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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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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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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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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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Admissions

Technical Glitches Continue in the Online Registration Process

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Several issues are being faced by the applicants while filling up the registration form despite various attempts by the University to conduct a problem free online admission registration process.

The University of Delhi’s (DU) online registration portal went live on 30th May 2019 but the applicants have complained about issues like delay in getting the One Time Password (OTP) which is required to confirm registration and hence, complete the admission registration procedure.

Shreya, an applicant who faced hassle during the registration process said, “Most of my friends faced an issue with OTP.  We got the OTP at around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. and by then, the 15 minute window had already expired. This led to a delay in the registration process. I was also troubled because of the issues regarding payment via card at the last stage. The portal shifted back to the payment page and it took me three days to complete the whole registration process.”

The University has enabled the edit option for editing the submitted forms once by paying an extra amount of INR 100 but the students and parents who tried editing the forms came up with the complaint that the link is non- functional.

However, some students have also successfully made use of the edit option. Nandini, another aspiring student told DU Beat, “I uploaded all my documents without signing on them and also paid the registration fee. But later when the edit option was made accessible then I could edit my form and upload the signed photocopies of the documents by paying a fee of INR 100.”

Several aspirants have complained that the integration with the Central Board of Secondary Education for conducting the admission process is troublesome as four subjects were randomly picked by the automated feed.

Many applicants also had problems with the issue of an inbuilt calculator for calculating the marks for the best four subjects. However, the DU website stated, “The registration portal neither calculates any marks for the best four subjects nor for any other purpose. Only the marks on a pro-rata basis are being displayed. However, the eligibility check tools will implement at the time of admission”.

Ritwik, a DU aspirant from Assam said, “I did not face any problems while filling up the registration form but I had a fear that what if something goes wrong while filling in the details and I had a few doubts about the form but they were easily cleared.”

Adrika Tamuly, another student told DU Beat, “The process was smooth and I did not face any glitches in the online portal while filling up the registration form and neither did any of my friends found any issues with the website.”

The online registration portal will remain active till 14th  June and the first cut off will be released on 20th June .

Priya Chauhan

[email protected]

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Admissions

Things to Keep in Mind Before Taking Admission in DU

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Dear Aspiring Students,

Here is a list of things I feel you should keep in mind before taking admission into the University of Delhi (DU).

  • ADMISSION PROCESS

The admission process for DU seems tiring, laborious, and everlasting. Trust me, it is. After carefully filling in the forms, wait and have the patience for the cut-offs to come out. Keep in mind your favorable course and calculate the Best of Four (BoF) percentage accordingly. Keep all your documents ready and extra photocopies as well. Upload all essential documents on your Email ID’s and Google Drive for it to be easily accessible in case you forget something. Keep extra passport size photos and Aadhar-card copies of your parents and yourself. Read the UG Bulletin of information available on the website and check if you are applicable for any of the quotas. Keep dates in check (I had marked my calendars), stay in touch with your friends and peers, help each other and support each other.

(Read the DU UG Bulletin 2019-20 here: Click) 

  • EXPLORE

Going for admission procedure to colleges once the cut-offs come out takes time. It might take you a whole day, in the Dilli ki Garmi to get your admission done, and you might have to do this more than once, after subsequent cut-offs come out and you upgrade to different courses and colleges (I did it thrice). You might get tired, but don’t sit in one corner waiting, scared and anxious. The college you go and visit will most probably end up being your home for the next three years. So, explore the canteens, the gardens, the classrooms, the staircases, the markets nearby, the metro stations and bus stands. Familiarise yourself with the environment. It helps in the long run. Take a good company with you, take friends and family, take loads of food and make a picnic out of your admission visit. Make it as fun as you can, as it will be your first experience of being inside the college you will call your own for the next three years.

  • COURSE VS COLLEGE

Many of us don’t score high enough to get our favourite courses and colleges. So, once the cut-off comes out, it becomes a hysterical decision, to chose which course to pursue, and from which college. It will end up in a series of heated discussions between you, your family members, and your well-wishers, and constant visits to websites like collegedunia to read about the ‘scope’ of different courses. Your father will suggest one course, your mother will suggest another college, while you will be at the center of this dilemma, choosing your career just after finishing off with boards (I felt like taking a year-long vacation to decide my college). But in the midst of all this, keep in mind that while making this choice, you might end up losing your preferred course or college or even both, but in the end it won’t matter because once in college, you can helm the journey of your college years to follow the awaited dream you had. You can take your preferred course as an elective and earn a minor degree and participate in different colleges all over the DU circuit to make friends in your favourite college. Although, this decision should be taken with the utmost care, but in the end, you will never regret giving up on one particular thing, because the college life will reward you with so many others that you will be filled up to the brim with happiness and satisfaction.

