U FRESHERS STRUCK BY AM STRESS!

Voluminous syllabus and last-minute datesheet announcements have cranked up the stress levels of first-year students

ast-minute datesheet, truck loads of syllabus, surprise practicals and more have left the first-year students of Delhi University gasping for breath as they appear for their first physical exams on campus.

“This is the first offline exam since Covid came in our lives. School exams bhi online huye thhe, and the new National Education Policy hasn’t been helpful for us because its implementation has reduced our usual six month duration of the semester to three months,” says Vanshika, a first-year student of BA (Prog) at Mata Sundri College for Women, adding, “I was in shock when our classes were suddenly dispersed in February as the semester was declared complete. My batch felt it was quite abrupt as our syllabus was not yet complete. I have already attempted two exams, but I still feel unsettled and hope ki bas pass ho jaun!”

Many of the freshmen were still enjoying their cultural fests when they got a shocker of practicals. “I got to know about my written exam datesheet on February 16, which mentioned that the tests begin from submitted within a day. Abhi toh humara syllabus hi pura nahin hua, exams kab aa gaye?” Some students reveal that they haven’t been too lucky on the faculty front as well. “A new teacher joined to teach us Business Organisation in February, and left within two or three days. We never saw her replacement, but exams toh rukte nahi hai na,” says a student of Rajdhani College on the condition of anonymity.

February 28. It immediately made me anxious, and then to top it all, we were asked to appear for our practical exams from February 21! I have had no time to prepare for anything properly,” says Girisha Thakral, a first-year student of BSc Home Science (Pass) at Lady Irwin College.

Sharing a similar distress is Manya Das, a first-year BA (Prog) student of Maitreyi College. She says, “Initially, the datesheet didn’t look so bad until we were bombed with the new assignments that needed to be