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Alarming Ambitions: The Case of DU’s Cut-offs

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If you are reading this in a North Campus college’s canteen, you have your fortunes to thank for. You have made it to The Inaccessible.

The paid admission applications stood at 2,58,388 after the last date of registration at the undergraduate portal this year. The University of Delhi (DU), one of the most coveted education-hub of the country has provision of seats for less than a quarter of these applicants. To make up for this “exclusivity”, the University has a presumably foolproof hack: astounding cut-offs. With every year, the poor standard of education is validated by the rich number-game of cut-offs. National headlines in dailies are blaring announcements of which college set the highest cut-off percentage this year.

This practice necessitates the question of alarming ambitions that we are handing out to young high-school students, and for the sake of what? The University is a lot of things, but not the best academic space. How important is it, then, getting a whopping 99% if you wish to pursue B.A. (Honours) Political Science from Hindu College?

Our school system has been reduced to unhealthy academic pressures, topped with the co-curricular necessity to be an “all-rounder”. School teachers are critical when a student underperforms. The acknowledgement of good work is brushed aside with “you have to do even better in the Board exams”.

The severe and mortal fear of Board exams, as you will relate with, dear fresher, presents the most harrowing March ever. The DU cut-offs soaring through the roof have sustained the brand-value of colleges like Shri Ram College of Commerce, but their effect on the lives of high-school students have been largely treated as ambitions. “I remember my Business Studies teacher chiding me in front of a class of fifty-odd students, ‘If you plan on getting a 90 in your Board exam, better do not consider appearing for it in the first place.’ This was 15 days before the Board exams started, and till date, I am not over this statement, despite getting a good score. I remember it flashing in my mind every second during my Board exam.”

Truly, getting 95% today is disturbing. If you wish to pursue Economics Honours from Lady Shri Ram College, you need at least 97% or above, which is more or less saying that you must not lose more than 2.5 marks in each of your Best of Four Subjects. The Central Board of Secondary Education and other boards have also adjusted to the demand. 100s are tirelessly awarded to students in language papers. Such distribution puts to question the idea of 100s. But then, as long as you are getting a seat for English Honours at St. Stephen’s, how does your English proficiency matter? College comes with its opportunities, and hiding behind these opportunities are insecurities and vulnerabilities. The definition of a good college is earmarked in its history and brand-value. Most school students are blasted with the academic pressure by their parents and teachers, all to enable them to make it to their dream college. The inconsistent debate of the quality of our education system, along with the question of the inconsequential social exposure that we allow to our students pointedly screams at the alarming ambitions that we have enforced on the youth.

India is one of the leading countries in terms of its rich human-resources under the age of 35, but how effectively can we translate this resource into its most conducive form? Surely, not by falsely feeding the inadequate need for validation of the “top colleges of DU”.

 

Feature Image Credits: Manjit Thapp via Instagram

 

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

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Admissions 2019

Dear Freshers, Welcome to the World of Politics

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The University of Delhi (DU) works as a microcosm of the world. And like the bigger picture, it has its own sense of politics. Here is a brief intro to Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU) and its significance.

Many big names in contemporary Indian politics have had a stint in their college elections. Be it Arun Jaitley, president of the DUSU in 1974, or Kanhaiya Kumar, the Students Union President of Jawaharlal Nehru University; these elections seem like a foundation for a career in politics. 

The DUSU is a student body which held its first elections in 1954. It is the body which regulates and renegotiates the policies, rules and regulations agreed on by the varsity. DUSU actively involves itself in student-related issues and problems, tries to resolve them by pursuing the administration and works for the welfare of the students. DUSU has actively involved itself in the admission-related processes and issues of students. 

However, this entity is not free from dirty politics and hooliganism. The student politicians are infamous for staging protests, illegal activities, and unnecessary violence. The rivalry between ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad)— student-wing of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI)—student-wing of the Indian National Congress (INC)—is representative of their much larger right-versus-left conflict.

Supplementing this circle of politics are organisations like Pinjra Tod, Student’s Federation of India (SFI), All India Student’s Association (AISA), Democratic Student’s Union (DSU), Krantikari Yuva Sanghatan (KYS) and many others. 

The most important takeaway from the DUSU and its functioning for the university students is that it allows students to have an opportunity to contemplate their political choices, their freedom to vote, and the ‘apparent’ legacy of their family opinions. The first vote a DU student casts is for this simulation of National democracy.

