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The University of Delhi made some changes with the calculation of best of four percentage for both B.Com (Hons.) and B.A. (Hons.) Economics which has severly impacted the students.

University of Delhi (DU) in a monumental move has announced that Class 12 marks in Mathematics will now be mandatory in the best of four (BoF) for students aiming to study B.A. (Hons.) Economics from the academic year 2019-2020. Students aspiring to pursue B. Com (Hons.) will also require 50% marks in Maths to stand eligible for the course.

Earlier, the prerequisite for these two sought-after courses was to pass in Mathematics but this move has created another hurdle for students.

Devyani Arora, a B. Com (Hons. ) student commented, “The 50 percent marks requirement in Mathematics is essentially an important caveat for admission to B. Com (Hons.) simply because a lot of students would take mathematics as their additional subject and get the passing requirement, just for the sake of securing an admission in DU in the honours course. However, the mathematics taught in Class 11th and 12th is extremely important in Business and is a core subject in the course too, but there are barely students in class who actually know the subject.”

While this announcement has its positives, what is being criticised is the timing of this news. With the admission process now in its first step, for several the aspirations of studying at the prestigious University will reach an uncertain step. Several ex-students are also protesting against this move.

Vidhi Arora, a B.A. (Hons.) Economics student of Kamala Nehru College commented, “DU admissions are not as wholistic as it should be considering it solely focuses on marks. But this is a good move because if you are studying Economics, you need a good grasp of maths otherwise you will face difficulties in many concepts. This will affect percentages, obviously, but from a more long-term view, it is best.”

In a situation like this it is important for students applying to not panic and plan their next course of action. One should maximise options for later by keeping an open mind in selecting courses in the undergraduate application. If there is a significant drop in the best of four, the previous percentage can open doors to many other courses and colleges. Those holding onto their course should, with full composure, wait for the successive cut-off lists to be released. These two courses being a popular choice will be available in several colleges so keep an eye open and mind for all colleges in both the campuses. Furthermore, aspiring students should remember that lakhs of other students will also face this same obstacle, and which could reflect in the cut-offs as they are released.

Image Credits: DU Bulletin Board

Shivani Dadhwal

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Campus Central

Life at Delhi University: Bachelor in Commerce with Honours

By Kritika Narula June 18, 2015

1. Sky-high cut-offs depreciate the value of your marks. Depreciation happens for real. Your score a decent 95% after all the hard-work in your board exams, and end up nowhere near the college of your choice. For a commerce student, admission to a DU college of one’s liking is perhaps harder than a ticket to the moon. Getting into SRCC is the litmus test for the toppers, and with the rocketing cut-offs, not many pass this test. Which means you land up in a college which wasn’t even on your list when you first set your foot in the admissions arena. Not just that, you’ll be reminded of this reality by your relatives and even your professors time and again.

2. B.Com is never enough alone.

Doing B.Com and learning about accounts, marketing, finance, advertising, laws and whatnot doesn’t seem to suffice as a curriculum. There comes a volley of questions, “Beta, CA bhi kar rahe ho?”, “Iske baad CS karoge ya CA?” you’ll be made to feel doing B.Com Honours alone is not enough and that you are wasting time if CA/CS/CWA is not in your things-to-do. And this is not it. If you come across questions that predict your career trajectory, don’t be bogged down by the stereotype. “Beta, B.Com ke baad MBA? Coaching le rahe ho?” No aunty, will you help me crack CAT?

3. You start reading business and commerce newspapers and journals

You either start reading these of your own accord, because frankly, things make less sense in class if you are not aware of the world of commerce, business and economics, or you have been advised to read these by your professors so many times, that you give in to their incessant goads. Whatever be the stimulus, pretty soon you are devouring the pages of Economic Times, or the Business section of magazines, and if you turn out to be a really big business geek, you’ll be found within the pages of a business/commerce journal, reading research papers, and writing your own. This knowledge also comes in handy when you participate in commerce fests: case study competitions, business challenges, business plan competitions, paper presentations… you get the drift.

4. Economics is a clingy sister.

You’re never asked about your next favourite subject after commerce. Reason? It has to be economics. Add them to the list of stereotypes, but this is sadly true. If the curriculum asks you to choose a minor subject, it is a farce because you don’t really have a choice. You’ll end up studying economics. It is that clingy sister who wouldn’t let go of you. Granted, economics as a discipline is the nearest to commerce and the subject matter is related, but lack of choice is just brutal.

5. Commerce students? Ruthless number-crunchers

One, people will think of you as future corporate honchos who pursue profits ruthlessly. Tell them you have a whole paper on Business ethics. Second, commerce for them is almost synonymous with accounts. So your future should look like a bespectacled geek who is perennially glued to Tally. Only, we commerce students are spoilt for choice; and advertising, marketing, law are far more glamorous professions than they are made out to be. Also, they aren’t just about accounts, as is clear. Third, number-crunching is not the only thing that comes naturally to you. You are a multi-faceted personality and you might be a literature-lover or a music aficionado, or a food connoisseur. With so many diverse papers that this course encompasses, there are endless possibilities for your career trajectory. You get used to these stereotypes, and with your multi-hued personality, you ace it all, with or without a professional course- and end up in a variety of jobs, some of which don’t even have the word “accounts” in their job profile. With inputs from Iresh Gupta Kritika Narula [email protected]]]>

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Admissions 2015

The B.Com. vs Economics debate

By Ishita Sharma June 11, 2015

One of the biggest bafflement a commerce student faces, during admission time, is whether to pursue B.Com. or Economics. To begin with, you are spoilt for choice since you’ve got the option of choosing between two of the most prestigious subjects that DU offers.

A lot of people decide between the two courses based on their interest/marks in class 12^th in Accounts and Economics. Just to make things very clear, there is a lot of difference between what you study in college and what you studied in school. Speak to college students, teachers and the Internet.

The popular notion of B.Com. and Economics having similar topics is false; there is vast difference in the courses. B.Com. is a generalised course which combines accountancy, economics and business studies. Economics, on the other hand, is a specialised course which deals with rational behavior and making the best choice with limited resources.

B.Com. opens up avenues for the field of Chartered Accountancy, Finance, Business Entrepreneurship, Company Secretaryship and Law. It also gives you a boast to look into management, IT and academics. Economics is a builder for jobs in the policy making, corporate sector, developmental sector and key specialized areas. It also allows you to take up IES services after post-graduation in the subject.
Economics requires a lot of usage of maths and statistics. So if you are not big fans of these subjects, three years of graduation can be very tough with them. Commerce, on the other hand, is 60% theoretical, give or take.

Commerce comprises of trading commodities of economic value such as goods, services, information or money between two or more entities. Commerce works as the mechanism which drives capitalism and certain other economic systems. Economics is the branch of social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Do your homework before deciding because this shall affect your future. Chalk out a list of your interests and compare it with the subjects offered by the two courses. Get hold of the Under-Graduation syllabus to get a better view.