Much hyped “online application system” for admissions in Delhi University failed to live up to expectations as its website crashed this year too. This failure led to much inconvenience to students who rushed to various admission centres in anxiety. As the portal received massive traffic a day before the admissions were to begin, it collapsed. The system worked for a few hours on Monday morning and again slowed down during the day. Several students said that the online application system was too uncertain and they rather decided not to take the risk.
Hence, admission centres at the North and South Campus were flocked with students and parents from all over the country as the website stopped working. However, the maximum rush came in only after 11 am when the DU website stopped loading. Jasleen Nayer, a student filling the form at Hansraj College said, “I can’t rely on the online form because if the connectivity is low or the website crashes, I may not be able to apply again. It is always better to come to the centre and give the form by hand.” Another student at Daulat Ram College said, “The online process is very slow and uncertain. Sometimes it shows that the form is submitted but it doesn’t submit. It’s better to stay away from this uncertainty.”
Many students also felt that the online procedure is more tedious. Sachin Yadav at Gargi College said, “There are too many technicalities in the procedure and the guidelines are also not clear. Once you mark something and submit it, it can’t be withdrawn also. At centres we get assistance also so that we don’t make mistakes. This is a more foolproof method and we feel satisfied.”
Meanwhile, several students had come to centres to fill forms to get exposure to the university. “I had never visited the university campus earlier. So I wanted to come personally and take a look. I now have an idea of the crowd and the area,” said Vidya Anant at SGTB Khalsa College. The online application procedure began midnight and received good response but it crashed in the morning. University officials said that they had resolved the issue but students who didn’t manage collecting forms on Monday were not keen to go online. “I will bring my daughter back tomorrow and fill the form but we will not go online,” stated a parent outside Hansraj College.