Jaishree Kumar, a final year student of History from Ramjas College has experienced this circus for the past two years. She states, “Politics in the university can be intimidating, but it’s also a reflection of National politics, and in some ways, a caricature of it. Its apparent omnipresence is suffocating sometimes, but don’t get deterred by their loudness. Their freebies and niceness don’t matter. Their ‘may I help you’ signs disappear once the elections are over. Don’t run away from the politics, don’t take pride in calling yourself ‘apolitical’, don’t follow an ideology which has been passed down your family. You’re a university student, question everything.”

Some first-time witnesses of DUSU politics, like Prateek Pankaj from Hindu College call it “a social laboratory to understand how politics at the larger scale works”. He says, “More than anything, it teaches how democracy lives and breathes around us. When you see people protesting against the dismissal of sanitation workers or for the rights of ad-hoc teachers, it tells you how issues actually impact people.”

A humble advice to all the freshers: be aware, be involved and be alert. Form your own political opinions. I myself have experienced this ‘House of Shards’ for the first time last year, and I am already looking forward to this year’s dynamics. 

Feature Image Caption: Students queued to cast their votes during DUSU Elections 2018-19.

Feature Image Credits: Aakarsh Gupta for DU Beat

Sakshi Arora

[email protected] 

 

 

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Admissions

Live! DU Releases Fifth Cut-off List

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The University of Delhi has released the fifth cut-off list today on the official website.

The admission under the DU 4th cut-off list ended ended on June 17th. The DU 5th cut-off list will be all about filling the seats in the reserved category in most colleges.

So far, the University has filled 67,419 seats out of the total 62,000. After the release of DU 5th cut-off, the admissions will take place from July 20, which will also be the first day for those who have already completed the admission process.

The candidates should note that this year, the university will notify just five cut-off lists.

Check this space for the latest updates on the fifth cut-off.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list P.G.D.A.V. (E) College.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list for Gargi College.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list for Satyawati College.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list for Shyam Lal College.

Click below to check the comprehensive fifth cut-off lists:

Arts & Commerce

Science

B.A. Programme

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Uncategorized

Monsoon Blues in DU: A New Semester

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With the start of a new semester for some a new exciting college life for others, the University of Delhi (DU) session begins during monsoon.

The energy is generally high and full of high hopes and expectations. The students can be seen milling around trying out auditions for various societies, attending classes with a new-found vigour, and doing their best to make most out of the day.

However, all this energy still cannot dispel the little low you feel at the prospect of another year and all the challenges it will bring forth. It is a little daunting task for freshers coming from various parts of the country and finding their whole world turned upside down. It is hard to find your niche, your group of people, and a place in which you feel safe and most comfortable to be in. When you finally do, the rest of the journey is far more easier and smooth.

Speaking from experience, a student elaborates, “My first year was rough. My society took considerable amount of my time and in the beginning I was scared about managing both my classes and society. The most tough part was that I was not able to connect with my classmates as I was able to do with my society people.”  

At such point of time, classes become boring and you don’t even feel like attending lectures without any friendly faces in it. 

In girls’ colleges, the whole experience is different. If you are coming from co-ed schools, the whole environment feels alien. You have doubts about settling in and whether you will be able to survive the three years. However, trust me on this- no other college is as empowering and as enriching in experience as girls’ colleges turns out to be. 

A student from Kamala Nehru College says, “Initially, I was scared to be in this city. It was huge and fast. I thought people would be way smarter than me. I underestimated my own self and worth. With time, my confidence grew and I felt comfortable to such an extent that I was no longer intimidated by anyone. I realized my potential and all my initial fears and misconceptions disappeared.” 

There are also some very confusion-filled days when you feel like migrating. You are still confused about your course or college. The best way to cope with it would be to analyse what you want best thoroughly before making any long-term decision. The journey makes the destination more beautiful. So, have complete faith in your journey. 

The dreary weather can feel a little overbearing when combined with the feeling of not belonging but every dark cloud will dispel to let the sunshine pour forth. With time, you will create the best memories. Your initial fear will seem inconsequential and, with each passing day, your fears will abate. 

