Years League
A League of Its Own: The Intellectual Traditions and Innovations of Krea University
Krea University was established in 2018, making it a relatively new entrance to the nuanced field of education in India, but what makes it different from many other Indian institutions is its unique approach to both admitting students and their education process once they are studying at the university.
It is not even a decade old institution but has been able to attract faculty members with PhD level education from top universities such as Columbia, Harvard and Cambridge, which is a key point of analysis as to why Krea Universities approach to learning and core principles are going to pave its way to success in the very near future.
Unlike most prestigious Indian institutions students do not need to complete stressful and mind boggling competitive exams such as JEE, NEET or entrance tests to seek admissions, giving a new range of students the opportunity to pursue education in streams like engineering, science, mathematics and commerce that usually require said exams. Simply, by taking a new approach to evaluating students through extracurriculars and academic growth and achievement through their highschool years, Krea university is acting as a catalyst for change for the college admissions process in India, allowing students to be seen in a more holistic and dynamic lens and chosen for their strengths outside the classroom.
Students also craft personal essays that allow them to voice their challenges and talk about certain adversities they faced as being the reason for their inability to have stellar academic or extracurricular performances. By evaluating students through a holistic perspective students are able to seek quality education from a gifted faculty in their chosen field, and build a foundation to then pursue higher education in prestigious institutions by proving themselves in their undergraduate course years.
Now, many students who would have had to spend maybe 3-4 more years trying to crack a competitive exam or even be unlucky enough to not get a graduate admission because their parents could not afford private colleges 2-3 decades ago, have the opportunity to get educated in their field of choice.
The second component of Kreas admissions process for its students is what makes it truly standout as an up and coming institution, because it showcases how the university aims to use modern ideology and cultural globalization that has led to a society with more youth advocacy and stronger voices to their advantage while selecting students for their school. In today’s society the youth are becoming a motivating force for change, because they are exposed to a greater influx of information and ideas through digital platforms and global dialogues they are able to cultivate more well-informed, balanced and solidified opinions about the world around them.
This is allowing them to become a key component for change, hence the second stage of Kreas admission process “Krea Immersive case (KIC)” focuses on students conversing with the university, reasoning with the university, discussing with the university and finally presenting to the university which are 4 core skills that the youth must display in order to truly become successful future-minded individuals who are able to persuade the world to listen to them. This is an aspect that is truly unique to Krea university as it is a system that other analogous universities in India such as Plaksha and Ashoka do not have, as the immersive case invites selected students to the University for their evaluation, but it remains a two sided evaluation between the student and institution.
In Plaksha University there is only an interview that is conducted, and in Ashoka there is an interview and mandatory on-spot essays and aptitude tests, outside of the standard application. Although these are different approaches to the selection process, and the debate as to which one is more effective would not lead to a definitive choice, Krea university is unequivocally the only university that has a component of its admissions process that allows the student to evaluate the school while the school is evaluating them.
This is important in fostering an environment where individuals feel seen and heard, and truly believe they can become a part of the community because of the opportunity to engage in discussions and conversations with the university. It is also an approach that is different from many prestigious institutions such as the Ivy Leagues or Oxbridge, but it is a step in the right direction to create a future generation who can advocate for their needs and rights as human beings to the people in charge.
Outside of its admissions process the approach to learning at the university also varies drastically from traditional Indian universities, it here that it shares core commonalities with its analogous institutions such as Plaksha and Ashoka. By cultivating an academic atmosphere where students have the opportunity to interact with international universities their time at Krea, the university successfully creates an opportunity for them to develop international mindedness while seeking high-level profile and career building opportunities. As they climb the career ladder by honing their research, analytical, writing and people skills through collaborations with Stanford, King’s College London, The University of Chicago etc.
Lastly, the chance to pursue a major and minor in two distinctive fields such as Computer Science and History, with numerous other permutations and combinations available to them, allows the students to diversify their educational opportunities. This is a structure directly taken out of the playbook of universities from the United States, which has been proven to allow students to pursue diverse career opportunities because of their qualifications in unique fields as they can pursue majors and minors in usually starkly contrasting academic disciplines. By giving Indian students the opportunity to seek a similar well-rounded education, Krea university is truly breaking the boundaries of traditional approaches to learning for the large population of 265.21 million school students in the country.
Ultimately, Krea University is a modern depiction of how the education system is able to adapt to the changing society around them, especially in a country such as India where traditional systems such as competitive exams have plagued the opportunities of students for generations. Its multifaceted approach to education that allows students to pursue a diverse range of academic and career opportunities is paving the path to a more aware and specialized society, where students are encouraged to study what they are interested in, instead of their choices being chained to being either a doctor or an engineer.
By amalgamating a generation of students who truly enjoy the subject they are studying it creates a foundation for a future of passion-driven future and problem solving in diverse fields that currently remain unsolved and problematic for the modern world. These points of information are further supported by the fact that their faculty is composed of educators who come from world renown institutions such as the Ivys and Oxbridge, proving that Kreas mission and vision has support from those who can be considered as individuals who received their education from traditionally “prestigious” universities. The precedent that Kreas structure and platform for education is trying to establish is unique and important in culminating in a society of youth who learn to ask questions and synthesize their knowledge through diverse educational pursuits.
By: Shenaya Bhattacharjee
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