E-Paper
The time for change is here
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) offers courses in social work and allied areas
The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) vow to fight corruption resulted in their impressive debut in the recent Delhi Assembly elections. What struck a chord with the Delhi voters is that AAP members include young people who are willing to do community service and work on socio-economic issues. Students from various streams are opting for disciplines in the social sciences to work for such causes. The Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) attracts many such youngsters who are willing to make a difference.
TISS, one of the best schools in the country for courses in social work and other allied areas, offers a wide range of programmes in inter-disciplinary areas of social science. Established in 1936, it has campuses in Mumbai, Tuljapur, Guwahati and Hyderabad.
Students join TISS after clearing the computer-based national entrance test (TISS-NET). This year, it will be held on December 22, 2013, in 35 centres across the country. “The 100-minute objective type test will have 100 questions related to general knowledge (30 questions), mathematical ability and logical reasoning (35 questions), and English proficiency (35 questions). The test is conducted for admission to all 45 programmes of the institute in areas of social work, health, management, development, habitat and climate sciences,” says Momin Mustafa, assistant registrar, academic division, TISS, Mumbai. There is no negative marking.
Aspirants are expected to have a fair knowledge of social issues as this will give them an edge in the test as well as the interview. “This year’s test will be common for all courses and students from all streams are likely to appear for the test. A good grip on general knowledge helps. It is also important to develop a critical analysis. Take as many online mock tests as possible and attempt the GK section first,” says Shraddha Pant, who is pursuing master’s in social work and public health at TISS, Mumbai.
Sharing her tips with aspirants, Ambareen Abdullah, who is pursuing her master’s in social work and mental health, says, “Practise a lot of unsolved questions and develop your own strategy to solve them in maths and logical reasoning. Social media, especially Facebook, played a major role in my preparation as it kept me updated on social issues through posts. For the subjective part, make sure you express your opinion.”
“The aspirant should be passionate about bringing in positive changes to the society and must come up with innovative ideas,” says Rajesh Kumar Dandi, another student.