  • LIFE AT DU

The life at the University is not what you might be envisioning right now, it is not all fun and games, but it is so much more. It is exposure and experience, new friends and families, perspectives and politics, fests and euphoria, academics and attendance, and crowds and metro. It is the flavour of chai that burns at your tongue, and sleepless nights you pull off to finish that one academic paper. It is commuting in an empty metro early in the morning to reach your college on time for an extra class, for it to get cancelled. It is crying, curled up in your bed missing your families, small events and birthday celebrations back home. It is managing the month end with minimal finances asking for udhaar because you are broke. It is also listening to your favourite songs non-stop in the long metro rides, reading your favourite authors or academic papers, it is also celebrating the small festivals you miss back home with your newfound family at college, it is also the breath of relief when you see your parents face to face on a skype call and it is also filling your tummy up with freshly-made Maggi on days you don’t like the PG food. It is a rollercoaster of freshness and it is going to be a beautiful journey!

All the best, students! Make a good choice without any regrets, and enjoy this time to the fullest, you will surely miss it once it is over.

Regards,

Sakshi Arora

 

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

s[email protected]

 

 

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DUB Speak

The Problem of Plenty

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As someone who has dreamt of living an independent life to get one step closer to his ambitions, shifting near the campus was a big deal for me. But as they say, with great power comes great responsibilities, I began succumbing to the responsibilities. The problem of plenty is real, and here’s why.  

Suppose you are living a life of comfort, following a flamboyant and careless lifestyle, eating anything recklessly, sleeping at odd hours and then one fine day you suddenly feel a prickling pain in your chest. The pain doesn’t go away, it persists, for a day or two and is mildly affecting your consciousness. You wake on the third day and the pain comes back again. You go and see a doctor and it’s your liver! It has been deteriorating for a while now. The physician hints at your sedentary lifestyle and absurd eating habits for the situation. You regret, you repent, you cannot accept the fact that you have succumbed into a chronic disease at such a young age. Though it can get worse with time, the relieving part is that only if it’s not controlled or managed well. Your liver will get back on track if you undo the effects with a disciplined and healthy lifestyle. Now, out of scarcity of option you willingly or unwillingly have to follow a better lifestyle.

If you are wondering why the medical situation of a careless youngster is being discussed here, then let me tell you, this careless youngster is me and probably you or a friend of yours. Let me clear the ambiguity first. I have used this analogy to illustrate the “problem of plenty”. A situation 11th-hour lovers must be familiar with.

Now, allow me to associate this problem with my decision to shift near the campus in order to concentrate on my college and academics. The most relevant argument a student gives to their parents or guardians (or at least I did) while persuading them to allow relocation to a flat or PG near the campus is that it will save the time lost in commuting daily from home to college and back. The other argument is generally the availability of a student-friendly environment in a flat or PG near the college. Subsequently, one also thinks about having a typical bachelor’s experience. In hindsight, a student comes with hope and determination to lead an independent life for the next few years.

And then comes the problem of plenty. The problem of plenty roots within the luxury of abundance. The abundance of resources, time and affinity. Just like “you” took your abdomen for granted and got marred by a deadly disease, I got marred by the assurance of resources and time.

Once I left the comfort of domestication and set foot out in the real world, I saw a lot of opportunities, experiences to seek, and things to try. A distorted sleeping cycle, untimely eating habits, eating whatever I got at hand, etc. became common practices. Exploiting the freedom I had was the foremost task my mind was alluded to do once I got out of home. Now, I could dare to miss classes on a regular basis and still sleep in peace, unlike my home where my parents would have ranted out their frustration had I missed classes so frequently. And academics – you remember the 11th-hour lovers I mentioned initially? I became that student inadvertently.

But then, the grass is always greener on the other side. When I see it from another perspective, I realise the vast amount of experience I am extracting at such a young age. I am maturing as a person, learning to tackle emotional and mental upheavals, discovering the value of every teardrop I shed. I am making friends who I am sure will become family to me if I hold on to them.  And if with great responsibility comes with great power, this independence, this abundance is nothing but power to me!

