North East Graduate Congress – 2017

University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya in collaboration with Regional Institute of Science and Technology organized the 2017 North East Graduate Congress (NEGC the most acclaimed flagship program for the undergraduates of the North East) The event sponsored by ERD Foundation began on 17^thFebruary and ended on 19^th February 2017. The graduate congress aims at providing students a platform where they can present their skills, sharpen their knowledge,, portray their traditions and diverse cultures, interact with students from different parts of the Northeast, and also interact with eminent personalities, who are experts in their own fields.

The NEGC 2017 , which took place at USTM’s Techno City Campus welcomed students and staffs from various institutions of the Northeast to join the celebrations, to compete with each other, with a healthy mind and more importantly to interact and form a union of growth.

Day-I began with the registration and allotment of accommodation to the guests then began the Round-1 of various sports competitions such as Volley Ball, Basket Ball, Badminton and Carrom in their respective grounds. A session on ‘Youth & Entrepreneurship’ was conducted in the afternoon by Mr. Sohail Ahmed from New Delhi, enlightening the students on the topic. Towards the evening Round-2 of the sports competition took place meanwhile there were cultural programs carried out in the form of Skit, group dance, and group song competitions. There was a competition to find out the best graduate among the participating colleges – ‘The Best Graduate’ competition, which was won by A Misban Hanif of Modern College, Imphal.

Day-II started with  –‘Unity Run’ followed by photography, cartooning and write-up competitions, while side by side the final rounds of the sporting competitions took place on different grounds. The most prominent event in the first half of the second day was the ‘Cultural Procession’ where over 10,000 students gathered to represent the cultural richness of the eight states of the Northeast. The whole ambience of the campus turned into a carnival mood. Students from over 40 communities all dressed up in their traditional attire set a cultural rally portraying the diverse cultural heritage of the region. The rally led to the main pandal where the ceremonial inauguration of NEGC-2017 took place in presence of  former Union Minister Shri. Mani Shankar Aiyar Ji, Hon'ble VC, Gauhati University, Dr, Mridul Hazarika, Hon'ble VC, Cotton College State University, Dr. Dhruba J. Saikia and Shri Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor, USTM. This was followed by a discussion session on a very contemporary topic- ‘Are Social Networking Sites Really Social? & What Next…?’ where youngsters took part in a huge number. The session was initiated by Mr. N.I. Laskar, Dr. Amit Choudhury and Prof. Alaka Sarma. NEGC-2017 also organised a National Seminar for Teachers with the theme – ‘Teachers as Motivators & Counsellors’, where teachers from various colleges took part. A session on ‘Personality Development & Soft Skills’ was conducted, where Mr. Thomas Jhon Rose imparted knowledge on the same.  There were also quiz, debate and mimicry competitions that took place in the afternoon session. Of the events that took place in the afternoon the most highlighting one had been the panel discussion with the theme – ‘Youth, Politics & Corruption’. Speakers from 8 political parties from Assam and Meghalaya took part in the panel discussion, the discussion was moderated by Mr. Mrinal Talukdar, Mr. J.M. Lyngdoh and Mr. Wasbir Hussain.  The hall was packed with audience and the speakers enlightened the youths with their ideas and experiences inspiring them to actively participate in debates and discussions related to politics as they are the future leaders of the nation. The panel discussion was followed by Cultural Program and prize distribution later in the evening, where Modern College, Imphal was awarded the Best Disciplined College of the event.

On 19^th the day – III, the valedictory session began in the morning at 10 AM with the farewell song. This was followed by expression of gratitude by the organizing committee and distribution of certificates. NEGC 2017 was a grand success and has become the only platform of such kind for graduates  in the country.  What more could be the highlight than of seeing students interacting with each others before parting and taking pictures to collect the memories of the grand event.

University of Science & Technology Meghalaya is one of the top Universities in Northeast India. USTM have under graduate programs as well as post graduate programs. PhD programs of USTM are one of the most renowned in Northeast India.  We also have Engineering programs, BA LLB, PG, MBA, B.Ed. & LLB programs among others. USTM Seminars & Placement in USTM is one of the best in entire Northeast India.

Preparing for Competitive Exams

All of us at one point of time or the other engage in the preparations of competitive exams. While doing so you go through a tough time deciding how to schedule your time, what to study and what not, when to study and how much to study. Well what you should keep in mind is that you study enough and in such a way that you retain enough in mind to ace the examinations.

Below are some of the tips and techniques that will help you prepare for all competitive examinations.

• Have shorter study sessions – Shorter study sessions are much more effective than marathon study sessions. Studying for long hours can make you feel tired and frustrated. So break-up the time for studies; also take short breaks between study sessions. You can study for about an hour or two then take a break of 15 minutes.
• Do not study when you are sleepy – If you are sleepy it’s better to take a quick nap of 15-20 minutes so that you can start afresh.
• Don’t just work hard but work smart – The number of hours you dedicate is not important but the amount of focused study you do is important. So understand your own system and start with the most difficult subject when you are fully active and you can keep the easier ones for the time when you are little lazy. Also try to get rid of distractions and adjust your time to study in the quiet hours of the day.
• Do not schedule similar subjects one after another – It is better to club different subjects together this way the brain will absorb different subjects much better.
• Try to study during the early hours of the day – It is best to study in the morning after you wake up from a good night sleep. This helps to retain more information.
• Make a list – Once you have the syllabus, make a list of the books and study materials you would need for the exam and collect them as early as possible.
• Use colour for the books – You can use colours aas codes to mark what you studied. Say you can colour the ideas in red, the dates in blue with the other facts in colours such as green or yellow, etc. this helps to remember things faster.
• Set a finishing date, also save time for revision – You should set a date, when you decide to finish learning new concepts otherwise it would be like learning without any aim. Also when you have prepared well for the exam it is necessary that you revise, it helps to remember a lot of things.
• Try to be less social and switch off your phone – During this time try to be less social, don’t attend too many parties or go around with friends until it’s necessary. If you constantly get distracted because of your phone, switch it off while studying.
• Rejuvenation time – You also need to relax so that you are not stressed out. Take time from your hectic schedule and try to indulge in activities that refresh your mind. Say going out for a movie, play a sport, listen to music or jam out with friends.

Hopefully the above mentioned techniques will go a long way to help you prepare for competitive examinations. You don’t need to worry much, but work hard to achieve your goals and work smart.

University of Science & Technology Meghalaya is one of the top Universities in Northeast India. USTM have under graduate programs as well as post graduate programs. PhD programs of USTM are one of the most renowned in Northeast India.  We also have Engineering programs, BA LLB, PG, MBA, B.Ed. & LLB programs among others. USTM Seminars & Placement in USTM is one of the best in entire Northeast India.

International Earth Science Conference 2017, University Of Science and Technology, Meghalaya

The three day International Earth Science Conference 2017 ended yesterday. The sessions that took place yesterday were: Plenary Session II, Model presentation and Valedictory Session. The speaker of the Plenary Session II was Dr. Priyanie H. Amerasinghe, Sri Lanka, Senior Researcher and Head of Office, International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad. 
Valedictory Session was followed by release of IESC Online Newsletter, Distribution of Certificates by Dr P. G. Rao, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, USTM.