Different strokes

Even after the declaration of the class XII Boards result, there is no time for the students to rest.
Once the apprehensions regarding the results are put to rest, one gets involved in the tedious process of applying for the various courses, at different colleges of Delhi University (DU).
The admission to the majority of regular courses offered at DU is done on the basis of class XII marks.St Stephen’s College being an exception where interviews are conducted for admission to all the courses offered.
However, in past few years several colleges, including Hindu, Indraprastha College for Women, Lady Shri Ram and Gargi, have now made it mandatory to clear written test for seeking admission into BA (Hons) English, programme.
Priyanka Khaneja, who has recently cleared her class XII with 82 per cent from Little Angels school, Paschim Vihar says, "The whole system of having entrance test right after Boards is ridiculous. After the heavy pressure of Boards it is difficult to prepare for the entrance exam, with a vast syllabus."
However, Gurdesh Singh Bedi, fourth year student at All India Institute for Medical Sciences feels otherwise.
He says, "Entrance tests for professional courses like medical or engineering are necessary. An entrance exam tests the aptitude of a person in a particular discipline."
Satish Jaiswal, an eighth semester student at University College of Medical Sciences advocates for a system of common entrance test for the regular courses.
Jaiswal says, "Students applying to the DU come from different backgrounds and have passed out from different boards, which could be ICSE, CBSE, or their respective state board. It would be unfair to consider their marks on equal footing. We can have a subject wise common entrance test for admission to the centralised universities and students can be allotted colleges accordingly."
He adds that separate entrance would reduce the pressure of Boards and would provide a second chance to students to get into the discipline of their choice.
A XII class pass out from Faith Academy School, Chhavi Jaggarwal differs in her views. She says, "If we will have entrance tests for all courses then nobody will take the Board exams seriously. Moreover, students would have to appear for several entrance examinations as generally students apply for atleast three to four different courses for admission."
According to Bedi, entrance exam for regular courses can be considered, as there is not much of a difference in the syllabus for Boards and entrance exams.
He adds, "Ultimately it is the knowledge of the student which is put to test inboth the exams. Moreover, students who do well in their entrance are the ones who do well in their Boards as well."