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ECA: Divinity For Minority Colleges

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Our Indian education system’s school boards can be as temperamental as Simon Cowell’s manner of judging contestants at the X Factor: Whimsical and capricious. Acknowledging this anomaly, the University of Delhi (DU) allows scope for admission through the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) quota.

PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE

Taran Gulati, an ECA candidate who was admitted to DU through the ECA category ‘Divinity for Minority Colleges’ in 2016 told DU Beat, “Since only a few colleges accept students through this category, not many apply for the same. Moreover, very few seats are available for this category.”

She added, “However, this doesn’t affect the standard of competition. There is considerable competition, and the preparation required is remarkable. This is because you have to be knowledgeable in the elemental aspects of Sikhism, as well as be skilled at cultural aspects such as reciting the Ragas or Gurbani.”

COMMON ECA GUIDELINES

  1. Trials will be held at two levels: (i) Preliminary trials (ii) Final Trials.
  2. The trials of both these levels shall be the conducted by an ECA Committee appointed by the University Admission Committee.
  3. “Candidates will get a relaxation of only up to 15% in cut-offs if they apply for the ECA quota,” says Suchitra Gupta, Deputy Dean of Culture and Youth Affairs in DU.

This implies that not more than 15% relaxation in academic merit vis-à-vis unreserved category applicants (for the last relevant cut-off) may be given for admission to specific programmes. In simpler terms, if the cut-off for a particular course is 90%, then the ECA candidate will get a relaxation of up to 15%. This means, to be eligible for admission to a course whose last relevant cut-off was 90%, the candidate must have scored at least 75% in his qualifying examination.

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

  1. No accompanists will be allowed.
  2. The students should be prepared in the following:
  • Ragas and contributors of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
  • Teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
  • ‘Nitnem Banis’
  • Concept of Haume, Naam, Langar, Sewa in Sikhism and the Sikh code of conduct
  • Historical Gurudwaras of Delhi and their history
  • ‘Ardaas’
  • Playing the instruments while reciting Gurbani
  1. An applicant being selected in the final list does not guarantee admission. Admission is subject to the availability of seats in a course and college.

COLLEGES WHICH ADMIT STUDENTS THROUGH THIS CATEGORY

Only 4 minority colleges admit students through this ECA category. The colleges are – Mata Sundri College, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College (SGND), Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College (SGTB) and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce.

SOME TIPS TO ACE THE TRIAL

  1. Candidates must understand the essence of the ‘Nitnem Banis’ which is a collaboration of different Banis that were designated to be read by Sikhs every day. The ‘Nitnem Banis’ usually include the  ‘Panj Bania’.
  2. Candidates may take reference from http://www.searchsikhism.com/concept-of-guru , which will provide them with comprehensive guidance in the key concepts of Sikhism
  3. The trials almost always have questions revolving around the historical ‘Gurudwaras’ of Delhi. To prepare for the same, candidates can take reference from https://www.worldgurudwaras.com/historical-gurudwaras/india/delhi

THE TRIALS

  1. The preliminary round will be held on the 14th and 15th of June 2018, from 9 am, at Kamla Nehru College.
  2. Following this, the list of the short-listed candidates for the final round will be notified on the university website.
  3. In the final round, the applicants must carry all the relevant certificates in original (and a self-attested photocopy) for evaluation. The certificates will account for 25% of the total weightage while the trials in the final round will account for 75% of the weightage.

OBLIGATIONS

The selected candidates will have to submit an Undertaking at the time of admission stating that the candidate will perform for the College for the entire period of the candidate‘s undergraduate programme of study. The college has a right to cancel their admissions if they violate the undertaking during their stay in college.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

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Admissions 2018

ECA in a Nutshell: Divinity Quota

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Our Indian education system’s school boards can be as temperamental as Simon Cowell’s manner of judging contestants at the X Factor: Whimsical and capricious.

Acknowledging this anomaly, the University of Delhi (DU) allows scope for admission through the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) quota.

PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE

Taran Gulati, an ECA candidate who was admitted to DU through the ECA category ‘Divinity for Minority Colleges’ in 2016 told DU Beat, “Since only a few colleges accept students through this category, not many apply for the same. Moreover, very few seats are available for this category.”

She added, “However, this doesn’t affect the standard of competition. There is considerable competition, and the preparation required is remarkable. This is because you have to be knowledgeable in the elemental aspects of Sikhism, as well as be skilled at cultural aspects such as reciting the Ragas or Gurbani.”