Apparently, monsoon in Delhi brings bouts of self-doubt and also a lot of mosquitoes. Don’t let the moody weather pull you under and also don’t let these mosquitoes bite. Both of them are not exactly recommended for a happy disposition required to make most of your days in DU!

Feature Image Source: Facebook

Antriksha Pathania
[email protected]

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DUB News

MHRD asks Institutes to Link the Social Media Accounts of Students

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The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has directed all higher educational institutes (HEIs) to link the social media accounts of students with the institute and the HRD ministry, inviting displeasure owing to privacy concerns.

MHRD, in its move to “connect the students”, has issued a notification to all HEIs to link the students’ Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts with those of the institute and of the Ministry.

In addition to this, the HEIs have been directed to appoint a “Social Media Champion” (SMC) from their institute who will have access to the institute’s social media profiles and act as a medium of communication between the HRD Ministry and other institutions.

These SMCs will be further responsible to “publicize at least one positive story/event by their institution every week and retweet the positive stories by other HEIs so that their students and stakeholders can learn from the success stories of other institutions”, according to the official release by MHRD.

The deadline to submit the details of the SMC candidate is 31 July, as stated by R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, in the letter addressed to the heads of HEIs.

This move to track the social media handles has sparked debates among the students and the institutions and has invited displeasure due to privacy concerns.

Ayesha Kidwai, Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, condemning the move said, “This is ridiculous, and it is a clear attempt by the Government at implementing surveillance on even the personal spaces of students.”

“If your intention is to facilitate communication, all stakeholders of institutions should have been made a part of it. Why should only students’ accounts be linked?” questioned N. Raghuram, faculty member at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University.

Responding to the criticism and outrage coming out from various institutions and students, the HRD Ministry has clarified that the move is not mandatory and students needn’t share their account handles if they don’t want to.

Dismissing claims of privacy breach, the Ministry said, “Anyone who understands how social media works would know that sharing of Twitter handles would not enable accessing the accounts. This is elementary knowledge. It is to share good practices and motivate each other by best performances.”

 

Feature Image Credits: News Nation

 

Shreya Agrawal

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Admissions

Mission Admission: A Tough Bargain

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The continuing problems related to admissions in the varsity have raised several questions on the functionality of the administration.

Student organisations Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) of the University of Delhi (DU) have voiced their concerns and demonstrated against the DU Vice Chancellor regarding the difficulties faced by students during the time of admissions. The demonstation also sought to question the fee hike that has taken place for almost all courses in the University.

ABVP has voiced the concerns of the students by protesting at the Arts Faculty, addressing various issues related to admissions. The increment in college fees has been challenged along with irregularity in Sports Category admissions. Provision of admission by accepting undertaking, and introduction of EWS category in M. Phil/ PhD admissions has been requested. Importantly, inadequate arrangement in colleges for parents at the time of the admission process are some of the issues amongst other key issues that have been raised by the ABVP.

They (ABVP) has brought into the limelight how the admission staff in colleges who were admitting students to the first cut-off were not aware of the rules prescribed by the University. This caused problems in the smooth functioning during the admissions process. Admissions of students were also cancelled due to loopholes in the admission process.

Siddharth Yadav, the State Secretary of ABVP Delhi, said that if the demands are not met within the time period of ten days, then there will be more resolute protests against the administration.

DUSU President Shakti Singh also highlighted the issue of fee hike by saying, “There has been an arbitrary unaccounted fee increase in many DU colleges.” The issue Ramjas College’s fee hike has been previously reported on by DU Beat.

A memorandum to the Dean of Students Welfare had been submitted after the protest ended by the the ABVP delegation.

Attempts have been made by the student organisations so that the DU admission process does not become tedious and burdensome for the students. The true effects of the protests remain to be seen.

Feature Image Credits: Prateek Pankaj for DU Beat

Amrashree Mishra

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Admissions

Admission Process Continues Till Midnignt at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Evening College

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The aspirants at were taken aback by the mismanagement, which led to several parents and students waiting till midnight to get their admission done. 

On 1st July 2019, the second day of admissions for the first cut-off list saw over-crowding and unprofessionalism by the authorities which led to a number of students suffer till midnight. 

A source who had gone to get admission in B.A. (Programme) during the first cut-off list revealed that there was only one counter for all the courses which caused the ruckus.  He said “They collected applications from all the students and then announced their names for eligibility. It took nearly four hours to get the eligibility slip.” According to him, many parents waited till midnight and even beyond that to complete the admission process. 

