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Udaan by AIESEC in Delhi University – Spread Happiness among the Less Fortunate

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UDAAN is an initiative of AIESEC in Delhi University to bring out the talent in every underprivileged child. The series of events give opportunities to underprivileged children to exhibit their talent by expressing themselves through cultural workshops and various competitions.

On July 6, AIESEC in Delhi University organised a pre-event to kickstart the event which has now become synonymous with AIESEC. Thirty four volunteers and a seven member organizing committee took 500 children from the NGO Chetanalya to the National Museum and showed them around. The excited children first had kirtan, a pooja, which instilled happiness and lifted everyone’s spirits. The joy was evident from the spontaneous dance they all burst into. They were then shown the movie based on The Battle of Plassey. After the movie, Iskon, our food relief partners provided the children with food. It was one memorable day for the children, and the joy on their faces was a heart rendering sight for the volunteers. One of the volunteers said “The kids really enjoyed and came out of their comfort zone, they saw a movie at the Museum which they will never actually see in their life otherwise”.

AIESEC in Delhi University is proud to have spread happiness among the less fortunate. The pre-event was a definite success. The next event will be taking place on the 9th at the Nehru Planetarium.  To volunteer with AIESEC for Udaan 2013, register at http://goo.gl/bpLMO

-AIESEC Delhi University Press Release
Connect with them https://www.facebook.com/aiesecdelhiuniversity | https://twitter.com/aiesec_du

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Admissions 2013

Tips for BMS Interviews

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Now that FMS has released the list of candidates selected for the Personal Interview round for BMS admissions, it’s time to prepare for the next stage! Though interviews may seem daunting, they are actually quite easy to ace if tackled properly. We bring you some important points to keep in mind while preparing for the same.

  • Though every interview is different depending on the candidate, you can expect to be asked some of the following questions:
    *Introduce yourself/Tell us something about yourself.
    *What are your hobbies and interests?
    *Why do you want to study BMS?
    *What do you plan to do after completing your graduation?
    *If you had to pick one college out of the 6 for BMS, which one would you take up?
    *What are your weaknesses and strengths?
    *What have been your main achievements in school?You could try and prepare a few of these answers beforehand. Do some research on the course i.e. the syllabus, DC II options, applied courses, etc.
  • It always helps to sit and make a list of your interests and achievements. Even if you think you haven’t achieved too much in your school life, it’s highly probable that there must have been some activities you took part in. So just sit down and collect your thoughts. Once you’re done with that, think about how you want to highlight each point.
  • Focus on achievements over responsibilities. For example, rather than simply saying that you were the President of the Debate Club in your school, talk about how you helped train the team or which competitions your team won.
  • Definitely talk about any competitions you might have won, NGO work or internships you might have been involved in and your academic achievements.
  • Remember that in a lot of ways you direct the path of the interview based on your answer. This will help you prepare for the same. For example, if you plan to mention reading as a hobby, you should expect the next question to be about the latest book you’ve read or your favourite book. Similarly, if you’re asked what your favourite subject in school was, the next few questions to follow will be on the same.
  • Try not to bluff your way through the questions. Interviewers can usually see right through people who lie and exaggerate. Be honest as far as possible.
  • Pay attention to your body language and posture. Sit up straight, relax and don’t be fidgety or distracted.
  • Remember to dress smartly. It’s best to stick to formals. For guys, this means an ironed pair of trousers and crisp shirt. If you’re a girl, you could wear a skirt or pair of pants with a shirt. Do wear formal shoes and make sure your hair looks neat. Don’t forget to smile!
  • Do not be impolite or rude to the interviewers. Be respectful and courteous. This includes wishing them when you walk into the room.
  • If possible, try arranging a mock interview. Even if you’re not enrolled into any coaching centre, you could ask a friend or senior to help you out.
  • Lastly, relax and be yourself. It’s perfectly natural to be a little nervous. Maintain a calm and composed stance no matter what the question may be. Remember that confidence is key!

You can check the PI schedule for 2013 here.

Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net

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Sex Amma

Sex Amma

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Query: Hey Amma I am studying in hotel management college and I have no girlfriend but I want to make one still there is no girl around me what do I do please tell me…?

Response: Appaa, the above would have been sucche simble query to answer if this macchi was studying in an engineering collage. You want to make a girlfriend, build one da; it’s what those lads in engineering are doing. But the aforementioned chemeeen from chettinad is quite the desperado. So, here’s hoping a transformation from Raj Koothrapalli to Charlie Sheen.

