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FYJC admission: Tips for applicants
A few years ago, admissions for first year junior college, as most of us remember, were a total nightmare. Standing in long queues, waiting for your turn outside a prospective college, hoping to make it to the counter on time, not to forget, protecting those mandatory documents under that umbrella during the monsoon season was once a usual sight.
Well, not any more. With FYJC admissions turning online, a lot of students including parents have heaved a sigh of relief.
Convenience at the click of a button
Says Adarsh Rajan, a student who scored 92.36 percent this year, "I am so glad I don't have to personally visit all the colleges to fill my application. The online process saves us a lot of time and energy."
Explaining the online procedure at length, a confident Divya Sharma from Malad who scored 93 percent says, "The whole process is divided into three stages. While the first stage involves filling up all your personal details including family, reservation category, choice of stream, you can keep them filled and take a print out of the same for your reference.
The second stage is to provide all the relevant mandatory documents like caste certificate, sports/NCC certificates, etc for attestation, as required.
The third stage is where you fill up the preference of colleges besides entering down your subject scores.
The online admission system actually begins processing your data post 11 am every day till July 2, viz the last day for filling up forms online. In case you do not have an internet connection you have the option of taking the help of your teachers at school. At the same time, the Board has also set up Guidance Centres in every ward to help students resolve queries regarding filling up forms."
Better choices compared to last year
Although the system came to function last year, a lot of students had trouble getting admission to the college of their choice, thanks to the restricted availability of options. While last year, students could choose up to 10 probable colleges, the number has been increased to a minimum of 15 this year.
Entering the choice of colleges is divided into three categories the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) where you can apply to any of the listed colleges across Mumbai irrespective of your current ward and zone of residence. This choice is limited to a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 30 colleges. In the second category, i.e. the Zone category, the colleges in Mumbai are divided on the basis of the wards they are located in namely, East, West, North and West. The choice of colleges in the Zone category is limited to 10. In the third category, students can choose colleges Ward-wise, which gives them the probability of getting admitted to colleges that are closer to their area of residence.
Adarsh Rajan further explains the feasibility of getting the best out of the new settings. "Since we have limited options, it is advisable to choose our options wisely. Last year, we were told that a lot of students faced problems because they had limited options. So, ideally students, especially those who have scored less should apply only to the most probable colleges in the first 15 options so that they do not end up wasting their options."
Cut-off lists
While the last year cut off list of all the colleges in Mumbai are already provided in the prospectus provided by the Board, which is available for Rs 150, considering the 100 percent performance results of students this year, students have good reasons to be worried.
Says Sonit Sharma who scored 67 percent, "Going by my score, I would rather apply to nearby colleges so that I at least have some probability of making through the first list than applying to city colleges that have higher cut-offs."
Sandhya Radhakrishnan who scored 91 percent prefers to opt for Science. She has a word of caution for her friends, "For your junior college, it is preferable to choose colleges in your vicinity so that you do not spend a lot of time in traveling."
Agrees Divya Sharma who adds, "Since most of us will have to attend coaching classes after college, choosing colleges closer to home will also help us save a lot of time. We could use that time to study, finish journals etc."
While the cut-off lists for some of the leading town side colleges like Ruia, Ruparel, SIES, KJ Somaiya, Sathye and Mithibai offering science soared above 90 percent last year in the third list, the cut-off is expected to be about the same this year too.
Similarly, among the leading city colleges for Commerce including HR College, Poddar, Narsee Monjee, LS Raheja and Mulund College of Commerce have also remained above 80 percent.
The leading colleges for Arts include St Xaviers, Ramnarain Ruia, Jai Hind, Sophia College and Wilson College.
The online admission process that commences today will continue upto July 2. Meanwhile, the first cut-off list is expected to be out by July 11, followed by the second on July 18 and the third on July 22.
Tips for applicants
- Keep all your relevant documents ready before you start filling up the application form.
- If you are not sure of the information asked, kindly consult an adult.
- Do not enter incorrect information.
- Confirm your options before you save the page.
- Ideally, take the help of an elder while filling up the form.
- Choose your options wisely.
- Choose colleges where your probability of making it to the first list is maximum.
- Students opting for Science should choose colleges closer to home to avoid traveling time.
Do you know what the college cut-offs are in your city?
What is the cut-off for the first list in Chennai's best science college? Or the arts cut-off in Bangalore's top colleges?
If you have information on this year's college admissions, simply fill in the form below. The information you share just might help students gain admission into their dream college. (note: e-mail addresses will not be disclosed.)