COMMON ECA GUIDELINES

  1. Trials will be held at two levels: (i) Preliminary trials (ii) Final trials.
  2. The trials of both these levels shall be the conducted by an ECA Committee appointed by the University Admission Committee.
  3. “Candidates will get a relaxation of only up to 15% in cut-offs if they apply for the ECA quota,” says Suchitra Gupta, Deputy Dean of Culture and Youth Affairs in DU.

This implies that not more than 15% relaxation in academic merit vis-à-vis unreserved category applicants (for the last relevant cut-off) may be given for admission to specific programmes. In simpler terms, if the cut-off for a particular course is 90%, then the ECA candidate will get a relaxation of upto 15%. This means, to be eligible for admission to a course whose last relevant cut-off was 90%, the candidate must have score at least 75% in his qualifying examination.

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

  1. No accompanists will be allowed.
  2. The students should be prepared in the following:
  • Ragas and contributors of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
  • Teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib
  • ‘Nitnem Banis’
  • Concept of Haume, Naam, Langar, Sewa in Sikhism and the Sikh code of conduct
  • Historical Gurudwaras of Delhi and their history
  • ‘Ardaas’
  • Playing the instruments while reciting Gurbani
  1. An applicant being selected in the final list does not guarantee admission. Admission is subject to the availability of seats in a course and college.

COLLEGES WHICH ADMIT STUDENTS THROUGH THIS CATEGORY

Only 4 minority colleges admit students through this ECA category. The colleges are- Mata Sundri College, SGND Khalsa College, SGTB Khalsa College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce.

SOME TIPS TO ACE THE TRIALS

  1. Candidates must understand the essence of the ‘Nitnem Banis’ which is a collaboration of different banis that were designated to be read by sikhs. The ‘Nitnem Banis’ usually include the ‘Panj Bania’.
  2. Candidates may take reference from http://www.searchsikhism.com/concept-of-guru , which will provide them with comprehensive guidance in the key concepts of Sikhism
  3. The trials almost always have questions revolving around the historical ‘Gurudwaras’ of Delhi. To prepare on the same, candidates can take reference from https://www.worldgurudwaras.com/historical-gurudwaras/india/delhi

THE TRIALS

  1. The preliminary round will be held on the 14th and 15th of June 2018, from 9am, at Kamla Nehru College.
  2. Following this, the list of the short-listed candidates for final round will be notified on the university website.
  3. In the final round, the applicants must carry all the relevant certificates in original (and a self-attested photocopy) for evaluation. The certificates will account for 25% of the total weightage while the trials in the final round will account for 75% of the weightage.

OBLIGATIONS

The selected candidates will have to submit an Undertaking at the time of admission stating that the candidate will perform for the College for the entire period of the candidate‘s undergraduate programme of study. The college has a right to cancel their admissions if they violate the undertaking during their stay in college.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

 

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

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Admissions 2018

For a Career in Public Services, Choose Political Science Honours

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Political Science helps one to develop a broad and deep understanding of the forces that shape law, society, the economy, international relations, and the politics of the future. It makes a strong foundation for students looking to pursue careers in public service.

Are you curious about how the government functions and how the society governs itself at all levels? Do you wish to study the nature, causes, and consequences of collective decisions and actions taken by groups of people? If you wish to know the culture and institutions that structure power and authority, Political Science might be the right subject for you.

University of Delhi offers honors in Political Science in many of its colleges like Aryabhatta College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Bhagini Nivedita College, Bharati College, Daulat Ram College, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Deshbandhu College,  Dyal Singh College, Gargi College, Hindu College, IP College for Women, Janki Devi Memorial College, Kalindi College, Kamala Nehru College, Kirori Mal College, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Lakshmibai College, Maharaja Agrasen College, Maitreyi College, Mata Sundri College for Women, Miranda House, Motilal Nehru College, PGDAV College, Rajdhani College, Ram Lal Anand College, Ramanujan College, Ramjas College, Satyawati College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College,  Shivaji College, Shyam Lal College, Shyama Prasad Mukherji College for Women, Sri Aurobindo College, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, Sri Venketeswara College, Vivekananda College, and Zakir Husain.

The previous year cut off for general category students was 99% to 80%, for OBC it was 96.25% to 76%, for SC it was from 95.5% to 74% and for ST it was 96% to 40.5%.

The core subjects that come under it are Understanding Political Theory, Constitutional Government and Democracy in India, Political Theory-Concepts and Debates, Political Process in India, Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics, Perspectives on Public Administration, Perspectives on International Relations and World History, Political Processes and Institutions in Comparative Perspective, Public Policy and Administration in India, Global Politics, Classical Political Philosophy, Indian Political Thought, Modern Political Philosophy.

