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Case Study: Kangana is confused about the course she wants to choose as a major in college. A humanities student, she has given the CUET and is awaiting the admissions process. She thought of pursuing political science, but her school did not offer the course in her high school and now she is feeling stuck at college. She is wondering if she can pursue political science as a minor at the undergraduate level. She is confused and lost. There are many of you like Kangana who are confused as to what next and simply take one step at a time. But knowing your options well beforehand can help make right decisions.
Humanities is a vast subject area and there are many options and courses available for a student to choose from. The popularly known as the Bachelor of Arts or BA course is offered at various state and Central universities. However, universities like Delhi University offer you a great deal of flexibility in the courses that you can opt for. Similar courses are offered in other universities like the Liberal Arts programme at Ashoka University. Having many choices is great but sometimes, it makes the task of choosing the right options more difficult at times. So, how to select your majors or subjects you want to specialise in? How to select the minor subjects or the ones you study to broaden your horizons or scope of understanding?
A Major is a subject you choose to specialise in. You would take more papers and need to earn more credits to major in a subject. A Minor is a secondary specialisation and helps you expand your interest and possible scope for the future. You do fewer courses to earn credits for a minor in comparison to a major. Humanities offers an array of courses that you can major in. These include languages, economics, political sciences, anthropology, sociology, statistics, computer applications, sociology etc.
The National Education Policy (NEP) guidelines facilitate a student to major in any subject that they are already familiar with, and to pursue even a new subject as a minor. For instance, if a student has studied political science in Class XI and XII and gives the CUET, they can opt for a major in political science. They can also opt for it, if they are keen and give the CUET for political science even if they have not pursued the subject at school. The key is that you need to be familiar with the subject to commit it as your major specialisation and this could be either through your school curriculum or through the CUET exam.
As per the NEP guidelines you may opt for a Minor that you may not be familiar with at all in school. For instance, a student who majors in psychology can opt for a minor specialisation in economics even if they have not studied economics earlier. However, at some universities, like Ashoka, you need to have a good Maths background to pursue economics as a Major or Minor subject. The advantage of a minor specialisation lies in expanding the scope for future studies.
Core subjects are compulsory papers that all students pursuing a specific Major need to complete. These are subjects specific and vary as per the subjects you have opted for.
Electives are optional or subjects based on your choice and preferences. A college or university will offer you a pool of electives to choose from for each semester. Some of these electives may be related to your major or discipline, and some may be interdisciplinary or skill based.
The basic question remains; how do you choose a subject as a Major specialisation? Shared below are a few questions you could reflect on before you choose your college major.
Does the subject hold your interest?
Do you want to carve a career in this subject?
Can you see a further study plan, or a career path based on your college major?
What is your assessment of the difficulty level of the course? If it is moderate and not too high, is it usually a good choice for you?
Which colleges offer the major specialisation you are looking for? How is the college atmosphere, logistics, teaching philosophy etc?
What is the feedback of seniors from this course?
It would help for you to note down your answers to the above questions and reflect on the same before you finalise your major.
A related question is, how do you choose a subject as a Minor specialisation? Shared below are a few tips and questions for you to reflect on:
What are the merits of this minor subject? Is it a likely second career or course choice?
What is your feedback from seniors or batchmates who pursued this minor course earlier?
What is the overall load of this minor course in terms of credits, course work?
Is it being offered in your college of choice? If not, which are the colleges or centres for study that you need to visit to pursue the minor subjects?
The choice of courses available and the flexibility it provides varies from one university to another and from a private to a government university too. Shared below are some guidelines or information pertaining to a government university like Delhi University.
As per the revised NEP guidelines, a college can offer several courses as electives or minors for students based on their departments or teaching competencies. However, students can choose a minor that may be offered in a different college too. This provision is being made available in Delhi university and is likely to be available in other colleges too. However, how these will be implemented is yet to be seen. Very often students prefer to stick with minor subjects offered in their parent college as it makes the process less cumbersome. Different subject combinations can empower you with a great degree of flexibility, allowing courses of your choice. The challenges lie in implementation, scheduling, and provision of competent faculty for the courses.
The guidelines for subject combinations offered and electives are different for private universities. For example, the Integrated Arts programme at Ashoka has a compulsory foundation course that includes a mix of arts, maths, and science subjects. These courses are common for all students and the objective is to help students acquire a broad understanding of many different courses.
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Thereafter, all disciplines offer elective courses that are available to students of other departments. The choice of electives is shared every semester and students opt for courses based on their interest, study load and possible future prospects.
Students who want to major or minor in Economics are encouraged to study Maths in Class XI and XII in school. Alternatively, they are asked to take Maths Aptitude tests and score well in the same.
Students can opt for both Science and Liberal arts courses as their minor specialisations and accumulate the credits they need for the liberal arts degree. An additional fourth year is offered for those interested in research and academic writing.
Universities like Krea University offer Joint Major courses in subjects like History and Politics, Economics and Environmental Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts etc. They also offer an undergraduate course with a major in Social Studies that covers a broad range of topics in Humanities.
