Delhi: The University of Delhi released its first cut-off list for admission on June 25, with popular courses like economics and English falling in the range of 95-98%, not just at popular colleges such as Kirori Mal College and Hans Raj College but also at certain off-campus colleges. While some were relieved at making the cut on the first day itself, many had come to visit the campus for a flavour of how the process worked and consult teachers on the possible drop in the second list. Given DU's popularity beyond Delhi, many students from outside the Capital could be seen with their parents. Ananya Singh from Allahabad came to Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) but was disappointed with the 98% bar for economics. She had scored 94%. "I was hoping to have a word with the faculty but no one was available," said Singh. Many were fascinated by various college societies and the exposure they offered.Shama Khan, a humanities student who scored 92%, qualified for the history programme at Daulat Ram College where the cut-off was 92.75%. "I am glad I managed to make it because I wanted to study in a women's college. Moreover, I have heard a lot about the societies at the college," she said. "I want to join the environ ment society and the Gandhi study circle."

Some of those who could not meet the first cut-off started turning to alternatives. Yogita Kanoujia was not hopeful of the cut-off dipping to 90%, which was her score. "While the first cut-off was high, I am not sure if there will be a substantial drop in the subsequent lists, so I am planning to enrol for a course at Ambedkar University," she said. St Stephen's College's undergraduate admissions process has always been different though this year, it added an aptitude test. While earlier class XII marks and the interview were weighed to assess candidature, this year, students wrote a short aptitude test on the day of the interview.Even though a basic outline of the test content was given on the college's website, many students were apprehensive about what lay in store as they had no precedent for reference.

The test papers were evaluated on the spot and soon after interviews took place. The 30-minute aptitude test contained multiplechoice based questions based on class XI and XII curricula. For various BA programmes, candidates were required to write a 200-word short essay on social and economic issues. The questions mostly tested students' fundamental knowledge of the subject and their ability to apply the same. to apply the sam "The interview and aptitude test were easy with maths-related questions focusing on calculus and sets," said Sibya Wandren, who had applied for the economics programme.Thomas Francis who had applied for the physics programme found the test to be easy but was concerned about his interview. "The interview was slightly hard because I was asked to draw some tough graphs of physics, but I am hoping for the best because my test was good," he said.