New Delhi: Gone are the days when freshers were clueless about their way around Delhi University (DU) campus as a number of mobile apps are now providing all kind of information including details about courses, PG accommodation and hangout places.
Ahead of admission season, the University of Delhi had launched an Android phone application -- DU UG Admissions -- which provided students with information about the schedule, courses, colleges besides other details.
While the application launched by the university might not be of much help to locate the ‘fun zones' around the campus, there are a couple of apps created by students which give all kind of ‘informal' information.
One of them is 'Just DU Things' which was launched this month. The app's co-creator Paras Jain says it has it all what a fresher would need for a ‘smooth and happening' campus life.
"It is divided into five segments -- news, hangouts, jobs, internships, gossip and downloads. The app isn't just a document diary providing information about the notices or announcements made by the university, but also what a fresher looks forward to informally as in the hangout zones, information about cultural fests and much more," Jain, also a student of College of Vocational Studies, said.
The app was also of great help to students at the time of enrolling in colleges as it provided them with an option to compare various courses and colleges on the basis of several parameters including faculty and placement record.
The hangout segment also offers an option of accessing an integrated Google map of the restaurant or the hangout spot along with its review at Zomato.com.
Niyati Aggarwal of Kamla Nehru College, who is also part of the app's team, said, "We are also planning to add another segment called 'DU deals'. We will tie up with certain coaching centres, restaurants and xerox shops to offer a discount to our app users."
Another ‘tell all' app is 'Zocalo' which provides various kinds of information including about PG accommodation available around the campus and at other places.
According to 'Zocalo' team, the mission admission for out-station students doesn't end by securing a seat in a good college as the search for a good and affordable accommodation in the new city continues.
"With this app, students get complete details of the PGs available in the place where they want to reside. They can also browse through the facilities available including food, wi-fi connectivity, laundry, water supply, geysers, microwaves, TV in the common room, nearby markets and compare the costs," Vishwajeet, a Zocalo team member, said.
The DU app by the university has also garnered good response from the freshers.
"Having all the information available at one click away be it courses, deadlines, cut offs or the option of filling the forms, the app was really helpful for tech-savy generation like ours," Chaitanya Vaishnav, a fresher at SRCC, said.
The developer of the DU's app and Deputy Dean of Students' Welfare, Gurpreet Singh Tuteja said the app can work even without Internet connectivity.
"Students can also use the app for sending mails and SMS directly from the app. But they will be charged for sending sms. The app is also linked to web sites of the DU colleges and information available on the website can be accessed on the app too," he said.
DU Beat, a student newspaper run by a group of DU students since 2007, also launched their app called 'DUB' last month.
