With admissions now open in the biggest central university of the country, a brand new generation of college-going students will have its first brush with higher education. Although the process has been rendered substantially user-friendly, with centrally accepted optical mark recognition forms being submitted online, there would always be the mad rush to make it to the coveted college and the desired subject. Prospective students, having barely recovered from the euphoria or disappointment of their Class XII results, whichever be the case, must now streamline their options and systematically scan the range of possibilities that can be taken up in the colleges of their choice. Given the trend of exponentially high cut-off list seen over the past few years, the anxieties and apprehensions of the students and their equally distraught parents aren’t likely to go away any time soon. Moreover, with the fate of the contentious Four Year Undergraduate Programme now hanging in balance and the DU vice chancellor locked in a proxy battle with the new HRD minister, it is only logical to conclude that the student community, as well as their guardians, is more than a trifle uncertain about their future at the varsity. Notwithstanding the heartwarming performance by Delhi students in this year’s CBSE-board higher secondary examinations, the grueling process of seeking admission into a reputed institution would remain quite harrowing for a while now. That said, it is equally important to remember that while students from a particular social background, especially those from upwardly mobile classes, find it easier to score higher marks in the standardised examinations like CBSE’s which favour certain mediums of instruction over vernacular ones, the central and inclusive character of Delhi University must be reflected in its student intake and should not be based on scores only. While the reservations under various categories must be filled up as per the eligibility criteria, the universal nature of the temple of learning that is DU should continue to be reflected in its student composition.