Little one, come out make friends get to know the ladies around you. It is highly unlikely that there aren’t any girls in your cirgle of acquaintances. Like those extremely cheesy ads, can’t help going cheesy, Amma likes the fondue da; anyway, make friends with girls, girlfriends can come later on. Otherwise if you keep these current of current feelings on a high tide then let me tell you, girls will find you as shallow as the Mullaperiyar crisis!

Finally Amma likes it how this is a macchi- who is actually learning to cook those spicy dishes- needs Amma’s help to light the fire. Fear not, Amma is here to help you only da, yawl the best!

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Admissions 2013

Sanskrit honours redesigned under the FYUP

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Sanskrit, as everyone knows, is an ancient Indic language. Also referred as the language of Hinduism and the Vedas, it is the classical literary language of India.

The makers of the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) however, have given Sanskrit a new form.

Under the FYUP, there will now be various courses in theatre, self-management, Indian scientific heritage and dramatics by the Department of Sanskrit, University of Delhi. Any student from Sanskrit Honours will study these courses as a part of Discipline Courses – I, which includes core subjects. There is also an introduction of archaeological subject matters such as Indian epigraphy, paleography and chronology. Students will get a chance to study climatology, ayurveda, ecology, archaeology and yoga with this modification.

“In Discipline-1, from the total of 20 subjects, 18 are intact and changes are made to 2 of them and in Discipline-2, students will be able to learn subjects like Yoga, Upanishad, etc, which will make them understand their culture better,” said Dr. Punita Sharma, Associate Professor, Sanskrit Department, Sri Venkateshwara College.

28 colleges of the University offer B.A. Sanskrit (Honours) as a course and 40 colleges will teach Sanskrit at Discipline 2. There are many part time courses run by the University which includes Diploma and Certificate Course in Sanskrit.

“According to me, students in Second Year (III Semester) should be given free option while choosing their subjects and choices should be made from all the subjects being taught at the college, removing restrictions, so that the main purpose remains undefeated.” added Dr. Punita.

The sole purpose behind this redo is to change people’s and students mindset about Sanskrit as a subject and to make them realize its grandness and importance in this new world. Also, this is to ensure that students keep up with the demands of the job market scenario.

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Humouroscope

Humouroscope: July 7th – 13th, 2013

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Ahumouroscope-ariesries

The examination season has left you invigorated. Becoming a part of a street play society will help you channelize your energies in the right direction.

 

Taurushumouroscope-taurus

You have spent all your life shining with academic excellence but your luck seems to be running thin this summer. Chanting the name of Thomas Edison and Charles Dickens while bathing is a good remedy.

humouroscope-geminiGemini

There’s nothing like a loving relation. Your stars are indicating that you either have or will find an affectionate boyfriend very soon. It’s best if you go to LSR or JMC. There are too many distractions out there. Ignorance is better than abstinence.

humouroscope-cancerCancer

The stars aren’t favoring you this examination season. Getting into SRCC is very difficult. However, if you are willing, Aatma Ram Sanatan Dharma College is offering 20% rebate.

humouroscope-leoLeo

You are highly straightforward and headstrong. You’re likely to enter into a fight with a close friend. It’s better to let him/her have it their way, for a change. Wearing a bracelet made of fake animal claws will ward off evil spirits.

humouroscope-virgoVirgo

There is no clear evidence as to what the cut-offs hold for you. Keeping a class 7th maths textbook under your pillow at all times will boost your luck.

humouroscope-libra

Libra

You’re likely to set the social calendar on fire. No party or bunking scene will be complete without you. Throw in a few attendances, and your semester seems to be a smooth sail.

Scorpiohumouroscope-scorpio

Getting into a college of your choice doesn’t seem to be a problem but getting out of it does. It’s better to give up your BBM and WhatsApp while you still have a choice.

Sagittariushumouroscope-sagi

You seemed to have gotten yourself into a relation that even though is heading nowhere, is hard to wriggle out of. Fighting the inevitable is futile. Let nature take its course and focus on the small hapinesses in life. However, eating onions and not brushing will save from doing things you don’t want to.

Capricornhumouroscope-capricorn

You will be spending more time outside the gates of other colleges than your own. You will have friends in colleges that other people aren’t even aware of. Life is good!

