© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
CUET-UG 2023: Deeksha Chaudhary from Darbhanga, Bihar was always interested in humanities-related subjects. In Class 10, she got to know that the University of Delhi is one of the best places in the country to pursue humanities at the undergraduate level and since then, aimed for a seat in the top college.
She is currently pursuing BA (Hons) Political Science from Miranda House, Delhi University. She secured 800 out of 800 in Common University Entrance Test (CUET) UG 2022. She appeared for English, Economics, Political Science and History papers and secured full marks in them. She shared her preparation tips and tricks with indianexpress.com.
Why did I choose Political Science?
I chose Political Science as I feel it is involved in our everyday lives and we should know about it— how the government functions, understanding and analysing a situation and more. I also have a keen interest in international relations and how countries act as individuals. I like how Political Science inculcates aspects of history, sociology and human psychology in it.
My first reaction when I heard about CUET
When I first heard about CUET, I was anxious. There were too many things that were going on for students of my batch — the pandemic, the board pattern and in addition to it, CUET was announced.
However, I calmed myself down and worked and decided to focus on one thing at a time. I first paid attention to my boards. Then, when the CUET pattern arrived, I charted out a plan. I saw the syllabus and realised I didn’t need any coaching for it. So, I structured everything for myself. I made sure to go through the NCERT thoroughly and practiced mock tests. I tried the mock tests from the CUET website, but they were full of glitches and did not open in the first place. So, I practiced mock tests from a website named, Educart.
My CUET experience
I feel the pattern and syllabus of CUET UG are very inclusive and are for everyone. The questions are not very complicated and I don’t think coaching is needed for it.
The one thing that I would like to change is the fact that there are multiple technical glitches and sometimes the difference between the number of days between two papers is a lot. My first and second papers were almost a month apart and during that period I was very anxious. In fact, during my second paper, there were technical glitches and all the questions and options disappeared from the machine. Thankfully, the paper was later cancelled.
Taking care of your mental health
One thing that I realised during my preparation period is, keeping a check on your mental health is important and performing under immense amounts of stress or pressure is often counterproductive. I am glad that my family did not put any pressure on me and my peers too, were very supportive. I realised that exams are not the end of the world.
My life at Delhi University
The college, my peers and batchmates all are extremely nice and supportive. There is no bitter competition, no negativity and such an environment harbours positivity and boosts confidence.
But, the level of study is completely different and so is transitioning from school to college. And, since last year everything started late, we did not have enough breaks in the whole year.
My advice for students
Stick to NCERT and thoroughly read everything carefully and try to do it multiple times. Keep your mental health in check, do not isolate yourself, understand that pressure is counterproductive. Also, I feel if a person uses too many sources it only tends to confuse the person.
