Mission impossible at DU

The cut-off lists announced by Delhi University make tens of thousands of youths nervous every year.  Nearly three lakh school-leavers registered for admission at DU this year. The cut-offs – or the minimum percentage of marks in class 12 that colleges demand – are too high for most.

“When the first cut-offs were announced we were disheartened. I thought my daughter would not be able to get admission in any good college this year,” said Vibha Gangneja, who came to Miranda House for the girl’s admission in English (Hons) after the second cut-off list.

The first cut-off in Miranda House for English (Hons) was 97.50 per cent, which came down to 97 per cent in the second list.

Even the 0.5 per cent drop offered hope because admissions to many courses like English (Hons) and Sociology (Hons) had already closed in ‘good colleges’ like Lady Shri Ram (LSR) and St Stephen’s after the first list.

This year DU offered only the online route for admissions. The new system created problems for admission seekers – at times the DU website wouldn’t let them register, or not allow them to pay the fees online. But most youngsters didn’t let this bother them too much. Their focus was on a possible seat in DU.

“If cut-offs are met then the battle is won,” said Himani Narula, an admission seeker.
Vidushi Chhabra, 17, said, “I have got 85 per cent, which is very bad according to DU standards. But I will get any college because of my ECA trial.”

Chhabra got English (Hons) at Jesus and Mary College in the first cut-off, which was kept at 97.75 per cent, because she got full marks in her Extra-Curricular Activities trial.
Under the ECA category, students can get up to 15 per cent relaxation in their best of four class 12 exam aggregate, after competitive trials in activities like dance, music, drama and films.
With `95 percenters’ wandering around, lost on the campus during admissions, many like Chhabra who went for ECA and sports trials can consider themselves lucky.

Abhishek Gupta scored 93 per cent in class 12. He was sitting outside the Delhi University Students Union’s office with his brother and sister after the fourth cut-off list, trying to get admission at Kirori Mal College for BA (Programme).

Some student union members told them to take any course they could get right now, and switch later if the cut-offs for what he wanted drop in the fifth list. But he was stuck on getting into a “good” college as his brother and sister did in their time.

Gupta’s brother, who did BA (Programme) at Hansraj College in 2007 with 60 per cent in class 12, finds it hard to believe that his brother may not get into any college in north campus this year. In 2010, his sister made it to DU with even less than that.

Unlike many who want to just block any seat, be it Buddhist Studies or Sanskrit (Hons) which are not that popular at DU, Gupta is adamant on getting into KMC only. Otherwise he will go to a private university.

Last year, College of Vocational Studies and Indraprastha College for Women posted a 100 per cent cut-off for the Computer Science programme in the first list for the general category.

This year the highest cut-off in the first list among all DU colleges was at Ramjas College, which asked for 99.25 per cent for BCom (Hons).  Also, Ramjas cut-off of 98.5 per cent for Economics (Hons) was the highest for that course in the first list.

This year, a comparatively less popular college like PGDAV, kept its cut-off for BCom (Hons) and Economics (Hons) at 96.5 per cent. Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), College of Vocational Studies and Kirori Mal were asking for a score as high as 98 per cent for the BCom (Hons) course. Often, there was no difference seen in cut-offs at college with varying reputations.

Shri Ram College of Commerce, recognised as the best college for Commerce by many, kept its cut-off at 97.5 per cent in the third list and closed admissions for general category in the fourth list, after dropping 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent in every list.
Hindu College didn’t bring down its Economics (Hons) cut-off in the second list at all, keeping it at 97.75 per cent. 

Ramjas principal Rajendra Prasad said his college kept the cut-offs at this level after analysing the data about the maximum marks scored by class 12 students this year.  
As it happened, there were no takers for BCom (Hons) under the the first cut-off list – the college was asking too much. In the next list it brought the cut-off down by up to two per cent. But a Ramjas college official said half of the seats are vacant even after the fourth cut-off.

Students often ‘block’ their seats in many colleges without caring about their preference, so that they can switch later. But this year DU will come out with only five cut-off lists, as compared to previous years when colleges would release up to 12 lists.

Some `98 percenters’ switched colleges up to the fourth cut-off list, but these new regulations in DU have made many parents and students nervous.

Sri Venkateswara College principal Hemalatha Reddy said the college does not suffer in any way if five cut-off lists come out, or 12. “We just organise the candidates in their order of merit,” she said.

“Taking out more cut-off list brings in more applications from reserved categories, otherwise there is no difference as such. Seats get filled anyway,” said Reddy.
A professor of Botany (Hons) said that till 2011 students with a difference of even 20 percentage points in school exams would make it to the same class. So an `85 percenter’ and a `65 percenter’ would study together. But then there were many drop-outs and failures.

“Cut-offs are getting higher because the boards are giving too much marks,” said Abha Dev Habib, Physics professor at Miranda House.

She said that the trend in DU has also changed recently after the implementation of the CBCS (Choice Based Credit System).

“Whereas getting a 75 per cent in Physics in DU was considered tough some years ago, now students are getting 90 per cent,” she added. Students are never failed in any exam under the system, she said.

A high cut-off may show that the college is a good. But many colleges are recognised only because of the traditions they have kept alive, according to Habib.

“In a classroom, there is always heterogeneity. Two people cannot be of the same calibre just as they cannot be of the same creed. A college can enhance its reputation only with its teachers and the system,” said Habib.