Aquariushumouroscope-Aquarius

There are a lot of PowerPoint presentations and excel sheets coming your way. Brush up your Microsoft Office before the deadlines start dangling over your head.

Pisceshumouroscope-pisces

Keeping all those years of much enjoyed female attention aside, you are likely to attract a female who will be difficult to shake off. Wearing a sunkissed green shirt and yellow jeans on the first day of college will ensure that you steer clear off her (or any other girl, for that matter).

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Admissions 2013

Fourth cut-off announced for several DU colleges

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As the admission season (entire Admissions 2013 coverage) at Delhi University brings us to the fourth cut-off, one would expect that most courses should be ‘sold out’ in the General category. But several admissions, withdrawals and re-admissions later, the availability at a few colleges might mean hope for a few students. Though the official university announcement is set to come on 8th July, several colleges have already declared their individual fourth cut-off. While Hans Raj has closed admissions only for Botany and History in the General category, LSR is now open only for History.

Hans Raj is still offering admissions in Commerce, but the General category cut-off stays the same as the third cut-off at 96.5 – 98. There is a dip however in the reserved category cut-offs. The story of English at Hans Raj is a little different with a 1.5 decrease for Humanities students.

English hopefuls with a commerce background might have a tough time getting into Miranda. While the English cut-off for Humanities has been lowered to 92.5 from the 94 in the third cut-off, the bar that was at 97.5 for Commerce students in the first cut-off happens to stay the same even now.

Victimised by over-admissions, Gargi is closed for all subjects except for Commerce.

Ram Lal Anand’s controversial 100 for Non-science students wishing to pursue Computer Science is now at 98.5, while Science students require 93.5 to seek admission. Acharya Nar. Dev and Hans Raj are still open for admissions into the course.

Commerce aspirants can still apply in Hans Raj, Gargi, CVS, Kirori Mal, Shivaji and Daulat Ram College. LSR, Ramjas and Shaheed Bhagat Singh College have closed admissions for the course.

Admissions for the fourth cut-off will last from Monday, 8th July to Wednesday, 10th July.

All the best candidates!

Update on 7th July: Delhi University has released the official fourth cut-off list. Here are the links to the same – Arts and Commerce Courses | Science Courses | B.Tech Courses

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DUB Speak

Massive Open Online Courses: The Way To Go?

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Human beings are nothing if not ingenious. We were born in caves. Then came the axes, spears, wheels, fire and so on (not necessarily in that order). We invented languages, and not just one or two but early 6,500 of them. Then came the scientists, the serious ones, with their electricity and telephones and airplanes. And to top it all, we invented education!

And so the years rolled by with inventions and extinctions. And as man’s inherent need to better himself sharpened, the field of education and knowledge has acquired the importance that cannot even be rivaled, much less outshone, by any other area of interest.

One of the latest developments in the field of education is the introduction of MOOC. For all those who don’t know what they are, MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) is a form of distance learning programs that are completely guided by the Internet. So a person would be admitted online, he gets all his study material online, he interacts with his teachers and colleagues online and learns and betters himself while sitting in front of a 15-inch screen. A lot of educational institutions, including every academic’s Mecca- Harvard, has launched various MOOC’s that reach out to not only a much larger section of people but also at a much smaller price and sometimes, even for free. A lot of times students across age brackets cannot pursue studies because they have to work to earn a living or because they don’t have access to higher education. Distance Learning comes to the rescue then. A student who has to travel hours to listen to a college professor speak can simply sit, switch on his magic screen and learn about practically anything from management to human intelligence. Also, many a times, a student may already be pursuing a particular field and cannot swing two things together. Even in situations like these, he can sign up for an online course and take classes in his free time. Another aspect that works in its favor is that MOOCs primary focus is on spreading knowledge. Much larger number of students can be reached online than in person, in much shorter durations and at a fraction of the cost.

Anyone wanting to pursue on online course just needs to get onto the web and there are courses for almost everything. The most pertinent sites I came across are:

www.mooc-list.com: a highly wide ranging website, it has courses or links in almost all fields across the board.

www.edx.org: a pioneer in the field of online education, this website has associations with universities like Harvard, MIT etc.

www.opencourses.sunstone.in: launched by Sunstone Business School, the course specializes in business and management.

www.code.org: If you are high on learning how to code! The website offers Python, Java, C, C++ along with other programming languages.

