College higher self+CGPA
Items in this hypelist
Academic strategising:
The 2 hour rule
Every day → just 2 hours of academic focus. Not 6, not 8. Two. 1 hour = core readings / textbook 30 min = notes / consolidation 30 min = revision / past questions
Strategy for each semester
Each paper → split into: 10 core readings 10 thinkers/concepts 10 expected questions
Google Calendar weekly
Mon–Wed: college syllabus Thu: readings + debate society task Fri: revision Sat: catch-up Sun: rest OR deep-dive topic
Best study slots
Morning 6–8 am Afternoon 3–5 pm Late night 11–1 am (every once in a while)
The shelf
A physical or digital Google Drive folder with: Notes Question banks Reading summaries Debate arguments SOP material Your draft CV
The 3-2-1 week system
Weekly: 3 main chapters 2 readings/articles 1 debate topic / class discussion prep
Lifestyle habits
Saturday “self class”
1 hour every Saturday → you teach YOURSELF one topic out loud. It’s a debate-society cheat code.
20-Minute Reading Daily
Not books. Articles. Good ones: Scroll “Explainers” The Wire opinions Al Jazeera features The Diplomat (Asia focus) ORF Observer Research Foundation Carnegie India
Movement
15 min walk. It boosts your retention like crazy. You don’t need the gym (UNLESS OFCOURSE YOU WANT IT)
One notebook for EVERYTHING
Just one notebook for: class notes (short!) reading summaries exam answers practice debate ideas quotes from readings questions you have random thoughts that relate to lecture topics things you want to research deeper your essay structures
Syllabus Division
Step 6: 3-Day cycle:
Day 1: Read Day 2: Notes Day 3: Revise + 1 short answer writing practice
Step 4: Focus 60% time on Heavy, 30% Medium, 10% Light
Step 3: Assign each a weight:
Heavy Medium Light
Step 5: Pre-write 10 essay templates per paper
DU answers are 60% structure, 40% content
Step 2: Arrange them in “expected question” order.
Step 1: List all units of each paper → number them.
Must reads!
The Origins of Totalitarianism
Development as Freedom
Gender Trouble
The Wretched of the Earth
The Second Sex
Global feminism
Chandra Talpade Mohanty — “Feminism Without Borders” bell hooks — “Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center” Aihwa Ong — “Neoliberalism as Exception”
Postcolonial + Global South
Frantz Fanon — “Wretched of the Earth” Achille Mbembe — “On the Postcolony” Gayatri Spivak — “Can the Subaltern Speak?” Edward Said — “Orientalism” Deepak Nayyar — “Resurgent Asia”
Human Rights
Samuel Moyn — “The Last Utopia” Upendra Baxi — “The Future of Human Rights” Makau Mutua — “Savages, Victims, and Saviors” Amartya Sen — “The Idea of Justice”
Videos essays and Deep dives
Deep-dive topics you’ll LOVE (part I):
Feminism in the Global South vs Western feminism Colonialism → development → underdevelopment cycles IMF, World Bank & neocolonialism Israel–Palestine (history + IR lens)
YT Channels (High IQ, Low Drama)
Foreign Affairs DW Documentary Al Jazeera AJ+ Vice Asia PBS Ideas CrashCourse Government & Politics Kaviraj lectures
Deep-dive topics you’ll LOVE (part II)
Cold War → Non-Aligned Movement → India’s role Gender + conflict studies (women in wars) UNHRC failures + critiques Human rights as Western ideology (Moyn vs Mutua) Climate justice and Global South Digital colonialism Feminist foreign policy India-China-Africa triangular diplomacy
Strong Portfolio
Things to build now:
High CGPA from Sem 4 → Sem 8 Debate achievements 3–4 short internships (think tanks, NGOs, MPs) 1 research paper or article A very clear interest area (e.g., “gender & conflict” or “postcolonial IR theory”) A reading journal One strong mentor/teacher for rec letters
