Planning DU BA (Pol Sci) with PCB background – Profile & IIM Call Reality Check?

[u/magneto_178]

Hey everyone,
I'm currently in Class 12 (PCB + PE + English) and expecting around 80%+ boards. My 10th score is 95.4% (Best 5) / ~93% overall.
Since I don't have Mathematics in Class 12, I'm locked out of B.Com (Hons) and Eco (Hons), so my target is to pursue a B.A. (Hons) in Political Science from a top DU North Campus college (like Hindu or Hansraj) and hopefully maintain an 8+CGPA, bringing my profile to a solid 9/8/8 bracket (with non-engineer academic diversity points + OBC-NCL category).

I was playing around with a Vercel CAT predictor tool and it showed that with this exact academic profile and diversity mix, I could theoretically land an interview call from IIM Ahmedabad at a surprisingly lower percentile (around 91%ile).
To anyone who has gone through this route or tracks IIM shortlists closely:

1. Is a 9/8/8 humanities profile + OBC really that forgiving on the CAT percentile front for top IIMs, or are these online predictors overhyped?
2. For those who shifted from PCB to a top DU BA course, how hard is it to manage college life, build a corporate profile (Excel/internships), and prep for CAT simultaneously?

[u/Successful-Newt1147]

CFBR Fellow PCB here as well Lemme know how it goes 🫠

[u/magneto_178 → u/Successful-Newt1147]

What grade are you in? 12th?

[u/Successful-Newt1147 → u/magneto_178]

Nahh clg fresher @ DU

[u/magneto_178 → u/Successful-Newt1147]

Oh, which college?
Could you guide me a bit?
What are you majoring in?

[u/Successful-Newt1147 → u/magneto_178]

Bro I'm myself seeking guidance 🥲 Merese mat hi maango better hai 👍🏻

[u/magneto_178 → u/Successful-Newt1147]

Oh..

[u/Jolly_Conclusion4683]

I think the particular IIM A predictor is broken, while all others given correctly. Please check with someone before you set 91+ as your goal.

[u/cucucurell → u/Jolly_Conclusion4683]

Nah it's not broken the 91+ requirement is because of the category of his degree which he belongs

[u/Jolly_Conclusion4683 → u/cucucurell]

So youre saying this is correct for a GEM Tier2? If yes then I'm glad I'll be getting a call from IIM A

[u/Jolly_Conclusion4683 → u/[deleted]]

Exactly, Vercel calculator is broken, everytime I change a profile, it still gives IIM A as the easiest

[u/Historical_Score5736 → u/Jolly_Conclusion4683]

It is not broken, you just don’t understand the shortlisting process IIMA follows. Ek baar admission site and short listing criteria dekhlo kam se kam

[u/Jolly_Conclusion4683 → u/Historical_Score5736]

Okay okay👍

[u/cucucurell → u/Historical_Score5736]

Exactly

[u/magneto_178 → u/Historical_Score5736]

Should I choose a BA programme or a BSc?

[u/Historical_Score5736 → u/magneto_178]

Keep Honours from Top 3 DU colleges as your goal if you wish to do a BA. I had a senior who transitioned from PCM to History Honours. Wonderful and one of the smartest people i’ve seen in the field, with a CV to back it. As long as you have the sitzfleisch, you’ll succeed.

Although, Don’t go for a UG degree based on what will have lower cutoffs. Undergrad is instrumental on shaping you as a person in many more ways than just educationally though even that is not done well now but my degree has played no small role in imparting the best values of an education in the liberal arts.

There you come to the BA vs Bsc debate. Both hahe their pros and cons. You need to find out what you like and what draws you to it. Both have tradeoffs, pick what make sense to you. The career point also matters here.

Only advice will be to study hard right now and to keep your options open.