This week, students seeking admission to Delhi University and falling under the category of suave debater, articulate actor, athletically talented or good performer in any other non-academic activity will have to remain on the alert. For now they will be able to put to good use their performances in these activities over the past three years of school as most colleges will be out with their application forms for admissions under the extra-curricular activity and sports quota, where the university allows a cut of 15 per cent from the normal cut-offs for admission.
“Here it is left to the college, if they need a basket-ball player, they will take a basket-ball player and if they need a dancer, they will take a dancer,” said Deputy Dean Students’ Welfare Gulshan Sawhney. He added that apart from setting the quota and cut-off relaxation, the university was out of it.
“A total five per cent quota is allowed for both sports and ECA together and within this the colleges are allowed to divide them in whichever way they want to or they can do away with it altogether,” he added.
“We have no ECA quota but we have already started the application process for our sports quota,” said Shri Ram College of Commerce principal P. C. Jain. The college has openings in swimming, badminton, table-tennis, chess, hockey and football. St. Stephen’s College has about 20 seats in the sports quota and Hans Raj College will start selling forms from Monday onwards, and will notify the date, time and venue for the trials on June 25.
Hindu College has already started the application process and the last date is June 26; they have openings in basket ball, cricket, lawn tennis and swimming.
Last date for applying to Ramjas College is June 19 and the date of the trials are also out; there are openings in archery, judo, volleyball and some other sports as well as a variety of activities under the ECA.
“A college does not have to slash its cut-offs by 15 per cent but they are not allowed to slash more either,” said Dr. Sawhney.
The candidates are chosen based on trials held by the college itself and his certificates. A physical endurance test is also necessary but according to the sports admissions guidelines released by the university this year, if a student takes a test in one college, then he or she should not be made to do the test again. Colleges will also have to video-graph the trials this year. Most colleges give the student only one chance at the trials but plenty of time to be mentally prepared.
As regards certificates, the higher the authority issuing the certificate the better the chances a student has to clinch the seat -- despite most colleges keeping it 75 per cent weightage for trials and 25 per cent for certificates. An international player will have higher chances of being chosen followed by national, district, zonal and school level. To be eligible to apply in this quota one needs to have been active in the sport for the past three consecutive years.
The amount of weightage or the selection basis is also college specific. St. Stephen’s, which has its own admission procedure set apart from the university, places 60 per cent on certificates and field trials together, 25 per cent on Class XII marks and 15 per cent on the interview.
Each college has its own sports and ECA admission committee and the trials for both sports and ECA are usually overseen by experts from the field although the university has not issued any guidelines to this effect this year.
There is also a separate ECA admission committee for every college that oversees the trials with significant representation of experts from the field of theatre, dance, music and other arts.
Some colleges will hold trials at a much later stage. “We will start our trials for music, dancing, painting and other ECA activities during the first week of July,” said Lady Shri Ram College spokesperson Dr. Kannika.