(Readers’ inputs)

https://www.coursera.org/: Hugely popular and a combined offering of soft skills as well as professional ones. Can find courses spanning Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business as well as Computer Science.

https://www.udacity.com/: The website offers college courses in interactive format right on the web! Science, Business, Psychology – it all gets broken into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels.

http://ocw.mit.edu/: MIT OCW or MIT Open Course Ware offers MIT lectures and course material on the web for students to learn.

But like almost everything else in this world, MOOCs are not perfect. A lot of times, how well a particular concept is understood by the students has more to do with the teacher’s proficiency than the text book in front of the student. Some things need to be debated upon rather than dictated. Distance learning falls short on all these terms. A MOOC can touch the surface of the subject but cannot fathom the depths of an obscure issue that a classroom teacher can. Another pressing issue is the way a student is evaluated. MOOC generally rely on Multiple Choice and highly objective questions that can be checked by a machine. A lot of times a simple yes/no cannot test if a student has grasped the concept or not.

To sum it up, MOOCs are highly useful when the subjects being taught are easy, non-technical and have more to do with self-understanding. But when the concepts become abstruse, subjective and debatable, a strict, imposing, rod wielding professor is the way to go!

Image Credit: Dale Edwin Murray for Nature Magazine

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QWERTY

RIP Google Reader

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It might be a little late for writing your obituary, but almost after a week since your demise, the hollowness has just begun to sink in. Dear Google Reader, thanks for being the information aggregator that I always required. Thank you for being there, and specially for being a Google product.

When your daddy wrote this in a blog post, I almost felt that retire could be replaced with kill. The fact that I will never see my subscriptions in the Google Reader interface was just a change one wasn’t used to.

“We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.”

Now that you are gone, its strange that with so many alternatives buzzing in the Internet sphere that people hardly notice a void. They might not be Google, but they still work and surprisingly come packed in intuitive interfaces. And then your demise also created a new category called the ‘Google Reader replacement’ and a huge number of developers willingly went for the kill. Almost dying Digg saw the scope in the market and launched the Digg Reader. Established AOL announced plans of an AOL Reader. Feedly and BlogLovin have already been there since long.

Bread and butter to many and a reader’s paradise, with you RSS had been a companion. It had been there earlier but hadn’t been recognised. You gave the phenomenon visibility, thank you for that.

Like many application based services that come and go in this fast changing web world, you my friend lived a long fruitful life of eight years. In today’s world of social media dominance, I wonder whether RSS is becoming a shrinking market. I shared your loss with a few friends, and well the major response said, “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Sadly, the past three years of social media dominance have taken over your prowess. Twitter majorly, might be the one to blame. RSS is all about quick and light updates for news and information that matters to you. Twitter, integrated multimedia into the system, subscriptions in the form of accounts you could follow and everything in a constantly updating ‘feed’. I am not referring to it as a complete RSS alternative, it just happens to be doing a lot of damage to RSS’ market.

As a blogger, reader and Internet lover, I will miss you. We shall continue to respect you for what you gave to the Internet. You might leave us as a service, but will continue to stay in our emotional cache and mental history forever and ever. May you rest in peace and ever eternal online glory.

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Admissions 2013

Foundation Courses Under FYUP

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Despite all apprehensions and oppositions from the student and teacher community alike, Delhi University has gone ahead to introduce the four-year programme from the academic session 2013-2014. (Entire admissions 2013 coverage here) Spread over four semesters, Delhi University will offer 11 foundation courses that newly admitted students will be taught. As per the claims made by the University, the main purpose behind these courses is to encourage holistic personality development of a student who is well grounded to the realities the Indian Society is dealing with and every student will be required to clear these 11 papers irrespective of his stream. The foundation courses include:

 First Year:

  • Language, Literature, and Creativity – I
  • Language, Literature, and Creativity – II (English)
  • Information Technology
  • Business, Entrepreneurship, and Management
  • Science and Life
  • Indian History and Culture
  • Building Mathematical Ability
  • Applied Language Course – (any one course).
    • Arabic
    • Bengali
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Persian
    • Punjabi
    • Sanskrit
    • Urdu

 Second Year:

  • Governance and Citizenship
  • Philosophy, Psychology, Communication and Life Skills
  • Geographic and Socio-Economic Diversity
  • Environment and Public Health

These foundation courses aim to increase the interaction of teachers and students and promote a congenial environment to increase a students understanding of what is happening in the world as well as create basic digital literacy.

