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How the inexpensive readings market of DU becomes a student’s saviour, from course textbooks to previous years’ papers. 

After watching hundreds of videos on “a day in the Life of a Delhi University Student”, when the freshers finally enter the campus, realizing the necessity to survive such an academically rigorous structure takes its most miniature form – the study material. Kamala Nagar, Delhi School of Economics, Patel Chest, Satya Niketan, or Tilak Nagar – something that they all share in common apart from their bustling food corners and hundreds of students crowding in lines is that all of these places and many more, provide the much-needed gear up for every student panic-stricken with approaching exams. We are talking about the readings! 

Notes, readings and study materials form the crux of studying in an institution like DU, where the curriculum prescribes textbooks and references of numerous national and international writers. This is where such complexes step in and act as the “friend indeed” to thousands of students, providing all reading material at heavily slashed prices. Some of these work factorially and produce appropriate study material, handpicking readings from various authors and bringing statistics, factual information, research papers, archives, essays, and even photocopied versions of expensive branded textbooks – all into a thick bound spiral. 

Opting for History as a Generic Elective means reading essays from about ten historians in a single unit. Instead of looking for them all over the internet, it is extremely comfortable to purchase the readings from DSE (Delhi School of Economics) at a price much more affordable than what costs for actually buying the prescribed textbooks.

said Janhavi, a second-year student from Ramjas College.  

Delhi School of Economics has transformed into a hub catering to all the students completely dependent on notes and reading material because of their low attendance in classes due to ECA or internships. From Commerce to Economics and from History to Political Science, you can get neatly catalogued readings for every course at the cheapest possible rate. The photocopy lane at Patel Chest consists of dedicated stores providing readings specific to colleges like SRCC or St. Stephen’s, as well as course-specific bindings. 

Another such place that has garnered a monopoly over students’ textbooks, reference books, as well as competitive manuals, is Bookland – now a major textbooks brand in the Kamala Nagar market. The bookshop has a partnership with Shivdas and Worldview, two leading publishing companies dominating the market of textbooks prescribed under the University of Delhi’s curriculum as well as the previous years’ question papers for the majority of the courses the varsity offers, supporting a large DU-centric audience. Worldview publishers have entirely monopolized the varsity’s English literature syllabi and keep publishing texts with supportive critical essays authored by academic scholars and professors proficient in the area, along with detailed background information about each of them. Be it William Shakespeare’s Macbeth or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, they have got you covered. With hawk eyes on any changes in the curriculum, the company makes sure to provide the amended material from the subsequent academic session. Shivdas’ previous years’ question papers cater to nearly all the courses and are bought by students preparing for their exams looking for glimpses of expected questions along with their solutions. 

While the offline readings market makes everything affordable and readily available, the Undergraduate study material of the varsity’s School of Open Learning is a priced possession not just for the students enrolled at the SOL, but also those pursuing the offered courses from other regular colleges. Prepared by qualified academicians of the SOL, online notes have proved to be a boon for students of Commerce, Political Science, BA Programme, Economics and English, spanning and serving everything the students need to study in just one PDF file. Clearly, it is a thesaurus since it is available to access free of cost and has become so reliable amongst the students that a day when the SOL website went dysfunctional sent chills down the spines of the stakeholders.

Thus, a discussion of DU’s reading market leads us to a common ground of similarity to its quarters – the affordability that it dispenses which makes it easier for students to manage their academic expenses along with their usual budget. While we get readings and question papers at a cheaper price, it is evident and rather important to interrogate the ethical immorality that much of this market substrates upon. Neglecting copyright regulations and editing out research credits from the material highlights that quality education gained from the readings of renowned authors is sold at the stake of honesty and ethical obligations. This leads us to juggle with the idea of how much plagiarism and research denouncement are negotiable for the sake of affordable learning. What becomes important for university education – is it the benefit of the student body for cheaper resources or crediting the work of academics, critics, and scholars who have prepared it after years of assessment? 