Another applicant’s sister who accompanied him for admission to Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (Evening) also stated that there was major inconsistency in administrations during admissions. She revealed that she had to go there twice to complete the process, first on 30th June and then on 1st July. She said, “There was no systematic process for admissions, no proper counters or queues which created immense chaos. The students from National Cadet Corps of the college were on duty and worked diligently but I couldn’t see any teacher-in-charge supervising them or helping them resolve the chaos.” 

We contacted Mr. Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Staff Council at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College Evening who himself stayed till 11 a.m. in the College to get the admissions done. He touted over admissions as a cause for this prolongation. He revealed that despite having a capacity of 814 seats, the college has taken in 1013 admissions, wherein even now, the admissions are open for courses like B.Com (Programme), B.Com (Hons.) and some combinations of B.A. Programme. While in other colleges, a combination of Commerce and Economics in B.A Programme has 15 seats ideally, the college has admitted around 100 students. He added  “Unlike other colleges l, we did not close the admissions at 6 p.m. We cooperated and admitted all the students who were eligible. My non-teaching staff stayed back till 4 a.m. in the morning to complete procedures for everyone who had come.” He also stated that around 8 p.m. the administration announced that parents can submit their documents and leave, the authorities would complete formalities and give them their fee slips in the morning the next day, but there were many who had come from different cities and wanted to take slips with them, so they stayed in the campus grounds till late.

He also added that there was no mismanagement per se, it just took a lot of time because of the intake of students. He stated  “We have admitted 106 students against the EWS quota which only has 37 seats, 438 against Unreserved category which had 373 seats, 308 admissions were done against 219 seats from the OBC quota and 141 against 121 for ST seats. We didn’t deny admission to any student who was eligible and hence, it took a lot of time”

Feature Image Credits: Anonymous 

Sakshi Arora

[email protected] 

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Admissions

A Complete Guide to the Withdrawal Process

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We help you debunk one of the most important yet fussy process of withdrawal during the University of Delhi (DU) admissions. 

  • It is extremely important to hold a seat in any one of the colleges: With the cut-off trends on a rise, we can never rely on the previous year’s lists, our marks, or any other factors. It becomes important to have a water-tight plan and a back-up. Students must always have a plan-B ready for their course or college. The first two cut-off lists will always be cruel but remember to apply with each list wherever you see your course or college of choice or back-up and secure a seat. With each list, as the cut-offs fall, you can move up on your priority list by withdrawing from the previous college and applying to the new one. Securing a seat also gives us a sense of relief and security.
  • Keep an eye on the cut-off lists and tally your best of four: If the college you took admission in after the first cut-off list is not near to what desired, keep a close eye on the successive lists that are released. As soon as the next list is out, analyse the next best option you have as per your preferences based on the course or college. Ensure your Best of Four (BoF) is properly calculated and the correct subjects from the subject list have been included. Make sure that you cross check the cut-off and other pre-requisites for your course by visiting the college or the DU website.
  • Be clear and swift with the cancellation procedure and refund:  Once certain of fulfilling the criteria, go to the web portal and cancel the admission from the dashboard. With this you will now have access to take admission, in accordance with the new cut-off list. Print the new form along with its copies to take admission in the new college. The refund will be updated in the ‘wallet’ section. A cancellation fee of INR 1000 will be deducted and this will be reflected in the ‘wallet’ section. It is important to note that only one cancellation is allowed per cut-off list. Ensure that you qualify for the cut-off in the college you wish to shift to by checking in person before you cancel your admission. Once cancelled, you cannot be re-admitted in the eventuality that you do not secure admission in the next college.
  • Collect original documents and head to the new college for admission: First, go to the college you are already admitted in and collect your original documents by showing the cancellation form and the new admission form. After this, head towards the new college and repeat the admission procedure with your application, original documents, photocopies, and three recent passport sized photographs. The admission fee will be automatically adjusted from the ‘wallet’ and you will only be required to pay the balance. If some amount is left, it will be refunded to the applicant’s account.

A step by step summary of the process:

1.Take admission in a college of preference from the cut off list. Eg. B.A. (Honours) Psychology, College C

2.When new cut-off list is released, choose a course and college and ensure you fulfill the criteria (calculation and subjects in BoF) before going to take admission. Eg. Visit College B to check cut-off and eligibility.

