Deshbandhu College- A very underrated gem in Delhi University

English literature, as much it is about books it is also about history, cultural science and the voices of the marginalized across history. it is very in depth and provides a very good understanding of history and how the modern world shaped. I have found much interest in the history of partition and it has helped me form an original opinion on the subject, more than anything, the course provides you with raw material , meaning you can know all sides of an event and form an unbiased opinion. the course is also very liberal in terms of exams as it allows one to retain their opinion and speak their mind, there is a lot of creative freedom. one area where the course can improve is answer writing, students should be given workshops on how to write answers from the first semester itself, and encouraged to do more writing in the class. we had two exam cycles per semester which were easy to moderate in level and 1 class test and presentation each for the courses we had opted for in the sem.

students become eligible for placements from the fifth semester, for some they have to pass pre placement tests in order to sit for interviews. companies like Planet Sparks, Innovist, Learning Shala and Zomato were among the choices for placement through the placement cell. the pakacges offered ranged from 2-6 lakh per annum. I have been preparing for government exams like SSC since the first year and will now be giving the mains for the same. the college alllowed me ample time to undertake multiple projects and also prepare for the exams while keeping up with the course.

scholarships are readily available for the Economy Weaker section and it is a easy process to apply for even if one wishes to do so in later semesters, it exempts you from any tuition fees. The fees for my course was aorund 13200 which I paid for each year, the total being aroung 40000, the fees during my course did not increase. the fee for other non science courses ranges form 13-25 thousand per year. The fee for first year also includes a security deposit of 500 which will be redunded once you come to collect your result. the colleg itself does not offer any placement opportunities but many companies come to hire through the placement cell, for courses like history, political science and english honours, packages range from 2-3.5 lakhs per annum in the field oa business development and sales. Companies like Planet Sparks come for hiring annualy

Overall, I had a very good college life. the people around me were helpful and very kind, I truly think I have made lifelong friends at deshbandhu. the annual fest was called Sabrang and it was very fun to attend and be a part of, especially if one worked in the organising team. Deshbandhu hosts the biggest archive in Delhi University and the books come from almost all genres, the staff is very helpful and even allows for relaxation in returning the books. I was a part of the college newspaper and it was very fun to, I got to visit a lot of places for photo walks and also talk to very interesting people and research topics for articles. most of all, I enjoyed the competitions and the cash awards.

I applied through the Delhi Unibersity Admission portal which had 5 rounds, each week the colleges released their cut offs and lowered them by 0.5-1% if there were seats vacant after the previous round. i got admission into the course when the cut off was 94%, all details can be found in Delhi University's UG website. the admission process can be more streamlined with help from atleast some members of the college one has applied to, students as of now go in blind relying only on external research to select colleges, it is only after the admission that they get a chance to interact with the faculty.

My course had about 80-90 students in the course but only 20-25 attended the classes. this was because most were focusing on other things like government exams or CAT. Some notable teachers from my experience were- 1. Sherina Joshi- although she is now retired, it would not be wrong to say she was the best teacher I have had. if the class had 80 students, she remembered each one and their likes and dislikes. she took time out of her teaching hours and sent us very detailed audio recordings on important topics and previous year questions. 2. Saswata Bhattacharya- He is the embodiment of a textbook english academic, he teaches in a very unique manner which almost seems intimidating. It was always a delight to attend his classes. 3. Preeti Deewan- there are perhaps only a few pther teachers who have such immense knowledge on feminisit literature and also the partition. she is a bold and straightforward teacher who is a very gifted teacher. much of what I know, I owe to her.