First day of college: Delhi University new academic session begins today

NEW DELHI: The Delhi University (DU) campus was abuzz with activity on the first day of the academic session on Wednesday, with excitement as well as nervousness among students as they turned the page to a new chapter of their lives. The academic session for the first-year DU students began on Wednesday.

Many colleges held orientation programmes to apprise the new batch of students about the syllabi, the societies and the committees. Some of the students were thrilled while a few were nervous. Many of them were accompanied by their parents. Nehal, who got admission in History (Honours) at Ramjas College, was accompanied by her mother on her first day on the campus.

"Ramjas was not my first choice but I am not complaining as it is a good college. This is the first time I am visiting the DU campus. Some of my friends have also taken admission in the college. This would be a great experience," Nehal, who goes by her first name, said.

Garima Rajput from Haryana, who got admitted into the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), was elated and full of hope about her new journey. "This is a big day for me. I will be pursuing B.Com Honours. The college is well known. The campus is beautiful," she said.

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"We have to submit the documents on the first day of college and then there is the orientation programme. I do not think there would be any classes on the first day," Rajput said.

The colleges were decked up with posters welcoming the freshers. The members of student organisations, such as the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), were seen assisting the new students. Nehal and Rajput are among the thousands of students who got admitted to the DU on the basis of their Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores.

"We woke up at 4 am and prepared the posters. We have put up help desks in every college," said the ABVP's Ramjas College unit president Shivam Tiwari. "We decorated the colleges with flowers and rangoli as we wanted to extend a grand welcome to the freshers," he said.

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"We are helping all the freshers. Our volunteers are guiding them if they face any problem," said KYS activist Ambuj. Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) welcomed the new students with flowers and chocolates. "Students should not feel they are coming to an alien environment. Delhi University is a big family and we, as seniors, welcomed all the first-year students," said NSUI leader Lokesh Chugh.

Though admissions to 70,000 seats in various DU colleges are still underway, the academic year for the first-semester students commenced on Wednesday. Talking to PTI on Tuesday, DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh had said the university was all set for the start of the new academic year and arrangements were made to ensure the availability of all the facilities for the students.

"We are all set to hold classes for the first-year students. This year, we have conducted admissions through the CUET and are implementing the National Education Policy. It is a different policy and the students will have more flexibility," Singh said. From this academic year, the DU is implementing the NEP and the four-year undergraduate programme.