My college experience

College is underestimated in terms of performance and facilities. There is more to it than what rumors say. I for one have enjoyed my life there no matter what the negatives i felt. I have made some great friends in college who I believe will be a part of my life now on. I have also got a good education which will help me get a job in my life. I am happy for that. The college is one thing from outside but to know it you have to live there.

My college, Janaki Devi Memorial, comes under Delhi University so, it follows the cut off percentage system for admission in the college. Some colleges of DU do host entrance exams for taking in students but my college didn't have any. There was no interview or group discussion process too. What I did was, apply to the college directly once the cut off percentage for the various course was out. I had a percentage of 95% in my Boards exam so, I couldn't get a seat in the north campus and hence I chose this college. I was asked to produce original documents of my 12th Board examinations. Those who scored top would get to choose whatever course they need and those who come below in the rank list prepared by the college had to choose whichever course that had seats open. The whole thing was simple and basic. I chose this course because I was a PCM student in 12th, with Economics as my 5th Subject. Since, then, I had an inclination for Economics and so I chose this.

The course itself is good. I heard there is quite good scope in placements after the course. We have been given a lot of research projects and various assignments to keep us in track of the practicalities of the field. It also helped me to keep in mind the importance of practical learning in economics. The college offered me various elective options and details on the electives before I chose one. There was money and finance, insurance, philosophy, and sociology, etc. I think I'll be a learned graduate and not one with a mere certificate when I pass out.

No, there are no internships in the college. Everyone who is interested apply outside the college. They get stipends of 1500-2000 mostly. It is a good amount. A friend of mine did an internship last year and she told me, that, it was great doing an internship, that it felt like being employed. Also, he knew more about the markets, stock exchange changes and such stuff after doing it. I have no experience of doing internships, but I will be doing in future, especially since I heard it will be helpful to get me a job in future.

There is placement going on in the campus every year. A lot of companies visit. Specifically, I don't know about the companies but there are MNCs and such top-level companies who come to recruit the commerce and computer science students. They have the most shot at placements. Out of 10 students who apply for the placements, I think 6 or 7 are taken in by these firms. Now, start-ups have also started visiting the campus for recruitment. I do not have much idea about it but the average package would be around 6-7 lakhs or so.

Every department of the college has their own fest. There are Literary and Commerce fests to name a few such programs.The college shoulders half of the fest expenses. The students have to find sponsors for the rest of the money. There are many other events too like the college's Cultural Fest, Annual Sports Day and Founder's Day. Most of the department-wise programs have students participating from other colleges. It is normally with good footfall, cannot predict the average number.

The fee isn't too much. But it could have been lower, I think.I mean it is not something universally affordable. We pay around 10-15k per year for the economics (Hons) course. So it will be near 45000 for all the three years. There are some friends of mine who took up educational loans. Also, the college doesn't have the facilities that match the tuition fees we pay. I guess this is the fees every college of this kind extracts from its students.

Scholarships are provided to the top 2 or 3 students in every class where the criteria are both academic as well as extracurricular activities of the student. It is not much but it helps students in a way. The college isn't concerned much about the fee part as long as they are paid on time by the students. The college does not arrange for any loans. The students are supposed to find them on their own.

Yes, we have extracurriculars. The college has an annual Basketball Championship and Football meets. These are grand events and various teams from other colleges participate in them. We also have all kinds of outdoor games like cricket and badminton. Interested students are allowed to stay back in college after classes to engage in these sports. So, I can say that the ECA environment is good in our college and those who know how to use the available services, can successfully have an all-round development. I did get time to explore my inner talent and I joined the Dance society and have performed on various events in the past. It has boosted my confidence.

I can't say anything about college hostels because we don't have them yet. Hostel is under construction, It would start from next year only. There are hostels and PGs out of the campus, that's where students who cannot commute on a daily basis live for now. These are an extra expense. I am a day scholar. I guess the food provided is only okay,from what my friends say.There is not much variety offered there. And one can't choose single rooms. You have to share with someone or more than two.

Alumni meet is organized every year, where we get to meet and talk to the previous students. We also get feedback from them. It is helpful as we get to know all the kinds of jobs they are engaged in after graduation and the courses they have pursued after, our course. It is a nice and thoughtful initiative by the college.

Exams are stressful anyway, no matter what the form is. They give a lot off portions to cover, half of which I don't! May be its because I don't like exams personally. Anyway, I really think the authorities could reduce the number of exams we have in a semester. Right now, we have two internal exams. One is out of 40 and the other out of 80. Then there is the University semester exams. They use the marks of both the internals to determine our internal marks. So there is pressure to do well in all the examinations. If by any chance you fail to perform well in even one of these three exams, it'll affect your internals very much. No consolations there!

All faculty members are qualified and interactive. Most of them have PhD degree or an MPhil.. Then they have all passed the UGC NET exam for teaching in colleges. They are all experienced, except the guest lecturers. They are not so good or experienced but they do not count as the permanent staff. The guests keep changing every few months. Our professors are all nice and helpful. They give us detailed notes and also, make us do chapter-wise assignments so that we study them well. The standard of teaching in all is good. I would rate it a 7 out of 10, more or less.