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