Most private universities have dedicated professionals helping students make choices amongst their major subjects and minor subjects over the period of three years. Students are advised to consult their academic supervisors or counsellors to gain a better understanding of the courses offered and how they may help them in the future.
As a student, you are in the most exciting times in history where you can choose from a wide variety of courses, electives, and skills enhancement courses. This provides a complex and integrated structure for you to flexibly take your career in different directions. The challenges lie in understanding yourself, your needs, interests, aspirations, and work stamina so you can choose a combination that weaves magic into your life and work.
Take for instance Raunak, a student of BA in Sanskrit and is one of the few students who is majoring in Sanskrit and considering a minor in Psychology. He is facing a bit of resistance at his unconventional request; however, he is keen to try and attend classes for both even if they are conducted in different colleges. In case he is unable to take Psychology, his second preference is Computer Science or Technology for a minor course.
So, keep reflecting on what you would like to do, learn, and become. Experiment and attend a few classes to see if your choice of minors aligns with your perspective. Make sure your major subject is something you are familiar with or have studied before. Choose with a calm mind and allow the freedom of choice to become a boon!
The author is a Career and Life Coach who works with teens, adults and returning professionals to help them find alignment in their careers and lives. After working for over two decades, she founded LifeVidya in 2019 and has worked with hundreds of students, professionals, and women. She can be reached at www.lifevidya.in.
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The tentative admission schedule for UG and Diploma Programmes of IGNTU, session 2024 is
1.Online Registration Start from 05-August-2024 to 25- August -2024
2.Declaration of the First Counselling List (Tentative) 28- August -2024
3.Date of Counselling and Document Verification in the respective Department (offline mode):
03 September 2024 – 04 September 2024
4.Declaration of the Selection list :7 September 2024
5.Deposition of the Admission fee by
the selected candidate :08 September 2024 to 11 September 2024
Hello aspirant,
Congratulations on scoring 308 in the CUET UG 2024 exam!
This is a good score and opens up several options for you in BA programs.
Explore different BA programs offered by various universities. Consider your interests and career goals to choose the right specialization. Each university has specific eligibility requirements, including minimum CUET scores. Ensure your score meets the criteria of your preferred colleges.
While your score is a crucial factor, other elements also influence your admission chances:
University Preferences: Different universities have varying admission criteria, including weightage given to CUET scores, board marks, and other factors.
Course Popularity: Highly sought-after programs often have higher cut-offs.
Reservations and Quotas: If you belong to a reserved category, it might influence your eligibility.
Additional Entrance Tests:
Some universities might conduct their own tests, which can impact your final selection.
Here are some tips that can help you to increase your chances:
Aim for Universities with Lower Cut-Offs:
Consider universities where your score aligns well with their previous year's cut-offs.
Apply to Multiple Universities: Increase your chances of admission by applying to several institutions.
Highlight Extracurricular Activities: A strong academic record combined with extracurricular achievements can enhance your profile.
Prepare for Interviews:
If required, practice your communication and interview skills.
For more information you can click on the college predictor link attached below.
https://university.careers360.com/cuet-college-predictor
Hello,
With a CUET UG 2024 score of 452, your chances of getting into top B.Tech programs in Computer Science Engineering (CSE), Information Technology (IT), or Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AIML) will depend on the cut-offs for each college and the competition that year. While specific cut-offs can vary, here are some colleges that you could consider based on your score and preferences:
Delhi Technological University (DTU)
Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT)
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI)
Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT Delhi)
Lovely Professional University (LPU)
Amity University
Galgotias University
SRM University
Sharda University
VIT Vellore (Vellore Institute of Technology)
Make sure to stay updated on the latest cut-offs and admission procedures for each university to maximize your chances of securing a spot in your desired program.
Hope it helps !
Hello Krish,
With a CUET score of 522 and belonging to the SC category, you have a good chance of securing admission to some reputed colleges for B.Com (Hons). Here are some suggestions for colleges that you might consider applying to:
Delhi University Colleges:
Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC)
One of the most prestigious colleges for commerce in India.
Hansraj College
Known for its excellent faculty and infrastructure.
Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Offers good placement opportunities and has a strong commerce program.
Hindu College
Well-regarded for its academic environment and overall development.
Kirori Mal College
Offers good courses with ample extracurricular opportunities.
Other Universities and Colleges:
Christ University, Bangalore
Well-known for its commerce programs and vibrant campus life.
Loyola College, Chennai
Offers a strong commerce program with good faculty and resources.
St. Xaviers College, Kolkata
Renowned for its academic excellence and strong alumni network.
Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai
Offers excellent commerce programs with good placement records.
Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune
Known for its quality education and diverse campus environment.
Hello ayush hope you are doing well
BSc is a future oriented course which emphasis on research as well as teaching oriented degree It gives you a depth on that subject But it depends on your future what you want to do. Btech is industry based course and Bsc is a research based academic degree and NEET is a entry level of professional course If you have enough courage to take a drop and crack any entrance of Engineering or neet for good colleges then you can drop a year. But firstly make sure that your drop year should be worth enough in future.it totally depends on you how you are going to spend your coming year.
If you are not sure about any of these courses and want to take admission this year go for bachelor in science in private universities as they still open their admission process.
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