 

Image credits: So City

Read also: Five Tips to Sneak in Extra Time for Reading 

Aryan Vats

[email protected] 

As people in India and the world become the victims of boredom caused by the coronavirus lockdown. This article analyses the way our lives have and will change post one of the largest lockdowns in modern human history. 

The Industrial Revolution changed a lot of things for humanity. And the postindustrial world not only gave us every amenity within the reach of our hands but also took away our most prized resource, time. As we finished the 20th century and moved into the 21st century numerous technological advancements took place. Even though the world is closer than it ever has been but communication between humans isn’t at an all-time high.

Thus more people today are socially awkward as they just can’t put their thoughts into fluent communicative expressions. The only reason to blame, lack of communication. People avoid any effort to communicate with their peers and choose to delve into their virtual realities, just because it’s easy and as humans, we always want to do activities which require minimum efforts.

This pandemic has shown us how unprepared the whole was to deal with this pandemic. However, on the positive side, this pandemic will be a life lesson for many nations about the importance of medical readiness when the global focus was only on military readiness.

The Broken Myths

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Image Captions: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation in a televised speech about the coronavirus outbreak on March 19, 2020. 

Image Source: Ajit Solanki/AP

Not only communication but this lockdown has also changed many other perspectives that we had built up in our minds.

Eating out had not only become a part of our daily lives but also was thought to be inseparable. I used to think in this manner but since the beginning of March, I had to desist from doing so and so far so good. Most of us had some kind of domestic help for daily chores. But this lockdown has let people understand the importance of labour as now when we are doing all the household chores. This has led many to understand the importance of labour.

Indians themselves assumed that we just can’t abide by the rules and that we do not care about punctuality that much. But this lockdown and various activities related to it suggests otherwise. Not only are the people understanding the importance of rules but abiding by them. People have become so responsible that they are not even shying away from reporting of their family members of misconduct.

For instance, a man in New Delhi’s Preet Vihar recently reported about his son. When he learned that his son had evaded medical screening at the Delhi airport he took immediate action and called in the authorities.

Furthermore, Indians are now more sensitive to public hygiene. People now are conscious of their cleanliness not just at their houses but also on their streets. Hopefully, we see lesser incidents of people spitting, littering and urinating in open public spaces. Thus understanding the importance of hygiene.

NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 27: Delhi Police personnel offers hand sanitizer to a homeless man on the third day of the national lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to curb the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19  near Akshardham temple foot over Bridge, on March 27, 2020 in New Delhi, India. They also distributed food to the workers and the homeless on the road. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times/Sipa USA) (Newscom TagID: sipaphotosten686356.jpg) [Photo via Newscom]

Image Caption: New Delhi police officers provide hand sanitizer to a homeless man on the third day of India’s national lockdown.

Image Credits: AJ K RAJ/HINDUSTAN TIMES/SIPA USA

The Indian Police has had a history tarnished with doings like third-degree torture, lack of readiness, corruption, etc. However, the police around the country have been doing a tremendous job. Going as far as entertaining people in different ways to motivate them to stay at home. Additionally, the medical profession which till some back was seen as a money-making field but now people are understanding the courage it takes be a medical professional in times like these.

Mrinalika, a DU graduate and civil services aspirant, on the issue says, “I have now started socializing with more people. I am connecting with my school friends with whom I had not spoken for years. Not to forget about increased family times. I am trying new dishes and personally have started liking home-cooked food more.”

While the lockdown is helping us to reconnect it also puts a huge strain on us mentally. Psychiatrists around the world have pointed out that mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, are spiking among patients as well as those who have never faced any such issue.

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Image Caption: Health officials check temperatures of drivers at the Tamil Nadu-Andra Pradesh interstate border on the outskirts of Chennai, on March 24, 2020. 

Image Source: Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

With uncertainty on the future events related to the lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic, this situation keeps getting worse. In most of these situations, doctors say, the prime problem is the absence of socializing by the patient.

