BA and BA Honors are both excellent choices for UPSC CSE. It will aid you in your preparation for the Prelims and Main exams.
In BA course, you must study three different subjects, such as political science, history, and geography, which means that 50% of the syllabus has already been covered, and if you choose Political Science as an optional subject, another 40% has already been covered. So taking a BA course will improve your chances.
Now, moving on to the BA (Hons), you will study political science in depth, which will help you in the Mains because, as we all know, the difficulty level of optional is higher than the Bachelor level but lower than the Master's level, so it will benefit you greatly. However, because you will only be studying two subjects in your bachelor's programme, you will have to study the third subject on your own.
Thus, you should pursue a BA General course. However, as everyone knows, UPSC is all about extreme hard work, luck, proper planning, guidance, and several other factors. Make your own decision and put in your best effort.
You can crack the entrance exam for a master’s in Economics with consistency and a daily study routine. Initially, try to get a fair idea about the exam by referring to the syllabus and the previous year’s question papers. The syllabus followed in the entrance examination for economics is given below
Suggested Readings
All the best, stay motivated, and focus on your goal
Yes, IGNOU offers BA (Hons) in Political Science. In order to get the BA (Hons) degree, you will have to complete 48 credits in it, during the 3 years. IGNOU course materials are thorough and to the point. IGNOU study materials can be helpful if you are planning on preparing for competitive examinations such as UPSC. The degree has the same valuation as any other Hons degree.
One of my sister's acquaintances wrote 2016 mains with PSIR optional. She had been working in an IT firm till a month before prelims and had been preparing for a year before.
Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) is quite fast. The study material provided by IGNOU is good for selective reading for specific topics like Justice, Equality, MN Roy, Sri Aurobindo, Theory of international relations etc. But she had an engineering background and revealed that the notes were not of premium quality.
Paper 1- Part A
Gauba is not bad. But you will need to read the book more than one time to interpret it completely. The information has been divided unevenly within the chapters making it a difficult read. One more good source is Shubra Ranjan's notes. They summarise the points in the UPSC syllabus format.
Paper 1- Part B
Complete Laxmikant.Read the interpretations given by famous analysts, their viewpoints, case laws and their history and the politics that played behind the evolution of laws and how and why the judiciary evolved. Again for this look into Shubra Ranjan notes. For the remaining topics look into Oxford publications.
Paper 2- part A
For this part, the best recommendation is Heywood’s global politics. It’s easy to understand and very well written. Combine this with IGNOU notes and you will get good results. You can also go through questions given in Baylis and Smith because sometimes they appear verbatim and quoting the exact same viewpoint can get you some extra points.
Paper 2 - Part B
Conduct internet research and make your own notes on the topics included in the syllabus. Then go through commentaries on IDSA /IPCS websites. This will give you a better understanding of and current status of relations.
Once you are done with all the study materials, focus on developing the vocabulary for PSIR. Make sure your answers are evenly distributed with theories, quotes, facts, years etc. Practice writing answers a lot.
For BA, the cut-off is usually around 80-85% as of previous year’s records for the Maharashtra students. If you belong to other states, the cut-off will be around 90-95%. depends on how the rest of your peers have performed.
These cut-offs are as per the 1st merit list for Open category students. If you fail to secure a seat, then try during the 2nd and 3rd merit list.
If you are financially stable, then there is an option to get admission at the college after paying donation money.
While my brother was preparing a list of top colleges offering Political Hons, he never came across St. Xavier’s Kolkata while Delhi University and Hindu College specifically topped his list. This in itself proves Hindu College to be better than St. Xavier’s. Additionally, most of the teachers and seniors advised him to choose Hindu.
He was lucky enough to clear the cutoff and join the college. To date, he has no regrets about his decision. The best part of the institute is its superior location in Delhi. The crowd this college welcomes is another reason he was inclined towards it. The seniors are very cooperative and ragging is not tolerated.
The faculty pool comprises professors from top national and international universities. Most of the students pursuing political science either target Civil services or are inclined toward international relations and other political issues. While many may find flaws here because it’s a government college, trust me in the long run it’s your efforts and talents that matter. A college can only provide for you; it is you who has to make the most out of it.
One of my friends studied at Shyam Lal College (SLC) Evening. Let me share his views about the college which might give you some information.
It is suggested that you opt for other colleges because if you are very ambitious, you might get disheartened studying here.
I have a friend who completed her BA in Political Science from CSJM. Here are some of the books she suggested.
These books are necessary for B.A Political Science.
Here are some other factors that can help you get a gold medal.
Having good handwriting also helps.
My knowledge is limited to the individual institutes and not their political science departments. In my opinion, Dayal Singh is a better choice than ARSD. here are a few reasons that justify my opinion
All these points strongly claim that Dyal Singh is a better choice than ARSD unless you chose ASRD because of personal preferences.
If we talk about the tuition fees then it is INR 3,00,000 and the rest charges are for examination fees which is INR 4,000 per semester. B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science at LPU is a 3 years course offered at the UG level. To get admitted to B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science course at LPU, applicants must meet the entry requirements - 60% in 12th.