Department of Germanic and Romance Studies, University of Delhi B.A Review By Arjun Singh

Overall, this department is a great place but lacks in extracurricular activities. There are a bunch of societies in the university, but all are inactive and since the total strength of the department is quite low, reviving them is quite tough. As this is a department, please don’t expect the same academic and social life as that of a college. It is a ragging free campus and the seniors are quite chill. You should definitely chose this department if you want to learn European languages.

The curriculum of all language courses is great. It not only teaches the students about the language but also the culture and history of the nation’s language. It develops a person to step into their career well prepared. The exchange semester is a huge plus point, it can be of either of 3, 6 or 9 months and the opportunity is only given to the top students of each language course every year. But keep in mind that you will have to make the same amount of presentations, assignments and tests as any other B.A. honors course, don't think of it to be easy because learning a new language is tougher than a person may expect. Also keep in mind that your AEC, SEC and VAC classes will be in other colleges every semester, which I think is a perk since you can experience the environment of different colleges. This is how I have explored St. Stephen's this semester and S.R.C.C. last semester.

As I'm pursuing B.A. (Hons.) Italian, I can say that the faculty for the Italian language is great. They are very polite and always ready to help you out. Some languages like French and Spanish have foreign faculty members as well. The Italian language has about 4 professors. All the language departments combined have 20 faculty members.

The infrastructure is not so great. Only a few rooms like the Media Room and Conference Room etc. have air conditioning. The classrooms are not that well equipped. But some classrooms do have huge portable speakers and projectors for the audio classes. Though the library is quite small it has plenty of books and resources. The building itself is a heritage building. There are no stuffy corridors and most of the classes face the central garden. Wi-Fi does not work well in the campus. Facilities like canteens, stationary and printing shops are available in the campus.

The campus life I would say is average since I mentioned there are barely any extracurricular activities, but getting to go to different colleges is a great perk. The seniors are great and super helpful. There are several seminars conducted in the college. Events and fests like the fresher’s party and the farewell party take place every year. The dynamic of studying different languages will easily keep you entertained for the next 4 years.