 

Image Credits: Adventure In Adventure Out

 

Priyanshu

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Physical Wellness in College Students

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In their college years, students pay no attention to their physical wellness which has hazardous implications in future. Here’s delving deep into the subject and discussing the changes one needs to bring in their lifestyle to improve their physical health.

College years can be some of the most stressful years for a student- both mentally and physically. You are overburdened with academics, society activities, friends and social life, and so much more.

In such a scenario, students, more often than not, forget taking care of themselves and pay no attention to their physical wellness. Several unhealthy habits ingrained during college years often deteriorate their health which become the root of health issues later in life.

How often do you prefer eating out over cooking for yourself? Do you also spend the most amount of your day sitting in front laptop completing your assignment or well, just binging shows on Netflix?

During college years, students, especially those living in hostels, find themselves involved into unhealthy eating habits like eating junk food very often, binging on unhealthy snacks during midnight study sessions, heavy dependence on caffeine among others. Excessive intake of such unhealthy high-on-calorie food items leads to problems like obesity.

There’s also a considerable reduction in the number of physical activities performed by college students as compared to when they were in school. Lack of any compulsory physical exercise like sports in college gives students numerous reasons to never leave the comfort of their cozy beds and go out in the fresh air. Physical lethargy leads to mental lethargy, robbing students of concentration and an active mind.

In conversation with DU Beat, Sakshi from Kamala Nehru College (KNC) said that she didn’t remember the last time she played any sport during her college years. She also added that regular intake of junk food and soft drinks have become the norm of college life.

This decline in attention towards physical health is worrisome, for it may have several hazardous implications for students.

Thus, it’s quite important for college students to become aware of their daily physical habits and to not ruin it further every day. Small changes are key to bringing about a major change in one’s physical lifestyle.

Prefer cooking at home over regularly binging junk food outside. Try healthier snack options during your late night study sessions. Get up from your bed and chair every hour, take a walk outside in the fresh air, and give your body some physical movement like sports and exercise. Simran from Gargi College said, “I have started exercising daily in my hostel itself due to lack of time to go to the gym. It helps me feel rejuvenated and healthy.”

Engaging in sports brings an individual not only physical benefits but they also leave the person mentally fresh and energised. Dharna Bothra from KNC said, “I feel extremely active and energised not only physically but also mentally after playing sports.”

So, put your phones down, get up from your beds and take a long walk outside. Do your physical health a favor!

Feature Image Credits: Northern Lights College

Shreya Agrawal

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Vivekananda College Denies Admit Cards to Students with Low Attendance; Clashes follow

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Clashes between the students and administration broke out at Vivekananda College Friday as students with low attendance were denied admit cards. The administration is allegedly manhandling the students, the teachers not signing the medical certificates, and the Students’ Union, too, is being uncooperative. 

 Violence broke out in Vivekananda College on Monday when the students whose attendance fell short were not given admit cards. These students also went on a hunger strike from the 30th April to the 1st May.

On 25th April, a list had been circulated, which mentioned the names of students whose attendance was lower than 67%. It also said that these students were not applicable for receiving admit cards unless they presented a medical certificate. The students’ pleas to the administration went unanswered, so they resorted to violence, breaking the windows etc. of the college.

The strike finally came to a halt when the officiating Principal, Dr Hina Nandrajog, met the students. Priyanka, the President of the Students’ Union, said that the Principal agreed to accept medical certificates for the fifth and the sixth semesters. According to our sources, many teachers have refused to sign the medical certificates saying that it is ‘unethical’ and they might lose their jobs if they do.

The detained students haven’t been allowed to enter the college in the last two days, security forces have been deployed to stop them from coming in. A new rule dictates that the students must be accompanied by teachers in order to enter college premises. According to the protesters, the teachers have stopped answering their phone calls.

“Students have protested and a hunger strike also happened but the admin remains unshaken. Now she (the Principal) has banned our entry in the college and there is police force to stop us from entering our own college. We are the ID card holders of the college and still, we are not allowed to enter…(sic) So, I guess that isn’t fair. Though we have short attendance, I guess the principal should listen to us and provide us with a solution rather than just declaring that we need to repeat the session,” said a detained student who wished to stay anonymous.

