A great Journey!

I have had a really good experience so far. There is a really good platform for socialising in the campus. Everyone who need to go out of their comfort zone has a chance to do so. But the one thing I hate is the sharp and bulging out gender discrimination in the campus. It is among both the faculty and even the students themselves. It is outraging. The facilities are good and I have had a memorable campus life.

After my 12th board exams, I applied for BA English-language and literature Model 1 in Baselius college and I got a seat through the single window allotment process. I chose the course because of my passion for reading and interest in classical literature and history. I always wanted to learn literature, especially English literature. I love the language. The college is rated best amongst the colleges affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University which is the closest University to my home. I visited the campus and I liked it overall, so I joined as soon as I could.

I chose English-language and literature model One. It enhances your knowledge of grammar and phonetics as well as learning about how language is used in different social settings, how language is acquired by children and adults etc. It has everything one would expect from a department with a very long reputation for innovative research. Currently, several research projects are underway in the department. In the first semester students can choose a second language. Four hours per week is given to this elective. In the fifth semester students can choose an open course. We have about 12 elective options to choose from. But not much information is given to us about each of these before we choose.

The college does not provide its students with internships. However, the ASAP classes conducted in college by the government of Kerala does arrange internships for students who attend the classes regularly, in the 4th semester. These are mostly unpaid and done for the experience they provide. We are helped in all ways possible with recommendations etc but not further. There are no internships within the college for students too. Those who want to do any finds it for themselves.

The college has a placement portal that automates the recruitment process at the college. The placement focuses mainly on commerce students which in college is the B.Com and BBA students. They are the ones who actually apply too. But most of these are not excellent or anything. It is just a job if you really want one but most people prefer to go for further studies. Those who apply get placements any way. Companies like Wipro and DC Books come to the college for placements.

We have Department fests in college every year. It is an event which is organised by students from each department. It includes competitions and various other programs which all vary from department to department. These make the college more lively because students from lots of other colleges come to participate and it is a time for socialising. There is also the Baselian Football and Basketball tournaments, the Arts Day, the Sports day and the College day.

All the fees are affordable. When I joined I was asked to make a donation of 2000 rupees to the Department fund. The consequent payments are the semester fees in each of the six semesters. It can be anywhere between 500 to 2000 rupees. The examination fee of 375 is also to be paid in each semester by the students. That's the whole fee we pay in the graduation course. It is literally zero expense and extremely affordable, if you have a merit seat. Other wise you have to pay the fee which the college asks for. It all depends on your 12th class marks.

The college provides a number of scholarships such as social service league scholarship, Jain memorial scholarship,Mar Athanasius scholarship etc. The scholarships are provided to academically excellent students and to the economically backwards students. They are given away in the graduation ceremony conducted for students in the beginning f the very next academic year. There are special awards for the University toppers.

The college has a number of student clubs covering almost the entire spectrum of co-curricular activities of the college. (NCC, NSS,MGOCSM, nature club ,histrionic club, photographic club etc.) All the students are encouraged to take part in one or the other. Competitions are constantly held by various departments for the sake of it. There are quiz competitions and debates through out the year. Then there is the annual Anti-Drug poster designing competition, various workshops and national seminars etc, all conducted for our benefit. The college has a reputation for churning out really good football players who are often selected to state and national teams.

The college has a girls' hostel inside the campus and a boys' hostel just outside it. The boys' hostel is mainly reserved for those who are admitted to college through the sports quota. The hostel fee is rupees 4000 per month. The schedules are quite strict and the hostel itself is conservative. They do not allow mobile phones inside the hostel rooms. The food is good and so are the rooms. There are 3 or 4 students in a room. Yes, there are PGs outside. The rate there is quite the same as in college hostels but I wouldn't recommend them because the food is not so good from what I hear from friends.

There is an alumni association which conducts a gathering once a year. But the student-Alumni interaction is poor. We do not benefit from the annual alumni meet but it acts merely as a platform the alumni to meet up every year. They do, however, contribute towards the overall development of the college.

The college conducts two internal exams per semester due to other activities alongside academics the schedule is very tight. This is pretty much tiring. There is a pressure to perform well in both the examinations because they really affect our internal marks. The average of the marks obtained in these two examinations decide our internals. The other main exam is conducted in other College centres by the University directly. In all, it is a very happening college life.

The department of English has a team of highly qualified faculty. Our faculty members have published and presented many research papers. All of them hold really high qualifications too. There are eleven efficient faculty members. Except the guest lecturers, who do not count as permanent staff, everyone of them is experienced and dedicated to their profession. The department exhibit an ideal and healthy rapport between the students and teachers. We can always approach them for clearing doubts or anything like that.