Devagiri or Literally, God's Abode

After my Plus Two, I wanted to pursue a B. A. in English Language and Literature. I applied for this course in Govt. Brennen College, Thalassery, Payyannur College, etc. In comparison with all the colleges I had applied for, St. Joseph's College, Devagiri has the legacy of the most renowned English Department in Kerala. A lot of professors like Prof. C. A. Shepard and Prof. S. Nagesh who taught in this college were widely known in the state for their expertise in the subject. So, I opted for this college. The admission process was quite simple, consisting of the submission of an online application form in the college website. I could apply for a maximum of 5-course choices according to my preference. I applied for English as my first choice. The minimum percentage range required was between 90 to 95. The allotment processes took place in regular intervals and there was an orientation class on the first day of college.

I chose this course because I loved to read and engage myself in works related to literature. The syllabus was a very interesting one and not at all exhausting. I had ample time to work on the syllabus as well as for myself. There were eleven teachers in the department and each had their own expertise in different fields. The faculty was great and extremely helpful in all our endeavors. Every teacher taught differently but we were able to grasp every class quite well. The term exams happened on time after the completion of every term. Never once did the exams lag or were postponed. It was not at all difficult to pass the exams. If we had a basic knowledge of the language, we could easily get marks.

There are only a few internship opportunities available in the duration of this course but most of them are those that the students find for themselves using online platforms like LinkedIn. Companies like Myntra and Meesho offer content writing internships on such platforms.

Campus Placements are offered in the final semester of each course. Besides that, there are a number of opportunities for students after this course in the college. Most of us opt to go for a Postgraduate Course in the same subject or a related one. Some pursue their career by attending coaching classes for public exams like SSC, PSC, Bank Tests and Civil Service Exams. There is an active Civil Service Coaching Class provided by the college on the campus itself so that aspirants could find their way in that field at a very early stage. There are also career opportunities in content wiritng, article writing, teaching and similar jobs which students undertake after their course.

There was a deposit amount to be paid at the beginning of the course that included admission fees, contribution to the department and library fund, etc. Besides that, we only had to pay our examination fees for every semester that never exceeded Rs. 700 for students from the general category. The cost of study is very low compared to private colleges. There was a Higher Education Scholarship that was renewed from the Plus Two level and also E-Grantz Scholarships for students from economically backward classes.

All the celebrations of the college were so much fun and we always had a great time on those days. Celebrities were invited as chief guests and we always had interactive sessions with them. There was a literary festival conducted by the English Department every year, called Yuga, that went on for three or four days. There were seminar presentations, quiz competitions, photography competitions and dance competitions organised as part of Yuga. On the last day of the festival, movies were screened in the PTA Hall and everyone was welcome to it. The college has very active basketball, football and cricket teams. The B-Zone Cultural Festival of the University of Calicut takes place every year and students participate in all items. We were the B-Zone champions twice during the duration of my course there. Devagiri has an extensive library with collections from different subjects and a large reading hall as well. There is also an active online referencing section in the library.