NEW DELHI:
Delhi University’s first cutoff list is just around the corner and students’ questions on which subjects to include in the best of four (BFS) are already becoming pointed. They want to know the deductions in case they include vocational subjects in BFS.
Understanding how to calculate BFS could actually be a headache for
college
aspirants at this time. However, it is more important for those students who have just cleared Class X as they need to choose a stream with subjects that can maximise their aggregate percentage to reach a higher cutoff when they apply to colleges in a couple of years.
In schools across Delhi, most Class X students opt for either science or commerce streams. Many schools have over six sections for these
streams
, as against only two for humanities. However, during college admissions many students from science and commerce go on to pursue humanities. This leads to deductions in their BFS calculation.
“While opting for vocational subjects like fashion technology or NCC, which can result in deductions while applying at Delhi University, students should keep a Plan B ready. They can make the vocational subject a career option. Out of the five subjects opted for in Class XII, a student can experiment with two of them to explore their passion,” said Priyanka Mehta, principal of Amity International School, Mayur Vihar.
The BFS calculation is such that including subjects for commerce and arts degrees not listed by Delhi University will result in deductions. Candidates can be at an advantage if they choose relevant subjects for an honours course.
For science subjects, like BA(H) in physics, chemistry, maths, zoology, etc, only three subjects — physics, chemistry, maths or biology — will be required to calculate the aggregate. Along with this, a candidate must have scored at least 50% in one compulsory language, i.e. English.
For BCom(H), an applicant should have mandatorily studied and passed mathematics or business mathematics. BFS will be calculated with one subject from C1-Part1 list (English or Hindi) and three subjects from C1-Part2.
However, if the applicant uses a subject from list C2, a deduction of 1% will be made for each subject. Similarly, if a subject included in BFS is not listed in C1-Part2 or C2, every inclusion will call for a 2.5% deduction in the aggregate.
BFS for admission to honours courses of arts and humanities will include one language and three best subjects from List A.
The three subjects being picked need to be relevant to the course otherwise it will call for a 2.5% deduction for each subject not in the list.
For admission to BA(H) in journalism, mass media will be treated as an academic subject and not a vocational subject, so no deduction will be made. However, BFS will be calculated the same way as for other arts subjects.
For admission to language honours programmes, Delhi University grants a 2% advantage for having studied the language in school and including it in BFS.
An educationist and former principal of Laxman Public School, Usha Ram, said students should take vocational subjects seriously and pursue it after Class XII. “Most students opt for vocational subjects because they find them easier to study. But students shouldn’t choose them if they don’t intend to pursue them further as their hard work of two years will be of no relevance,” she added.
The university discourages change of stream from Class XII to college. Officials said this has been done because each programme is designed for students of that stream.