u/Espikay

Hello everyone, I was once an aspiring science student (PCMB) in my 11th and 12th (CBSE and State Board) who wanted to attempt JEE, KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test) and a bunch of other exams, and pursue a genuine passionate career in Biotechnology or Chemical Engineering, but my current situation (2026 12th pass-out) is forcing me to pursue something other than engineering.

My academics throughout my life has always been average-to-below-average at best. I was never really a topper or a bright student in any sense; I was social, yet shy, curious, yet careless. I would almost never study unless I have exams coming up in the next 1 or 2 weeks.
During my school days, most of my extracurricular activities consisted of music either directly or indirectly. I even enrolled myself in a music school to learn Hindustani classical singing as well as Tabla.

My father worked in a central government job; hence we used to get transferred all across South India. I've lived in Chennai, Bengaluru and Visakhapatnam, studying in Kendriya Vidyalayas. I studied in Bengaluru from Class 2 to Class 10 (2013 - 2022). After my 10th, I was admitted to the same school for 11th and I took KV-to-KV transfer from Bengaluru to Vizag.
After shifting to Vizag, I joined Aakash for JEE coaching and pursued my studies in science.

When I was in Vizag, my mental health started deteriorating rapidly. Largely because of school, the people around me, getting bullied, not being able to stay on track with academics and I had severe issues in focusing, maintaining discipline, consistency, the lot.
As a result, I failed in Class 11 (2022-23) batch and was told to repeat it the next year, and so I did. My repeat year was far worse than the previous one. I was dealing with personal issues, the bullying went up, I felt extremely disconnected with studies and subsequently I succumbed to those hardships and failed again.

I shifted back to Bengaluru, and joined Karnataka State Board this time, chose science again to redeem myself. I got 62% in my 11th (2024-25 batch), and I was quite disappointed, but I breathed a big sigh of relief that I have at least made it out.

This year I finished my 12th (2025-26 batch) with 64%, which is ridiculously low for state board standards. I applied for KCET, MET (Manipal Entrance Test) and COMEDK.
I had my KCET exam on April 23rd and 24th, and I scored 66/180 in Physics, Chem and Maths. I had MET on April 13th, and I scored 36/240.

Obviously, I won't be able to join a decent tier 2 or tier 3 engineering college. I am also afraid that even if I do join engineering, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the academics, and eventually when the time comes for placements, the recruiters might feel hesitant looking at my god-awful academic records and history.

So, my question is: Should I pursue engineering? Should I switch paths? My biggest passion is Music, should I pursue Music instead? Should I get into something like Finance, or Economics, BSc? My DM's are open and I appreciate all pieces of advice. Thank you.

TLDR:

• 12th pass (2026, PCMB) who aimed for engineering (Biotech/Chem) but struggled academically and mentally.
• Faced bullying, poor focus, and failed Class 11 twice before moving back to Bangalore and restarting.
• Scored ~62% in 11th and 64% in 12th; low entrance scores (KCET/MET).
• Now unsure about engineering due to weak academics and fear of not coping or getting placed.
• Passionate about music, considering switching to fields like music, finance, economics, or BSc.