Political Science graduates develop strong writing and research skills. They discover how to make convincing arguments by backing it up with facts. They hone their verbal and communication skills as they share their work with faculty and peers. “One thing that I have learnt is to deconstruct and be critical of everything”, says Shambhavi from Miranda House. “It helps to refine the analytical skills while exploring policy initiatives. Critical thinking is vital in evaluating the platforms of political parties”, adds Niharika from Miranda House.

The future career prospects of a political science graduate knows no bounds. One can join civil services, academia, journalism, diplomacy or law. One can also become a social activist or a policy research analyst. PR specialist, political analyst, and a political consultant are some of the other career options.

Political Science requires a lot of hard work and dedication but at the end of the day, it’s worth the effort.

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Admissions 2018

Understanding the NSS Category Under ECA Quota for DU Admissions 2018

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For applicants applying under the ECA category, the best place to be informed is the University website, college websites and college notice boards which will notify the number of seats available, the list of students selected from the ECA trials. However, admission into a college only depends upon the availability of seats in that particular college and is not subject to clearing the final trials.

General Guidelines

Here are the general guidelines for the students applying under the ECA category:

  1. The applicants are required to apply separately under the ECA category under the UG admissions portal for an additional fee of Rs. 100/ (per event).
  2. The applicants are required to upload only one certificate (preferably the highest achievement one) issued after May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2018 in each activity they wish to apply for as a proof of their involvement in the relevant activity.
  3. Trials will be held at two levels:
    (i) Preliminary trials
    (ii) Final trials.
    The dates for the same will be notified on the University and college websites as well as the college notice boards.
  4. The applicant shall be allowed to appear in the preliminary trials only once in an event.
  5. Not more than 15% concession/relaxation in academic merit vis-à-vis UR category applicants (for the last relevant cut-off) may be given for admission to specific programmes (subject to the minimum eligibility of the programme).
  6. Weightage in the final trials will be given to the trials and certificates in the following ratio: Trials: 75%, Certificates: 25%. The Certificates are verified by the ECA committee of the college.
  7. The applicant must secure at least 50% marks in the final trials (38 out of 75) to be eligible for the final list of selected candidates
  8. All students should carry a copy of their application registration form as well as their certificates which they would have to submit in the venue of the trials.
  9. The trials for admission under the ECA category shall be the conducted by an ECA committee (Admissions) appointed by the University Admission Committee.

Colleges offering NSS quota

17 colleges of the University are currently offering ECA quota under the  National Service Scheme (NSS) category such as Deshbandhu College, Miranda House, Satywati College, Kamala Nehru College, and Motilal Nehru College.

The trials

The two rounds of trials basically revolve around the social work applicants did in their schools. Garima, a 1st year Economics honours student at Miranda House who was an ECA quota applicant under NSS said, “In the first round, they ask you to pick a number of areas where you might have worked on for instance tree plantations, awareness drives, rallies etc. In the second round, they cross-reference your choices along with proofs that you must provide especially photographs. In addition, a panel of 6-7 judges also pose some general questions on the NSS motto, its symbol, its members, and its origins. In my ECA trials, held in Ram Lal Anand College, the DU coordinator for NSS was also present along with other evaluators.” Evaluators are basically looking for applicants with a strong drive towards working for social welfare.

Feature Image Credits: Navratna News

Sara Sohail

[email protected]

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Admissions 2018

Economics Honours: The ‘Khaleesi’ of all Undergraduate Courses

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Theology Behind The Title:

Boasting the highest cut-offs and the most lucrative placements on completion of the three-year bachelors course, Economics Honours is the Khaleesi (queen) of all undergraduate courses in the University of Delhi (DU).

There are 42 colleges in DU which offer the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Honours in Economics. This list includes the University campus colleges, evening colleges and morning-shift colleges.

 

Course Content in DU

Real Estate tycoon, T.V. Mogul, and the President of the United States of America Donald Trump had majored in economics. Whether you like him or not, the guy knows money.

While he had pursued his degree from the University of Pennsylvania, some of the basic elements of Economics (H) are shared by universities across the world. These include the shared emphasis on statistical methods, economic history, econometrics, development theory, and so on.

However, in India, the curriculum has undergone changes after the semester system came into effect in 2011. “The focus has altered a little and involves the rigours of Mathematics. Options like comparative economic development have been edged out by econometrics, as it is more practical and scoring. The course is at par with any conventional Economics (H) programme in the world,” said Associate Professor of Economics at Miranda Hosue, Meeta Kumar.
The Economics of Why You Should Take Economics

  1. The Economics of Salary:

Professor Karen Mumford at the University of York had remarked, “Economics graduates can easily find jobs in the civil service, the City, industry or education…If you want to make a difference, you can. If you don’t want to make a difference, at least you can make a lot of money”.

