St. Xavier's College BJMC Review By Divya Khurana

Honestly, going to Mumbai for my bachelor's was never the plan, nor was the course on my mind. I always wanted to go to the Delhi University. But its results come out late and I got in the first merit list of Xavier's. My college started in the first week of July. I knew that in a month, as I get my CUET result, I'll head to Delhi. But on the 3rd day of college, Anmol Gupte sir, the Director of Taare Zameen Par came for an interaction with us and I was amazed. In the period of one month, I started liking Xavier's and was quite settled, so I gave up on the idea of going to the Delhi University even after scoring really high marks. I think Xavier's teaches you how to live life and how to survive in the fast paced world. The city of Mumbai, especially teaches you how to catch a running train otherwise you will be late for your lecture. Xavier's as people say is a way of life. It teaches you to make a spot for yourself in the highly competitive world and regularly provides you with opportunities inside and outside the college to explore your interests and discover yourself. I think one should go to the St. Xavier's College if they want to know themselves. Before college you either have a lot of expectations or nothing at all but during college you will see a lot of changes in yourself and realize your interests and aspirations. Xavier's truly transforms oneself and I can proudly say that my one year at Xavier's has been amazing, I genuinely couldn't have asked for a better college.

Xavier’s Mumbai might seem as a college that focuses a lot of extracurricular activities and fests but once you join the college, you realize that academics has to be a priority for you. 75% attendance is a must and there are a certain amount of credit points to be earned by students every year. The best part is that the curriculum keeps getting updated regularly to suit the job market needs and students are taught subjects that can help sustain themselves. Xavier's is specially known for its BMM and now BAM-CJ course. All the Self-Financed courses are very reputed and famous all over the country. A lot of academic workshops for specific departments are conducted by the faculty and renowned resource people come to teach us. The eligibility criteria for BA, B.Com and B.Sc is purely merit based i.e. marks obtained in 12th class. The cutoff is usually very high and the list closes at around 98.6%. So, to get in this is very difficult. Whereas for courses like BAM-CJ, BMS and now B.Com (Management) there is a special entrance test called XET. The final selection criterion is based on the 60-40 ratio of XET marks and 12th class marks. My motive behind enrolling in this program was because I've always had a keen interest in films, books, media and writing, I felt that this course can help me choose whether I want to go into Journalism or Advertising. Xavier's has an established brand value all over the world; many international students from the gulf come to Mumbai just to study in this college. An additional advantage for me was the city of Mumbai; as the whole media industry is based here, getting opportunities would be easier if I studied in the same city.

The faculty at Xavier’s Mumbai is highly experienced and approachable. Many of the professors are industry professionals who have been working since a long time and know how the particular sector operates. Hence, having knowledge of recent job trends in the market. Moreover, the HODs are highly qualified and have at least 15 years of experience. The teachers are from diverse backgrounds and from different states of India; because of so much diversity the discourse used while teaching is highly inclusive and do not try to discriminate with anyone. Their teaching styles are very innovative, easy to comprehend and activity based, as they are focused more on practical learning. The faculty also encourages us to do a ton of internships during our vacations and guides us in the best way possible with the contacts and help needed. Being a Jesuit college, lots of fathers teach us and try to imbibe values in us.

Yes, there's a placement cell and it does a fairly good job at providing individuals with the network of brands and the contacts. Although, placements depend on your course and its demand in the market, the placement cell and the vast network that the departments have with its alumni help a lot. By the third year, everyone has done at least an internship. Our college faculty motivates us to take up some or the other work during our two month long summer vacations. The vacations are curated in a way especially for students to gain industry experience. Usually Self-Financed courses and disciplines like Economics and Statistics bag more placements but even disciplines like Psychology and History get a fair amount of internships.

There is only a boy’s hostel in Xavier's which charges a minimal fee. The hostel is only available for boys studying in the first year, third year or if they are pursuing their master's. This is the college policy to prevent ragging and bullying. The college hostel has good basic facilities and is built inside the campus only. As the college has a vintage architecture and was built in 1869, there's no such space for recreational activities or entertainment. Although, they can use the college sports complex and the gym. The admission in the hostel is based on the merit. There's a curfew time of 10:30 p.m. for the hostel residents. Girls usually take hostels and PGs near the college, even boys who don’t clear the hostel cutoff choose that.

The college is known for its gothic vintage architecture. Lots of films, ads and shows have been shot here. It is genuinely a pleasure to study in such a beautiful campus. The college has three entries, three libraries- the reference library, the lending library and the library of Xavier's Institute of Communication. The college also has the reputed Xavier's Institute of Management and Xavier's Institute of Communication inside the college campus. There is a beautiful chapel inside the college which is open for students to visit. There's a wellness centre to take care of the student's physical and mental health. There's a vast canteen and foyer where students prefer to sit and chill. The college has a lot of water filters and washrooms across the campus. There's a special girl’s common room for them to sit and relax. There's a sanitary napkin vending machine in the girl’s washroom. There are two fully functioning and technologically equipped computer labs.

Xavier’s campus life is to live for, the activities, fests and the fun, is beyond other colleges. For any event, famous celebrities come as chief guests; international students from Harvard come for the Student Exchange Program. The biggest college fest of Asia- Malhar is an emotion that runs across all Xavierites. Departmental, theatrical and fun fests happen all year round. Every day you go to college and see something is happening. The Extra Curricular Committee of this college has a lot of sub departments like Fitoor- the theatre society, the Literary Arts society, the photography department, the debating society and many more. It has an Entrepreneurship cell and a Film Society too. There's Social Service League and Student Support Group which organises a lot of community activities like the blood drive. Last year Malhar and AP Dhillon came for a concert. Many celebrities like Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli also came. Abhinandan Sekhri the head of Newslaundry came for a talk show. Overall, Xavier's has an amazing campus life.