3.At home, cancel the previous admission and fill new form. Eg. For B.A. (Honours) Psychology at College B.

4.The fee will be adjusted on the Wallet and INR 1000 will be deducted.

5.Collect original documents from College C and head over to College B and repeat the admission procedure. The total number of cancellations allowed will be (n-1) where ‘n’ is the number of cut-off lists.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat archives

Shivani Dadhwal

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Admissions

High Court Issues Notice in a Plea Challenging 2.5% Deduction in Stream Change

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The Delhi High Court says that rule may be reconsidered if petitioner succeeds in petition.

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice with respect to a matter presented to it on 26th June 2019 regarding a plea challenging the rule mandating deduction of 2.5% from the total percentage of a candidate in best four subjects in case of change of stream while securing admission in the University of Delhi (DU).

The rule mentioned in section 2.2 of the Undergraduate Bulletin of Information 2019-20 states that if a student is changing streams and aspiring for admission to the University in a subject that they did not study at the senior secondary level, a deduction of 2.5% from their Best of Four percentage would be considered as their score for making it to the cut-offs; a notion that puts many students at a disadvantage keeping in view the high scores required to secure a seat in the University.

Petitioner Muskan Aggarwal, a student from the science stream, has achieved a score of 96% in the class 12th CBSE Board Examinations and wants to pursue B.A. (Hons.) Political Science from DU.

It is her case that the rule mandating deduction in the percentage of marks in case of a change in the stream is “arbitrary, discriminatory and baseless”. She cites the rationale to support her argument that if a student is scoring well then they should have the opportunity to study any subject of their choice. The Court had directed the University to file a response to the plea within a week’s time.

The University maintains that this rule has been clarified in the earlier ruling of the High Court with respect to admissions criteria for this academic year (W.P. C No.6751/2019 passed on June 14th. 2019). Keeping in view the petitioner’s vehement dispute regarding this claim, the Vacation Bench of Honorable Justice Jyoti Singh has issued the notice regarding further hearing of this matter on 5th July 2019 before the Regular Bench of the High Court.

The High Court has also clarified that the petitioner, if successful in her petition, would be granted admission as per her final marks and corresponding ranking in the merit list.

Feature Image Credits: New Indian Express

Bhavya Pandey

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News

Tribal Christian Students Cry Foul at St. Stephen’s Cut-offs

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After a row on the interview panel, another controversy surrounding discrimination in admissions has come up against St. Stephen’s College.

St. Stephens College released its cut-offs on 24th June 2019. Since then, there has been uproar amongst the Naga Students’ Union of Delhi regarding higher cut-offs for students from Christian Scheduled Tribe (CST), as compared to Christians from Other than Church of North India (COTH).

In a letter to the Principal, the Union said, “It is evident that there is high discrimination against students falling under CST category, where the cut-off marks have been kept much higher than the COTH”, as told in a report in The Hindu. The Union also added, “There is no rationality on how CST and COTH differ as far as the teaching of Christianity is concerned.” They called this difference a violation of their Constitutional Rights.

Comparing this year’s cut-offs to the last year’s, one can easily see that there has been a drastic change because last year the cut-offs for these quotas were either similar, or were lower for Christian ST’s in almost all courses.

In the list of 2018-19, the cut-off for B.A. Programme for COTH was at 88% (Commerce and Science) and at 85.5% (Humanities), while for CST, it was at 86% (Commerce and Science) and at 83.5% (Humanities). In this year’s list, the cut-off for COTH is at 88% (Commerce and Science) and at 86.5% (Humanities), while for CST it is set drastically higher at 96% (Commerce and Science) and at 94.5% (Humanities).

Similarly, this change in cut-off has also been observed in the B.Sc. Mathematics Course where, in 2018-19 for COTH, the cut-off was at 90.5% (Commerce and Science) and at 89.5% (Humanities), while for CST, it was at 82.5% (Commerce and Science) and at 81.5% (Humanities). In this year’s list, the cut-off for COTH is at 82.5% (Commerce and Science) and at 81.75% (Humanities), while for CST it is again set higher at 92.5% (Commerce), at 92.75% (Science) and at 91.75% (Humanities).

On contacting the Governing Body of St. Stephen’s College, we received no response regarding this matter.

 

Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

s[email protected]

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