Numerous people who were mostly on the move before the lockdown are facing obsessive anxiety and fear which has led to acute stress reactions.

The Classic Reruns

The rerun of famous daily soaps by the state broadcaster, Doordarshan has seemingly brought back the 90s. After seeing Indian sitcoms like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Office Office, Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai, etc. I cannot help but think about how versatile and unique the Indian television was before it was invaded by rather senseless ‘saas-bahu’ shows that not only lacked depth but also were short of creativity. These Indian classics also showcase about how original their concepts were.

It is because of this, that classics like Ramayana could amass more than 546 million impressions, even though this was the daily soap’s rerun. It would be amazing if present Indian daily soap producers could understand the importance of originality and hence work towards achieving it. As is being done by various OTT series like Panchayat, The Family Man, Special Ops, Made in Heaven, etc.

Work and Studies from Home

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Image Credits: An empty road in Mumbai, Maharashtra state, the country’s financial hub. The state shut down nonessential businesses and trains until the end of March.
Image Source: Imtiyaz Shaikh/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

One of the biggest changes that we are witnessing, especially in India, is the surge in the popularity of work from culture. This practice has not only made it easy for the employees but is also proving to be beneficial for the employers. As Tata Consultancy Services’ COO NG Subramaniam, puts it, “We do not need more than 25% of our workforce in the office to be 100% productive.”

To add to this, Rajesh Gopinathan, the CEO of TCS, said, “We will now be following the model of 25/25 or 25% workforce will be in the office for 25% of the time. It can also be 25/50 but the matter of the fact is that now it will never be 100/100.”

Sweta, an HR employee based in Gurugram, says, “I have become more efficient while working from home. The amount of time is the same but the efforts are lesser and the results are better.”

Various universities including the Delhi University have been forced to notice lacklustre condition in using and operating electronic and internet-based mediums. Be it online classes or the talks of holding semester exams online, varsities have faced a lot of hurdles. However, it has also made way for better and more technology-based educative mediums in the future.

In a life so fast paces this lockdown has given us a lot of time reflect, reconnect and reinvent. Thus, even though the lockdown is a result of a horrific pandemic but still it has changed and will keep changing our lives in many drastic ways. Whether these would be beneficial or not is yet to be seen.

Featured Image Credits: Getty Images

Aniket Singh Chauhan

[email protected]

The past week has seen turmoil over the matter of attendance and the issuance of admit cards to the students of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College for Women, and Hindu College.

Affiliated to the University of Delhi and located in Punjabi Bagh, the college boasts of a rich legacy of more than fifty years in serving quality education to young women.

According to a series of posts on social media, as well as first-hand student accounts, the administration and Principal of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College refused to give admit cards ahead of the University semester exams scheduled in November and December months, to the students who had been irregular in classes during the past semester. This move by the college administration has been taken on account of their attendance being less than the minimum mark of sixty-seven percent (67%), as specified by the University. 

Moreover, as per the students, the Principal is not willing to accept any medical certificates or submission of leave applications. The students have also said that the college authorities have made it clear to the students that they will have to spend four years (i.e. 3+1 years) to complete their degree, in light of this decision. 

In response to these decisions, the students of the college, led by Tushar Baisla, the Chief Executive Councillor (EC) of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), raised their voices and organised a sit-in at the college gate to demand for their admit cards. The ABVP-backed student leader’s posts on social media regarding this matter read ‘…she (the Principal) said in front of all the students that she will charge a case of molestation to me and rusticate students who are asking for the admit card. I request upper authorities to have a look at this matter so that students of the college do not face any problem.”

A final year Economics Honours student of the college, who chose to be anonymous, said, “They (the college administration) should have warned us, they cannot take arbitrary decisions.”

A final word from the college is awaited on this matter. 

A similar situation was also faced by the students of Hindu College, where those having less than forty percent (40%) attendance during the semester, were denied admit cards. However, the admit cards were given to the students by November 25th, 2019, after the ‘Collective – Hindu College’ planned to address the college authorities, on this matter. 

