Taking the first step towards journalism

Admission to the Journalism (Honours) course can prove to be a tough nut to crack. However, taking the test could be easier if you know what to expect.

The focus on the queen’s language is important. Apart from the regular cut-off, three colleges (Kalindi College, Lady Shri Ram College and Delhi College of Arts and Commerce) out of the five offering English Journalism (Honours) course also expect applicants to have a certain minimum percentage in English to be eligible for the entrance test.

The other two — Maharaja Agrasen College and Kamla Nehru College — require candidates to have secured a minimum best-of-four percentage of 55 and 75 (including English), respectively.

“The language section is designed to assess the candidate’s grammar and writing ability. To judge the student on the latter, there will be questions requiring him/her to write feature or news reports,” said Mona Sinha, member of the journalism coordination committee, Maharaja Agrasen College.

While the examinee is not expected to be an expert in a particular field, he/she should know what’s happening in the civil society and in politics. “Those who qualify are those who have been following current affairs right after their board exams,” said Ruchi Tyagi, a lecturer in Kalindi College. Candidates are also judged on how well they understand contemporary debates.

(With inputs from Shreya Mukherjee)