Blessed to be a student of SXC, Kolkata

In order to be eligible for B.Sc. Chemistry (Hons) at St. Xavier's College, a student needs to qualify the minimum cutoff marks prescribed, which depends upon the education boards of the 12th standard. For B.Sc. Chemistry, the total marks obtained in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics of Class XII (each out of 100) are converted to an aggregate score out of 500 (Chemistry marks x 3 + Physics + Mathematics). The details of the application form, application fees and dates are found in the official website of the college. Since St. Xavier's College is a Christian Minority Higher Educational Institution, so there exists specific reservation benefits for the Christian students like special admission quotas and reduced fees. It would have been better if the admission had been conducted by suitable admission tests rather than simply evaluating candidates solely on the basis of the marks obtained in the board exams.

I chose this course primarily to gain an in-depth knowledge in Chemistry. Chemistry is a field of science which is central to today's developing world, with virtually all areas in science having its applications. Chemistry may be a developing science, but SXC has one of the best setups in this field. The student-teacher ratio is relatively lower and it needs improvement. I have experienced the teaching of the entire Chemistry department faculty, and some of them in Physics and Mathematics pertaining to my ancillary courses. Based on my overall experience, I feel that the institute teachers are one of the most qualified, the quality of teaching being one of the best. The course curriculum is sufficient for an undergraduate student to cope up with. The exams are conducted in the semester system, and are moderate to slightly difficult keeping in mind that all the students pass the examination. Therefore, as far as the syllabus is concerned, greater emphasis is laid on the class contents.

SXC is associated with Internshala, one of the top internship platforms in India. Through this platform,the companies offering internships are Godrej, Cognizant, Hindustan Unilever, Naascom, Videocon, Uber and many more. On the academic front, students can also intern at institutes like IITs and IISERs, and also as an educator in academies like Byju's, FIITJEE and Unacademy. The packages typically range from 3K/month to 60K/month depending upon the job. In the projects, the students can perform the roles of a data analyst, software developer, academic instructor, research assistant and for other positions through appropriate jobs. In the future, they can utilize their ideas and learning experience in research projects as well as while working as an employee in companies.

The Placement Cell of SXC recruits students for working in many brands and companies. At least in the B.Sc. and B.Com. courses, from the second year (3rd semester) onwards students are eligible for registration to placements. The companies that recruit students are mainly from the pharmaceutical, software and academic sectors. Some of them are the Tata Consultancy Services, Jp Morgan, Reckitt Benckiser, Deloitte, Cognizant, Infosys and Flipkart. The package pertaining to these companies typically range between INR 3 L to INR 20.5 L. Around 70 to 80 % of the students get placed regularly in the top companies each and every year. After getting the bachelors degree, I plan to pursue a Masters in Chemistry and delve deeper into the extensive research carried out in this field of science.

From the academic year 2018-2019 onwards, the St. Xavier's College had increased the undergraduate quarterly fees from INR 5400 to INR 6450. The fees for the odd semester are comparatively higher than the even semester, especially for the first quarter into the semester when an additional INR 3000 is included. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college authorities have decided not to hike the even semester fees for the time being, considering the economic diffculties of some underprivileged students. There are numerous scholarships available to the meritorious students, as well as for the underprivileged ones. Some of them are the Dr. Basudeb Banerjee Memorial Scholarship, Fr. Joris Memorial Scholarship and the R.F. De Souza Scholarship. The College is associated with Internshala, one of the top internship platforms in India. There is a Placement Cell, which recruits students for working in various top brands and companies, where many students get placed each and every year.

The Xavotsav is the annual cultural fest of St. Xavier's College, and the Insignia is the annual tech fest of SXC. The former runs from 22nd to 24th of January, the latter running from 26th to 28th of February. The Fr. Verstraeten Central Library of SXC has a collection of numerous books covering diverse areas like science & technology, history & geography, language & literature, commerce & business among others. There is an e-resource section containing the previous years questions of all subjects. As per my experience, I believe that the classrooms are well-lit and spacious, and are perfect for students to develop academic motivation. The college has a reputation for being a top competitor in sporting events like football, cricket, hockey and basketball. There are two large fields, where students can play around and refresh themselves after a long day. Further, there are many student-managed social groups and clubs, like NSS, AICUF, XADAM and The Science Association among others.