As per the message that had been circulated on WhatsApp groups by the Collective, ‘withholding of admit cards by the Hindu College administration, has happened for the first time, no prior information was given to the students about this intention of the administration in the beginning of the semester. Thus, no due process of issuing a warning to students was followed by the administration, as mandated by the University.”

Notably, students active in the performing arts society were targeted by the administration, to much agitation and revulsion. The nation-wide representation of the college, made possible by dramatics, dance, and music societies was levelled down as the parents and concerned guardians of these students were alerted via unsolicited calls. The administration went to the extent of suggesting the parents to remove their wards from the respective societies and instead enforce academic aspirations. It was only after this performative disciplinarian action that the students were given their admit cards, however, not without signing an undertaking first.

While on the one hand, the issue seems to be resolved by the Hindu College administration, uncertainty still looms over the decision in Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College. 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Bhavya Pandey 

[email protected] 

Utilize the preparatory time before exams by being efficient and saving up on the time and anxiety.

As the exam clock approaches, the perpetual fear of completing the syllabus remains on the forefront of our brains. We give you some of the tips on how to be efficient during the exam season. Here is a guide to smart studying:

  • Find your go-to method

Find a method of studying which really makes an impact on you. Remember, not everyone has the same study routine. Things strike everyone in a different manner. Some of us may prefer textual reading; others may prefer learning a concept by graphics or simplified layman terms. At the end of the day, understanding and assimilating the information is important. So, find out what type of studying method suits you the best and work towards it.

  • Finding out the utility hours

Of course, for every one of us, there is a specific time of the day when we are the most efficient. Some of us may be nocturnal owls of the night, while others may be early birds. Find out the time of the day wherein your concentration power is at its maximum and use it to your advantage.

  • Invest in making good notes

Of course, note making is something you should put a firm hand on while studying for your exams. Your notes shouldn’t be bulky, that reading them won’t reap any desired rewards. Make use of small sentences, pointers or even keywords. Notes should always contain trivial and compressed information. For bulky matters, you always have your reading to gauge eyes at.

  • Make use of tables, flowcharts for understanding concepts

Making flowcharts or simple diagrams may make understanding a concept of a point easier, than reading or writing it out in a sentence. The human brain responds better to graphical information. Focusing on one particular mental image or experience can create a model one can refer to when trying to understand later on.

  • Use different colours for highlighting different things

Don’t waste a lot of your time and energy thinking about colour combinations, but a simple use of highlighters or a coloured pen, to mark out important things in your notes or texts makes it easier for revision. You know which part requires a lot of attention when skimming the night before your exams.

  • Multi-tasking is a sin

Let’s leave the task of multi-tasking to robots for now. If you have planned to study, shut your mobile phones and other gizmos, which might prove to be a distraction. Remember, smart study requires your concentration to be maximum. Hence, refrain from the urge of using phones while studying.

  • Write your notes via hand

While saving notes on your laptops may prove to be convenient, but written notes are always a big help. In this manner, you go through the matter at least twice, when writing it up for the first time. It lets you analyze which part is more important and which can be skipped, thereby increasing your tendency to process and reframe the information.

  • Do not skim through everything

Having a lot of notes is always helpful, but when you have plenty of them, you tend to skim through all of them. Remember, every person’s understanding of a topic is subjective. Reading from multiple sources will leave you more confused than sorted. So stick to keynotes which have all the required information and reliability.

  • Prepare a schedule for each day

Instead of just spending the entire day focusing on one subject, tackle at least two or three subjects. It gets you rid of the monotonous reading and also increases your efficiency.

  • Take frequent breaks and a good diet

Ariga & Lleras, 2011in their study mentioned that taking regular study breaks enhances overall productivity and improves focus. Take a 5-10 minute break every 40-50 minutes of studying. It can involve walking around your room or listening to songs or just deep breathing. Studying for long hours on a stretch isn’t ideal.