It is indeed veritable that salaries for Economics graduates are among the highest, relative to other disciplines. Different research trends show different starting salary values but it emerges that economics graduates are comparatively well paid.

  1. The Artistry of Versatility

Economics (H) is the course that allows you to study Tesco’s and ASDA’s (two retailing institutions) methods of competition one day, and learn about the environment and pollution permits the next.

  1. The Virtue of Informed Citizenry

Economics (H) teaches you how to make well-informed decisions. A large part of the subject is decision making: what should the government do to cut the budget deficit, what should a business do to raise profit margins, where to invest your money in or which bank to use, and so on.

 

Eligibility to Pursue Economics Honours in DU

  1. Admission will be based on the merit list. The merit shall be determined on the basis of one language and three best elective subjects i.e. the ‘best of four’ criteria.
  2. The applicants must have qualified 10+2 (12th examination) from any recognised board.
  3. The applicants must have studied and passed Mathematics in the qualifying exam.
  4. An aggregate of 45% marks in the qualifying examination is the minimum percentage required for admission to this course.

 

Trends in Cut-off of Previous Years:

Interestingly, the minimum scores for admission to this course are some of the highest in this subject. In 2017, the cut-off was 95% or above at over 20 colleges, and over 90% at all colleges.

While Hindu College, Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), and Kirori Mal College had set their cut-offs for Economics (H) at 97.5 per cent, SRCC had pegged the cut-off just a little higher at 97.75 per cent for the same.

The category-wise width or range of last year’s cut-offs are as follows-

  • General- 98.5% to 84.5%
  • Other Backward Classes (OBCs)- 96.75% to 66.5%
  • Scheduled Castes (SC)- 96.25% to 58%
  • Scheduled Tribes(ST)- 93.5% to 43%

 

Expected Trends in Cut-off in 2018:

Jaswinder Singh, Principal and Professor of Economics at SGTB Khalsa College said, “The cut-offs for Economics (H) are a little behind B.Com. (H) every year. However, the cut-offs of the former are likely to remain high this year as the number of high scorers has ballooned while the seats have remained the same.’’
Road Ahead and Scope:

The skills developed through studying Economics (H) are incredibly versatile. For instance, student of Economics Lara Dutta had applied her knowledge in the subject to ace the Personality Round at the Miss Universe Pageant in 2000 and had subsequently gone on to win the same. On the other hand, Kofi Annan, who had pursued Economics from Macalester College had gone on to become the Secretary General of the UN.

Banking, consultancy, Professorship, Indian Administrative Service, further academic study (such as an MBA or Ph.D. in Economics), Corporate Law, government jobs (like in The Indian Economic Services and the Reserve Bank of India), Think Tanks (such as the NITI Ayog) are some of the fields which can be considered by a student pursuing Economics (H) from DU.
Feature Image Credits: India Today
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Why You Must Attend the Open Day Sessions

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The application and admission process in the University of Delhi can be confusing at times. Open Day is an initiative by the administration to clarify admissions related doubts of applicants. 

The University of Delhi’s Open Days for the Academic Session 2018-19 has begun at the Conference Centre of North Campus. Hundreds of students and their parents flock to the Open Days Sessions to clear their doubts about the admission process. The conference room gets jam-packed with aspirants their guardians who aspire to join the Varsity.

The online admission process of all colleges have begun but the aspiring students always have an array of doubts regarding the courses, quotas, colleges, number of seats, eligibility, and accommodation. The open days have members of the Admission Committee in attendance at all times, including principals of different colleges at times who clarify the admission criterion, number of seats in various courses and whether the college provides hostel accommodation or not.

Being one of the top universities of the country, University of Delhi harbours students from all across the country and diverse backgrounds. It is renowned for its affordability and for the quality of education it offers. Every year, more than two lakh forms are filled but the admission is provided to a little over 50,000 applicants.

The Open Day is particularly helpful to ECA aspirants or students hoping to join the University via Sports Quota. Queries regarding certificates, trials, scoring etc. are readily answered at these Open Day sessions. The Open Day which will continue till the 29th of May, is a move by the University officials to make the complicated and often intimidating and confusing admissions process simpler for aspirants.

The University aspirants who have doubts regarding eligibility in the different quotas, reservations of different students in different colleges, choosing a cross-stream course and the cut-offs, number of seats, eligibility for a subject you are not proficient in, and many other doubts should attend the Open Days Sessions along with their parents to inch closer to their dream University.

Feature Image Credits – Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

Prachi Mehra

[email protected]

 

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