Colleges justify 100% cut-off norm
Shri Ram College for Commerce (SRCC) and Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) have set impossible targets for some students in the first cut-off list this year, literally.
Shri Ram College for Commerce (SRCC) and Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) have set impossible targets for some students in the first cut-off list this year, literally.
SRCC requires a 100% best of four percentage from non-commerce students for admission to B.Com (honours). LSR has the same requirement from commerce students who want admission in Psychology (honours).
But students who can meet this criterion do not exist as far as those who took the CBSE and ISC exams are concerned. The best of four percentage must also include one language.
While this is English in LSR, it can be either Hindi or English in SRCC. Out of the 7,69,929 students who gave CBSE boards this year, no one scored a perfect score in either of the two languages.
At SRCC on Wednesday, a student from Chennai, whose best of four percentage was 99.25%, was the highest scorer seeking admission. But colleges don’t think this criterion is too stringent. “The strategy is to rule out students as we have a limited number of seats and a lot of aspirants who are keen on taking admission.
This percentage is just for non-commerce students,” said PC Jain, principal SRCC.
Unless a student has scored a perfect ton in either of the two languages in any state board, no seats will be filled under this category. The students who are manning the admission help desk are also sceptical about meeting any such student. But that does not guarantee that SRCC will come out with a second cut-off list. Since the cut-off for commerce students is 96%, there are chances that the college won’t come out with a second list.
At LSR, including English in your best of four subjects is mandatory. So no student, who has studied in CBSE or ISC board, will be able to meet the stringent 100% cut-off for commerce students.
“Psychology is a very niche course and we do not get many commerce students as it is. Those who score such good marks in commerce take up courses such as B.Com. and Economics,” said Ujjaini Ray, media coordinator, LSR.
“It is imperative that students learn to give a preference to course over college. There is a race to get into a college like LSR for the status value, but that is unfair to those genuinely interested. The 100% cut off mark for psychology is to deter commerce students who consider course as a secondary option,” Ray added.
Topper speak
‘Target of 100% is very irrational’
“With such stringent admission criteria for non-commerce students, even I would have failed to secure admission in B.Com. (honours) in SRCC. It was actually my back-up option,” said Dravyansh Sharma, the all-India CBSE topper, whose best of four percentage is 99%.
Sharma got the first rank in CBSE class 12 board exams and also got the first rank in IIT in the Delhi region. “This target of 100% is very irrational as it is almost impossible to get 100 marks in a language,” said Sharma, who lives in Ghaziabad and studied at Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad.
‘These are unrealistic expectations’
“Though I have scored a perfect 100 in Physics Chemistry and Mathematics, I would not have got admission in B.Com. (honours) at SRCC. These are unrealistic expectations as no one gets 100% in all subjects,” said Nishtha Midha, whose best of four percentage is 98.75%.
She is planning to pursue Economics (honours) from SRCC. Midha is the only student in the country to get 100% in Physics- Chemistry-Maths in the CBSE class 12 board exams. Her score in English is 95%. Midha, however, is lucky as getting admission in Economics (honours) at SRCC is easier for science students as they need to score 96.25%.