Christ University B.Com Review By Swathi Mohan

As a student freshly walking out of school life, one looks forward to an enthralling college experience filled with new opportunities to venture into, amazing people to meet and network with whilst gaining practical and valuable corporate exposure to secure one’s future. The moment I entered the campus, I realized that this is exactly what CHRIST had in it to offer. Christ is NAAC Grade-A accredited and ranks among the top colleges in India. The university thrives on holistic development and is deeply rooted in inculcating values among students. It breathes diversity and encourages student engagement and participation in a myriad of fests and events. The management is agile and the Christ University admission process is swiftly taken care of. Different courses have different cut-offs and admission procedures are duly informed to the students via the university website.

As a final semester student pursuing B.Com, I am extremely grateful to have chosen Christ. Though there were no entrance exams, the selection was primarily merit based, it is highly competitive with applications flooding from all over the world. Selections are based on academic performance, excellence in extra/co-curricular activities and interaction with the VC. Christ University courses are vast so it is one of the most sought after colleges for commerce’ aspirants and is one of the top colleges in Bangalore. One of the prime reasons to choose Christ would be the academic rigor. The curriculum carries dedicated weightage for seeking practical experience wherein mandatory internships are to be done by students at the end of the first as well as second year. This not only adds to build a CV but also helps students to identify what interests them and what to pursue further. Another highlight is the university’s tie-up with corporate institutes which provide students with an opportunity to gain professional certificates like CIMA, CS, CA, etc. Also, the internal assessments (CIAs) keep students continually engaged with the subjects and fuel their learning through experiments and collaborations.

The faculty at Christ are well trained and has teaching experience ranging from 2-35 years. Most of them hold a PhD and are actively involved with research, publication, and presentation. They have a great deal of subject knowledge wherein many come with hands-on industry experience. This helps to cater practical examples and industry-relevant scenarios into the classroom discussions and blend the textbook learning with critical analysis and association of the concepts. The faculties are extremely understanding and approachable. On several personal as well as academic occasions I have found myself under the warm support and guidance of several professors even after the class hours, with an open mind and no judgments. The teaching methodology is commendable as it includes a healthy mix of formal lectures, case studies and presentation with a principle focus on nurturing business communication: group interaction and presentation skills. Alongside, workshops, conferences, and guest lectures are conducted on a regular basis which provides a great deal of exposure.

Christ University placements has an excellent record for over 20 years with an efficient placement cell which has a well-established corporate network. Prior to the recruitment drive students are provided with workshops and are trained on group discussions, mock interviews, and business etiquettes. Our top recruiters include KPMG, Deloitte and GS along with Accenture, Genpact, JP Morgan, TCS, and Wipro to name a few. The average package offered for B.Com is about Rs. 4-6 LPA and the highest package offered so far is about Rs. 18 LPA by D.E Shaw & Co, who although take only a handful of extraordinary students. Most of my classmates are already placed with some of the reputed companies while some wait for better opportunities others are opting for higher studies.

There are two hostel blocks within the campus one for female students; Jonas Hall and one for male; St Kuriakose Elias Hall. It also has Block A, B, C residence hall for boys and several hostels run by Catholic Nuns for girls outside the campus premises. Christ University hostel fees ranges from Rs. 35,000/- to 75,000/- depending upon the room (single/double/triple/four-sharing). Single-sharing rooms cost on the higher end and there is no facility of AC in any of the hostel rooms, simply because the weather in Bangalore is just cozy enough. The hostels provide facilities such as Wi-Fi, group study hall, hot-water facility, gym, and security. Access to the hostel is granted only via biometric system and a security guard is stationed 24x7 (both on the campus gates as well as the hostel gates) to ensure the safety of the residents. The hostel rules are quite strict; students are not allowed to miss any classes and stay in their rooms during college hours without prior notice, regulations are to be followed and penalties are charged otherwise. Since the hostels within campus do not provide food facility, students are provided one hour before the curfew time to go outside and eat, nevertheless, there is a night canteen within the campus along with a bunch of food outlets and stalls.

Christ University Bangalore campus sprawls for about 25 acres of land and is well equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities. B.Com classes are mostly in Block II and IV, wherein the classrooms are spacious, well maintained, clean, and equipped with LCD projectors and speakers. The blocks provide with both stairs and lift facilities along with kiosks and food courts. There is a dedicated commerce lab, IT lab, entrepreneurship cell, innovation center, gym as well as group study area. Christ houses a library of more than 2,50,000 books and periodicals and the University library is a sheer knowledge haven that spans to 4 floors where books can be borrowed for two weeks’ time. There are two auditorium halls, three food courts with dozens of canteens, and health clinics which are well maintained.

Christ has a beautifully scenic campus that nestles diverse set of students, faculties as well as a range of flora and fauna. Amidst all the academic rush, my go-to spot is the birds’ park, a beautiful corner that echoes the constant melody of chirping birds not failing to soothe your soul and help find a momentary escape. Although the college operates on the pillars of discipline and has couple of strict rules and regulations when it comes to attendance and dress code, it is not really a big deal once you get a hang of it. The mandatory 85% (per subject) attendance can be quite intimidating, but it is totally manageable as the attendance lost engaging in all the extra and co-curricular activities can be claimed easily. The college is one of the most happening places with a myriad of fests and events happening every week. As a student you have immense opportunity to venture into and pursue your passion with multitude of clubs that range from cultural (dance, choir, theatre, art), sports, social work to MUN, entrepreneurship and B-Quiz. The college also organizes ‘Prayas’ a fest dedicated to only freshers (mandatory to participate) which lays the ground for all the budding corporate minds and nudges the entrepreneurial instincts out of every student.