too expensive and unsubsidized making it difficult for a middle-class student to get in it.
Pressure cooker
They can pile pressure on you by taking tests back to back and if you are the one who is not able to bear such pressure then you will get frustrated.
If you don’t know how to face the bad and the failure then you will feel angry and demotivated to learn more if you end up scoring less in examinations besides spending on the coaching classes.
Admissions in bulk could create chaos
Some of the coaching centers put a bulk of students in a particular batch due to which the teachers are not able to pay attention to every individual student and hence degrades the performance of the student.
Parents should understand that sending students to a coaching center or compelling them to self-studying should be more of a student’s decision.
Every student has their own pace and you cannot put the leash of coaching classes or self-studying on them if he/she is not willing to choose one over another.
As a final note, we need to understand that both self-study and coaching are not the major deciding factors of getting success in the examination. You should try implementing both techniques and then come up with the decision that what suits you the most.
You might have seen students who have scored good marks in the examination by doing self-study and there are some students who have taken coaching classes but ended up scoring very less or vice versa.
So, the main factor which drives you towards success is your honesty towards your goal and the amount of hard work you put into the preparation.