For many students, the semester exam begins on the 6th of May, and for some, the looming fear of repeating the session hangs in the air. “Some people could have genuine issues and some students have financial issues and cannot repeat the session at any cost. What about them? I do understand the rules of the college but there is a solution if the principal is fair enough,” added another student.

Priyanka denied the allegation that students couldn’t get their medical certificate signed. “They stirred up violence in the college, they protested, I asked them to calm down but they didn’t listen. They must be polite with the teachers and respect them; nothing can move forward otherwise.”

The protesters, on the other hand, claim that the Students’ Union has barely shown any support.

“They didn’t work for us all year, they don’t even come to college these days, they told us that they need to study for their exams and stayed home while we were being manhandled by the administration and the police. How do we trust them?” added another detained student.

“I waited outside the college gate in this heat for hours today, they wouldn’t let me in,” said a detained student “I don’t know what options do we have left anymore, we wrote applications to the principal, Dean of social welfare and the Vice Chancellor of the university. We are awaiting their response.”

Speaking to DU Beat, Sidharth Yadav, State Secretary, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Delhi said, “Students from various colleges are suffering because the university is strictly imposing the requirement for minimum attendance but have ignored the prerequisite condition of the minimum number of classes in an academic year. ABVP has taken up the issue in various colleges like Vivekanand, Ram Lal Anand, Ramanujan, Janaki Devi Memorial College, Jesus and Mary College, amongst others and we are fighting so that students don’t suffer. The strike by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) had suspended the classes for a long time and so the students are at the suffering end. Few colleges are even not accepting medical certificates or are not acknowledging ECA certificates. This is a sad state. We demand that either university should have organised tutorial/remedial classes or there should be relaxation to the criteria.

In a video posted online, protesters are seen banging against the big black metal college gate in a fit of rage, they swing it around in hopes to break it open. In light of the same, many from both the teacher and the student community are of the opinion that it was the protesting students who were in the wrong. “These students have very low attendance,” says Bhavya, a student of Vivekananda College. “After being denied the admit card, they resorted to violence. Windows were shattered and they were abusing our principal, after which the principal decided to call the police. A friend told me that the protesters tried to disrupt the practical exams last week. Their behaviour towards the administration was completely unacceptable and wrong.”

The President ensures that most of the students will get their admit cards by Monday; however, the protesters remain doubtful, their future uncertain.

Shakti Singh came to the college on 7th May, broke open the gates along with the protesters and barged into the Principal’s office. Even after repeated pleas of the students, Nandrajog refused to budge from her decision to not grant admit cards to students with attendance of less than 67%.
The protesters even sat in front of her car to block the way, but were forcibly removed by the police. They are thinking of moving to the HC with a case against her.
Today, 8th May, parents of the students will come to the college to have a word with the Principal.

Image Credits: DU Beat

 

 

Jaishree Kumar

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Smart ID Cards Proposed for DU Students

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The standing council of the admissions committee of Delhi University (DU) made a proposal for issuing ‘smart’ identity cards to the students in the coming academic session.

Dean of Student Welfare, Rajeev Gupta, chairperson of the committee, said that such cards, once approved, would help bring uniformity and was an attempt at improving the overall infrastructure of the university. The cards are said to be integrated with health centres to help students avail their facilities. They might also help in keeping real-time record of the entry and exit of students from colleges.

As the cards would become operational only in July when the new academic session for 2019-20 starts, the University can have sufficient time to set up the necessary infrastructure required for its implementation, The Hindu quoted Rajiv Gupta, Dean of Student Welfare and Chairperson of the committee as saying.

DU Beat spoke to Rasal Singh, Professor at Kirori Mal College and member of the committees. He gave us some insight into the same.

Objectives: The card is expected to bring uniformity. It will have the DU logo on one side and the college logo on the other. It will also carry the University registration number which is given to every student when they apply to DU.

Features: The nitty-gritties have not been finalised but some of the ideas include integration with the libraries to keep a record of books issued by students. It may also serve as an identification card that can be used to rent bicycles from metro stations and be integrated with metro or bus passes. Apart from this, it will serve as a regular college ID card.

Challenges: Whenever there’s a new policy or idea, some difficulties do arise. That might be the case here also, but that can be managed.

Current Status: The meeting took place on 18th April. There is consensus on the card. It is expected to be rolled out from the next academic session.

 

 

Image credits – DU Beat Archives

 

Prateek Pankaj

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