At least two of the three toppers in the differently abled persons category of the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission merit list have kept their options open.
P. Barath, the topper, with a cut-off of 194 marks, was admitted to the Electronics Communication and Engineering branch at College of Engineering, Guindy.
The Chennai-based hearing impaired candidate scored 261 marks in NEET and is in the 83rd percentile in JEE Main. He wants to become a doctor, says his father, S. Palayam, a junior telecom officer in BSNL. “We are awaiting the merit list,” he adds.
An orthopaedically challenged candidate A. Varun, ranked fourth on the list, was allotted Computer Science and Engineering (self supporting). He took the JEE Main and NEET. With 241 marks in NEET he says he would get a seat in a city medical college, but he is keen on the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi.
Varun says he did not attend coaching classes. “I learned through YouTube coaching classes.” He developed an interest in robotics after he got a smart phone. He has learned a few of the computer code languages.
“I want to do hacking certificate courses. There are many centres that teach them,” says Varun, who is in the 78th percentile in JEE Main. Fifth-rank C. Sindhuja chose B Tech Biotechnology in PSG College of Technology. B. Dhanavel of Dharmapuri, with a cut-off of 177.5, chose to study at the government college in his home town. Son of an ex-serviceman, who opted for CSE, he chose not to qualify from that category.
“I visited the college and it has all the facilities. I decided to study there though I know I would get a seat in CEG,” he says.
32 absent
TNEA officials called 143 candidates for counselling and 101 candidates were allotted seats. While 10 candidates opted out of counselling, as many as 32 were absent, officials said.
Earlier, Higher Education Minister K. P. Anbalagan, who inaugurated the counselling at the Central Polytechnic College in Taramani, said for 6,915 seats only 144 persons had applied. Seats that fall vacant would be added to the general counselling pool.