Tuesday, 25 May 2009: This year, the boys outdid the girls in the race to professional college admissions in Karnataka. Only three girls made it to the top 10 slots for engineering and medical/dental in the all-important Common Entrance Test 2009, the yardstick for admissions to professional colleges in Karnataka. However, girls dominated the architecture list.

Announcing the much-awaited results here on Monday, Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) Executive Director S.G. Hegde said that of the 1.16 lakh students who took the test, 62,275 engineering ranks, 10,914 medical ranks and 42,152 Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISMH) ranks had been allotted. About 1.15 lakh students appeared for engineering stream and 83,964 for medical, while 1.16 lakh placed their bet on both streams.

All the three top rank holders in the medical/dental category confessed that their hearts lay in an engineering career. While medical list topper from Mangalore Aneesh Bhat secured 18th rank in engineering also, the second rank holder Ullas P. from Bangalore beat him to the 17th rank in engineering. Both Aneesh and Ullas are waiting for the AIEEE results to try for a National Institute of Technology seat.

An excited Ullas told The Hindu that he was looking at studying Electronics and Communication Engineering. "I studied hard and attended coaching regularly. I am extremely happy I also stood 559 in IIT. I would like to make it to IIT Madras."

Engineering
Two classmates, who studied together, secured the first and second spot in engineering. Sri Satya Sai Lokseva PU College (Mangalore) students Naveen Bhat Y. and Yashwant Marathe are keen on the National Institute of Technology in Surathkal. "I am elated," said Naveen. Second-rank holder Yashwant's father Padmakar, told The Hindu that news about his son's performance was an emotional experience. The architecture list was dominated by girls with Priyanka Dharamshi from Chetan PU Science College, Hubli, topping the list. She said she had always wanted to join R.V. College in Bangalore. Unlike other toppers, she had only attended coaching for two to three days.

Notably, most of the top ranks were from Pre-University colleges, and not the CBSE and ISC or Central board schools. Results were put up in all the 227 examination centres, though most students checked their scores online.

Higher Education Minister Arvind Limbavalli, who addressed presspersons on the KEA premises, reiterated that this year too, interest above 6 per cent for students would be waived.

"We are also planning to set up a committee where private charitable organisations will come together to ensure that no poor student is denied education," he said.

• 1st rank - Anish Bhat P & 47th Rank in Engineering St Aloysius College, Mangalore
• 2nd rank - Ullas P & 18th Rank in Engineering MES College of Arts and Science, Malleswaram, Bangalore
• 3rd rank - Preetish K L & 17th Rank in Engineering Vijaya Composite PU College, Jayanagar, Bangalore
• 4th rank - Karan N Ramakrishna MES College of Arts and Science Malleswaram, Bangalore.
• 6th rank - Anusha K R Sadvidya PU College
• 7th rank - Aditya Manjunath & 188th Rank in Engineering MES College of Arts and Science, Bangalore
• 8th rank - Shadab B Maldar PC Jabin PU College of Science, Hubli
• 9th rank - Sanal Canute Fernandes St Aloysius College, Mangalore
• 10th rank - Akshit Saradagi Sharanabasaveshwar Residential Composite PU College, Gulburga

• 1st rank - Naveen Bhat Y Sri Sathya Sai Lokaseva PU College, Alike
• 2nd rank - Yashwanth Marathe Sri Sathya Sai Lokaseva PU College
• 3rd rank - Vimal M Vijaya Vitthala PU College, Mysore
• 4th rank - Arpita V Huddar V V S Sardar Patel PU College, Bangalore
• 6th rank - Sandeep Pai H St Aloysius College, Mangalore
• 9th rank - Nithin Mallya Expert PU Science College, Mangalore
• 10th rank - Anantha Tejas R MES Vidyasagar Prof MPL Shastry PU College, Bangalore

• 1st rank - Priyanka Dharamshi Chethan PU Science College, Hubli
• 2nd rank - Ramya Sanu Chethan PU Science College, Hubli
• 3rd rank - Mohammed Bilal Carmel PU College, Bangalore
• 4th rank - Pavankumar Dhareppa Nandeshwar JSS Arts, Commerce and Science College, Dharwad
• 5th rank - Sumika S Pai St Aloysius College, Mangalore
• 6th rank - Dinakar C V Sri Venkateshwara PU College, Hassan
• 7th rank - Anitha P Rao St Mary's PU College, Udupi
• 8th rank - Anu Pallavi R P Mount Carmel PU College, Bangalore
• 9th rank - Prathima Devanath Vijaya Composite PU College, Bangalore
• 10th rank - Priyanka Divakar St Joseph's Convent PU College, Chitradurga