Since these courses are being introduced for the first time, DU is doing everything to ensure the smooth implementation of these courses. Another round of confusion has been around the question of who will teach these foundation courses. DU has made one thing clear, these courses will be taught by current university faculty who will first be trained to conduct these classes.

So far, the CPDHE, the training unit for Delhi University teachers, has conducted workshops and orientation programmes for 756 teachers in 7 Foundation courses during the last six weeks. The idea is to equip them to teach these courses in a manner that yields some tangible benefits for their students. Theses courses also aim to discourage rote learning and facilitate a high level of understanding through presentations, discussions and interactive sessions. Every college has nominated their faculty members and only the teachers who have received prior training will be entrusted with the task of teaching these courses. Hence, apparently this will result in college faculty teaching school level courses.

In an effort to make sense out of this entire exercise, a lot of teachers have questioned the need to introduce these courses that they feel should have been taken care of at the school level and that they undermine the importance of the specialised stream a student has opted for. To add to their pointlessness, these courses also jeopardise valuable classroom time that could have been used to study the core subject in detail. For instance, a student studying Political Science will not be able to appreciate the complexities of ‘science and life’ or ‘information technology’.

Yet, all said and done, only time will tell what the introduction of the 4 year program does for our education system and the country at large.

(Also see: All you wanted to know about the Four Year Undergraduate Programme)

Image Credit: University of Delhi official website

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Admissions 2013

Philosophy under FYUP: Course Analysis

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philowp
Philosophy, the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, has been a core academic discipline for centuries to come now. With an increase in the percentage of young minds wanting to develop a thought process of their own and to learn how to do so, B.A (H) in Philosophy has become one of the most sought after courses in the University of Delhi. Available in most of DU’s most renowned colleges, like St. Stephens, Miranda House, Lady Shri Ram, Hindu etc., this course has seen a sudden hike in the number of takers. So here at DU Beat, we decided to analysis the changes made in this course with the advent of the new Four Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP).

The Course
Analysing the University’s undergraduate Philosophy course in particular, we can definitely see that the course has become more rigorous than its predecessor. The subjects introduced at a foundation level are ones unrelated to philosophy (with the exception of Philosophy, Psychology, Communication and Life Skills), but definitely help in understanding the subject better and help sharpen the student’s analytical skills. It also gives a subject like philosophy a more practical, hands-on approach; but alongside a core, theoretical subject like philosophy, it is deemed not required.

The Integrating Mind, Body and Heart course is a welcome addition as it is a core philosophical subject which aims at honing a student’s moralistic side. The applied courses include the likes of Aesthetics and Art Appreciation, Bio-ethics, Meditation and Today, Issues in Applied Ethics etc. These courses definitely help students understand the wide spread implication of a subject like this, but studying subjects like ‘Meditation’ and ‘Art appreciation’ makes the subject extremely stereotypical, and add fuel to the fire as students already question the vague nature of the subject. The winning factor of this new program is the emphasis on the understanding of concepts like Ethics, which people across on a daily basis in their student/work life.

Extra-curricular Activities
The revelation that extra-curricular activities would now hold credit is one of great joy for most students, as in a University like that of Delhi; most students come with the hopes of indulging in their choice of activities along with their studies.

Freedom of Choice
While students will now be able to make an informed choice about exactly what honours degree they’d like to pursue, there has also been certain curtailing of free choice, with the eleven foundation courses being compulsory along with one applied language course.

Exit Points
Under the FYUP, the mid course exit points provided after two years and three years respectively may also prove to be the easier way out for some. Giving young 18-19 year old students an open choice as to leave in 2-3 years makes it difficult for them to make career choices in their formative years.
Also, a subject like philosophy needs time to be studied and understood, but with the option of quitting; there is going to be a major increase in the drop-out rates of our country, making this course a not so feasible option.

Employability
The new FYUP has definitely made a traditionally academic subject like philosophy more market-friendly as the terminology of having a ‘professional degree’ now makes it easier for arts students to land jobs immediately after their under-graduation. Also, the study of various other humanities subjects alongside those of science enables graduates in philosophy to choose from a wider plethora of career options.

Final verdict
The FYUP has definitely changed the course structure of philosophy for the better by making it more practical in nature, but it definitely has definitely lessened the value of this subject as a core academically taught program. The success of this course can only be judged after we see the increase or decrease in the number of takers for this subject.

(For analysis of other courses click here)

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