Keep yourself hydrated during exams and understand the body’s requirements. Try to eat as healthy as possible, have a lot of nuts and brain foods, to nourish it. Since your caffeine consumption increases a lot during exam, ensure you have sufficient water to not cause dehydration.

  • Have a good night’s sleep

Lastly, have at least a six-hour sleep each night. Pulling all-nighters is not a healthy option. Sleep experts state that learning or practicing difficult material before sleep makes it easier to recall it the next day. So arrange your schedule in such a way that you study the hardest topic before you sleep.

So have good food, good mood and zeal and sail through your exams, following these tips!

 

Feature Image credits: green springs school

Avnika Chhikara
[email protected]

Study breaks help give you a short duration to unwind and relax and temporarily forget about the stress of mounting syllabus. However, doing them right is imperative to derive the most out of the 30 minutes of respite.

Duration of the Break

The duration of the break you take heavily impacts your ability to concentrate. It’s is advisable to take study breaks every ninety minutes or so to enhance concentration, and ability to understand and absorb. Taking breaks that last for more than 30 minutes end up actually hampering not only the study flow, but also the ability to concentrate better. By taking larger breaks, one may actually put themselves at risk of actually taking longer to redeem the previously built concentrative flow. This means starting over, and putting in the extra effort of getting your mind into study mode again. A short break of no more than thirty to forty minutes can actually help refresh your mind and improve concentration. The mind feels fresh and ready to take on new information.

Break Activities

What you do during your break is as important as the duration. There are some activities which may actually tire your mind and body, instead of preparing you for another round of revision. Refrain from partaking in activities which include screens of any kind, eg. cell phones, television, iPads etc, as they may tire your eyes, making you more sleeper than awake. Short walks, painting, playing with a pet, cooking etc are better activities to help concentration as they reduce stress hormones without harmful omissions like blue light. Taking a hot shower also helps relax muscles and refresh the mind and body.

Food

Food plays an important role in reducing stress and boosting concentration. Making healthy choices in terms of food and snacks is important while studying, as food can directly affect concentration and stress levels.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids

It is no secret that omega-3 fatty acids are extremely beneficial for brain health and memory. Our brains are made of 60% of fat out of which half of those fats are of the omega-3 fatty kinds. Fatty fish like Salmon and trout are good options to obtain omega-3 fatty acids.

  • Turmeric- A staple in the Indian diet, turmeric is another brain boosting superhero. An active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is able to reach the brain directly, and benefit memory, reduce stress levels and improve cell growth.
  • Fruits and Vegetables- Vegetables like broccoli and fruits like blueberries and oranges provide vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K. Including fruits of this nature along with a handful of pumpkin seeds makes for not only a healthy and delicious snack but will also keep you full, preventing unwarranted snack breaks between studying.
  • Dark Chocolate and Coffee- Two sinful indulgences that form the perfect combination are dark chocolate and coffee. Inclusive of flavonoids, caffeine and antioxidants, both these eatables, while delicious in nature, must be consumed in moderation to prevent adverse after effects like sleeplessness, jittery ness and possible heart palpitations.

If you don’t have your parents around to periodically supply you with all these delicious and healthy snacks and meals, fret not. An easy solution would be to stack up on these ingredients beforehand, and prepare a trail mix consisting of dry fruits and dark chocolate and store it in an easily accessible container. Keep the container and fruits within your reach to snack conveniently while studying, or simply take a break and enjoy them.

