The Hindu : Front Page : A day of disappointment at Delhi University

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 27, 2006

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A day of disappointment at Delhi University

Mandira Nayar

"The competition for admission is very tough and for an average student with even 90 per cent it is not easy to find a place... ."

IN OR OUT?: Admission seekers at Delhi University on Monday. — PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY

NEW DELHI: It was a day of huge disappointment at Delhi University on Monday with a large number of students flocking to the North Campus to check out the first cut-off list finding that admission to the college or course of their choice was a distant dream. While a few missed their course by a whisker, others even with high aggregates of 80 per cent or more had to contend with the gloomy realisation that a seat in an on-campus college might well be beyond their reach.

"Even students who have scored an aggregate of 90 per cent are not getting a seat in the Commerce stream. So where will I go with 83 per cent?'' asked Richa Bajaj who wanted to get into Ramjas College.

With the Commerce cut-off marks skyrocketing this year, students aspiring for an Honours course found that they could be out of the race for a seat in one of the reputed colleges on the North Campus. The cut-off marks required for just B.Com. almost touched 90 per cent in several colleges. And even the few who did manage to get into the college of their choice realised that even with an above 92 per cent aggregate, it was certainly not lonely at the top.

"I got Economic (Honours) at Shri Ram College of Commerce, but my name was 147th on the list. There were still 80 to 90 people ahead of me who had scored more. The competition this time is very tough and for an average student with even 90 per cent it is not easy to find a place,'' said Rakshita Swamy who topped in Sanskriti School with 95.5 per cent.

One of the very few who got a chance to choose the college of her choice, Rakshita has decided to opt for Lady Shri Ram on the South Campus instead. But for many others, choosing the college was not even a possibility.

"It is better not to even go to the colleges to see the cut-off marks. They are sky-high. My daughter has got 88 per cent, which is a good aggregate, but she can't get the course of her choice. There is something wrong with the system. Teachers are being too liberal. How can a student get 100 per cent in English? It is not possible!'' said R. Natarajan, a parent.

Not restricted only to the Commerce stream, the cut-off blues seemed a universal feeling across the campus. Coming from Asansol in West Bengal, Shubhrojit Basar -- who wanted to get Mathematics (Honours) at Hindu College -- found that a 90.6 per cent aggregate and a 100 per cent in the subject was not enough to guarantee a seat. "I have got Statistics (Honours) at Hindu College. But I want Mathematics, which I have missed by 1.4 per cent. People say the cut-off marks will go down in the second list, but I have to go back and can't really wait.''

Facing a similar problem, Niti -- who had come with her parents to see whether she qualified for English (Honours) at Hindu College -- found that she had not cleared the cut-off marks for the entrance test. "At least I know what the cut-off marks for the entrance test at Hindu College are. But at LSR, I found lack of transparency. I took the test and while I met the aggregate cut-off at 81 per cent, they didn't tell me what I scored or was required to score to get in,'' she rued.

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