St Stephen's College B.Sc Review By Chetan Ram

St. Stephens College of DU needs no introduction as it is one of the best colleges of DU. There are a lot of factors because of which I love St. Stephens College. One of the main reasons is its campus. The faculty were editors of many books such as Dr. Mahesh Gopalan and one of the most decorated faculty of the college is none other than Dr. Manmohan Singh’s daughter Upinder Singh. The college has also produced some of the finest alumnus like Sachin Pilot, Sagarika Ghosh, and Dr. Shashi Tharoor among many others. The college has produced alumnus who has excelled in various streams. The college’s brand name is enough to get a job in the market. The college’s popularity can also be measured by the fact that many Bollywood films such as Half Girl Friend and Rockstar have been shot at the college campus. The college’s history is also enriching as the college was established in the 1880s. These factors are enough to prove that the college is one of the most popular. However, admissions aren’t that easy as B.Sc (Hons) cut-off is 97% in PCM.

The classes where the champions have studied will motivate you to study as hard as you can. The college is meant for the champions and it isn't just about education. The college promotes sports more than any other college of DU. The College’s basketball team has won maximum Basketball competitions among DU colleges. Education is outright and therefore the best faculty and best facilities are provided. The course is affiliated with DU and one knows the toughness of the syllabus. The attendance required is 80% minimum and there’s no get away from that. College only admits the best or shall I say the brightest of students and therefore the college always produces toppers at the university levels.

The faculty are the ones who have contributed quietly to bring the college name on top. The reason why I have said quietly is because the kind of impact that they have had on students was profound. I have changed the way I see and think about the world as a whole. Many faculty members stay on the campus itself and they are teaching in the college for decades now. The faculty members always stand by the students in whatever they choose to. It’s been 5 years since I left the college but their teaching and guidance are helping me even today. The person that I know I am today is because of the teachers that I met at St. Stephen’s College.

The reputation of the college brings a lot of companies to the campus every year. The placements for B.Sc (Hons) are best among the DU colleges. Companies like BAIN Careers, Monitor Careers, Vedantu, Eat.Fit and the list go on. The placement training and all were provided a couple of months prior to the placements. The average placement during our batch was 5-6 lakhs CTC package. Appearing for the campus placement was not compulsory as most of the students were given one training by the faculty that study never ends and doing graduation is just the beginning.

There are 6 blocks of residential facilities is on the campus. All the blocks are located in different parts of the campus. The hostel was only for the students who came from outside Delhi-NCR. No other students other than the hostellers were allowed inside the building. The hostel seemed the perfect place for students as finding accommodation at 65k a year with a food facility in Delhi is next to impossible.

St. Stephen’s has the highest area among DU colleges. The college is spread in over 60 acres and has lawns that are often seen with birds chirping in the morning was one of the best ways to start the morning. The computer lab is known as IRC (Internet Resource Center) and that is for both students and the faculty. The lab was always occupied and was accessible during college hours that is from 9 am to 6 pm. The college’s library has seen many veterans come and launch their book at St. Stephens College and one such example is Dr. Salman Khurshid. He was also an alumnus of St. Stephens. There’s just one cafeteria but was big enough to accommodate around 200 students at a time. Café was good to have an in-between meal during the breaks. There is also an SBI Bank inside the college campus. All the students could open a personal account in the college’s branch with 0 balance. The college has a Physical education department building and students can register there for the sports they love playing. You name it and the college has that facility. An indoor badminton court with wooden flooring. Synthetic basketball courts. 2 hard courts tennis courts and a shooting alley among others. Oh, how can I forget the squash courts as I played squash for the first time at the St Stephen’s campus. There are 2 grounds for football and cricket. The college also has a Chapel and students were free to enter the Chapel irrespective of their religions.

Every other day some of the prominent personalities will visit the campus for guest lectures. Bollywood films were also shot during my time and also NDTV has held various debates at our college campus. Thus there was learning galore at the campus and rubbing shoulders with some of the brightest students was only possible at St. Stephens college.