These three points on making the most out of study breaks are all you need to effectively re-energize your mind and body during the stressful exam period.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Secret Yumiverse

Meher Gill

[email protected]

 

Here’s a guide to making notes that you can easily learn and remember, with methodology that comes with the stamp of an Ivy League university.
I recently had the opportunity of seeing an Ivy-League student study, which basically is a translation of; my overachieving cousin spent a week at my place. He types out his notes, converts them into audio books, then listens to and reads them
at the same time. He promises maximum retention using this technique, a technique passed on to him by his university seniors.
Sounds like a stretch for DU Semester exams, and you’re lucky, you probably do not need to use this technique to score well in your exams. However,  his note-making technique successfully caught my eye; it’s quick, easy and effective. Many times it happens that the incoherent jumble of words that you call notes resemble tangled spaghetti. You struggle to remember exactly what the professor meant or how these ideas connect. It’s hard to study effectively when your own notes don’t make sense to you.
The Cornell Notes system (also Cornell note-taking system, Cornell method, or Cornell way) is a note-taking system devised in the 1940s by Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University. Pauk advocated its use in his best-selling book How to Study in College.
The process is pretty basic, and it’s always better to do this simultaneously with classes, but it’s never too
late to start.
Step 1: Record: Write legibly, and use shorthand. If you learn better by doodling/drawing or if you make
connections through tactile learning (such as something you saw, smelled, or felt during an experiment),
feel free to write these down
Step 2: Reduce: Eliminate the redundant material: this is where your seniors and past question papers help
Step 3: Recite: Oral cues always work
Step 4: Reflect/Summarize: Glancing over your notes does not really work. Make sure you’re concentrating.
Step 5: Review: this is a way to aid comprehension

So, here it is, the best and most meticulous way to take notes as a college student. It is organised and effective and will ensure that you are not left with a mess of illegible scribbles. Another simple tip on making notes more comprehensible is using coloured pens/ and or sticky notes. Different coloured pens help demarcate different subjects, and sticky notes help in avoiding clutter in your primary texts. Taking these simple techniques into account can take your notes to the next level, and help make preparation easy. Not all, but even incorporating bits and pieces of the above-mentioned tips, will save you a lot of time, that otherwise would have been wasted in figuring out whether that is an ‘i’ or an ‘e’.

Here’s wishing everyone successful note making, may the study gods have mercy on you and aid your note-making skills, and do not forget, the more organised your notes, the more likely you are to even attempt to study them.
For a more comprehensive guide for Cornell Notes, visit (http://lsc.cornell.edu/notes.html)

 

Feature Image Credits: Melbourne High School Library
Nikita bhatia
[email protected]

Studying abroad may be one of the most beneficial experiences for a college student. Students have the opportunity to study in a foreign nation and take in the allure and culture of a new land. Here we enlist the top 5 awesome reasons why studying abroad will be the best decision you make:

EXPERIENCE A NEW CULTURE

The first important reason is that you get to experience a new culture! Many students who choose to study abroad are leaving their home for the first time. The best way of finding out about another culture is by immersing yourself into it, and you can only do that by living in a different country. You will have the opportunity to witness a completely new way of life.

MAKE NEW AND LIFE-LONG FRIENDS

One of the biggest benefits of studying abroad is the opportunity to meet new life-long friends from different backgrounds. It’s likely that the university you choose for your international studies will have a large community of students both from the local area and all around the globe. Being part of an internationally diverse academic community can also enhance the quality of your learning.

HONE YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS

For many international students, studying abroad is a chance to develop language skills, either through studying in a second language or by practicing the language spoken locally. No better way to learn than to dive right in!

BECOME TRULY INDEPENDENT

There is nothing quite like being on your own in a foreign country! You might find that studying abroad really brings out your independent nature. The experience challenges you to really develop as an individual.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK

Studying abroad may change the way you view all kinds of things which you’d previously taken for granted. Long-term experience in other cultures has a tendency to help one think objectively about oneself and one’s home country, tolerate differences, and recognize and appreciate diversity.

For the required information, interested students can attend the STUDY OVERSEAS GLOBAL EDUCATION FAIR.

The details are as follows:

WHEN:   31st May, 2015  (Entry free)

WHERE:  Eros Hotel (Royal Ball Room), Nehru Place, New Delhi.

TIMINGS: 11:00 PM – 5:00 PM