JOIN USStudents seeking admission at Delhi University under the extra-curricular activities (ECA) category this year are in a predicament this year.
Selection trials for different activities are being scheduled in venues far away from one other, forcing applicants interested in more than one field to skip some.
Students get a relaxation of up to 15 per cent in the best of four aggregate if they are selected under the ECA category – which includes activities like dance, music and fine arts.
Vidushi Chhabra, 17, had to skip her Creative Writing trials at Gargi College on Monday as she also had to attend Theatre trials at Hansraj College.
She said even on Wednesday she will have to skip a trial, as one of them is at Khalsa and the other at Hansraj.
“We have to be at the venue from 9.30 am onwards and our name can be called out any time till 1.30 pm. In such a case, I cannot register at two places even if they are in close vicinity,” she said.
For her theatre trial on Monday at Hansraj, she waited till 1.30 pm for her turn to perform. But the judges let her go as they had already seen her at another college.
Chhabra has already got admission through the ECA quota at Jesus and Mary College, which conducts its trials separately from other colleges that come under the university.
This year all ECA trials are centralised. Up to last year, every college held its own ECA trials. Now, the students cannot pick the college for which they want to be considered. And there is only one venue for one activity – for all applicants.
So this year Chhabra cannot choose her own college as the university will allot her marks out of 15 for ECA, and give her a college where she fits the cut-off based on class 12 marks.
Chhabra, who is interested in theatre and wants to study English (Hons), said, “I know that English (Hons) in JMC is not bad. But their theatre society is not as good as in LSR or Kirori Mal College. If I get in either of these then I’d be the most happy.”
Udbhav (name changed on request) is interested in two ECA trials, for Creative Writing and Photography. He has already given his preliminary trials but according to the schedule, his final trial for both the activities is on the same day, July 15.
But Bhakti Gandhi seems satisfied with her ECA trials.
“I took part in Indian Classical Dance which was held at Keshav Mahavidyala. It is difficult to get ready in classical dance clothes every other day for every trial. I thought that the centralised trials were good for me. I had to prepare only once,” said Gandhi.
The final list of candidates selected from the trials will be uploaded on website on July 19.