– Mita Mukherjee

A “topper” in an undergraduate examination of Calcutta University in West Bengal has lost an academic year because she could not submit her undergraduate marks on time to a university in London for pursuing higher studies due to late holding of examinations by her present university.

Shraya Chatterjee who, according to her teachers, stood first in the B.Sc anthropology examinations of Calcutta University this year was supposed to submit her marks to the Brunel University, London within September 10. She was selected by the London university to study M.Sc in medical anthropology from the 2020 academic session which started from September 10.

Calcutta University conducted its final year undergraduate examinations from October 1 to 8 this year.

The final year BA and B.Sc examinations of Calcutta University were scheduled in April but they got deferred due to Covid-19.

Shraya got her final year marks on October 31, the day Calcutta University declared the results of all its undergraduate examinations.

Shraya said the Brunel University London has given her the assurance that she will be allowed to take the seat in the same course next year.

“I got the chance to do my M.Sc in medical anthropology in Brunel University of London for the 2020-21 academic session. I had to defer the admission till the next academic session due to late publication of my undergraduate results by Calcutta University. I have lost one precious year,” Shraya told EducationWorld.

 She will have to sit home whole of this academic year, she said.

She will not be able to join any institution this year to avoid complications in getting  visa when she will travel to London for joining the course next year.

Nabanita Goswami the head of the department of anthropology of New Alipore College, a Calcutta University affiliate where Shraya studied the undergraduate course said it was “unfortunate” that Shraya could not join Brunel University London despite scoring the highest marks in the B.Sc anthropology examinations.

“Shraya has scored the highest marks among all other candidates who wrote the B.Sc anthropology exam of Calcutta University this year. She is a bright student. She has scored 701 out of 800.  But she will lose a year,” Goswami  told EducationWorld.

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