'Zephyrus' is Inter-College Business Fest of SXCBOM Mumbai

St. Xavier's College Mumbai is an Empowered Autonomous Institute that is located in the prime location of Marine lines. Fort in the heart of the city Mumbai. It's a 150+ year old College which was started by the priest of Jesuits (society of Jesus congregation in 1869). The College is known for its ancient gothic architecture and its academics. This College has given entrepreneurs, Hollywood stars, sports stars, etc. to the country making it the great choice for higher studies. The discipline that the College holds makes it the right College for those who want to continue working on their bright intellect. This College is best known for Humanities and Science. This College ensures to provide ample practical exposure to all the students irrespective of their stream. This College is A+ graded by NAAC and in my opinion it stands out among all the Colleges in Mumbai because of its cultural and ethnic diversity and inclusivity.

As a Humanities enthusiast since school I was motivated to choose Humanities as my course for higher studies. As it's well known for its academics, the College gets quiet competitive when it comes to eligibility criteria. I got into the College immediately after 10th. To get into the junior College one must at least score above 95% irrespective of your board if you are non-Catholic and above 85% if you are Catholic as this College has 50% reservation for students under Catholic minority. If someone wants to get into this College after 12th for courses like B.A the cutoff percentage is above 90%. This There are courses like BMS and BMM as well. These courses carry a lot of value if they are pursued from this College. To get into these courses one needs to clear XET (Xavier's Entrance Test) and the only eligibility criteria is a percentage score of 50% or more in 12th grade. The admission process is quiet accessible and easy as everything is online except for when hard copies of the documents are demanded. If one is a Catholic, a Baptism certificate is must. Because the College already has 50% Roman Catholic reservation. There is no ST / SC reservation. The College conducts exams every month in form of CIAs. There is a structure of 20+20+60. 20 marks are for written tests along with 20 marks practical assignment which includes data collection analysis, interviews, research, etc. and a 60 mark written exam. One has to score 40 marks minimum in each subject to pass one semester. Attendance in this College is compulsory as not adhering to it has serious impact on exams. There is also a system of Extra Curricular Points which are mandatory to earn each year by participating in activities apart from academics.

The College looks quiet elite but it's extremely affordable for majority of the students. As B.A and B.Sc courses are aided, their fee for each year is only Rs. 7000/- to Rs. 8000/-. If it's BA in Statistics or B.Sc IT, the fee sums up to around Rs. 15,000/- due to lab charges. For courses like BMM or BMS which are non-aided the fee is approximately Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 60,000/- inclusive of everything. There are B.Com and BAF courses too whose fees is also somewhere around the same range. There are master’s courses like MA in AIC, Psychology, Economics and MBA. For masters the eligibility criteria are XET (Xavier's Entrance Test) and the fee is much higher and varies depending on the course. The College does provide some concession to underprivileged students if provided with the right income proof. Overall, the College fees is quiet affordable. Scholarship is provided at the end of the academic year.

All the faculty members of all the academic departments are highly qualified. Majority of them are Ph.D holders and those who are not are pursuing it. In my course, all the professors have a very different approach to teaching. In my department some professors use black board approach and screens documentaries and teach in the most conventional manner while other professors are quiet proficient with their teaching as they involve personal examples. These professors come up with the most creative projects that give us an exposure similar to that of a corporate project. To elaborate on the other departments, professors have a unique method teaching and are approachable. Each department in Xavier's has its academic association and organises paper presentation session at Khandala Seminar, where students choose a topic, work on it for the whole year and present the paper. The teacher student ratio differs from course to course. The final year course or subject all depends on the CGPA one scores.

The placement cell is quite co-operative and efficient. I myself got placed in ICICI as an eco-socio graduate from my College. All thanks to the placement cell. To get into placement cell one has to pay an amount of Rs. 1500/-. The placement starts from as early as July. Top MNCs like KPMG, Deloitte, Accenture, Bain, Kearney, etc. hire students. The average package is mostly around 6 LPA to 7 LPA which is quiet a deal for a fresher. Other startups and small companies offer 3 LPA to 4 LPA. The placement committee and other committees in College conduct skill development events, honors program and sessions by industry experts to help students for placement. The hiring process of each company differs but mostly its short listing of résumé, aptitude test and two levels of interviews.

Our College does have a hostel but it's only for boys who are outstation i.e. students who are from different states or district. The hostel has approximately 35 to 50 rooms with each room accommodating 2-3 boys. The mess food is good and it is served 3 times a day. As per my knowledge the students have to pay approximately Rs. 1,00,000/- per year as the hostel fees (exclusive of food). The hostel is equipped with good electricity and water facility. Hostel rules include no entry to outsiders and girls. No smoking or drinking. The hostellers are required to get back to their allotted rooms before 10 PM.

The campus is spread in around 2.94 acres of land. It has 60 big and comfortable classrooms with very ancient but beautiful hall along with 2 multi-media rooms, 1 studio, a conference hall (with a very aesthetic chapel located inside it). Most classrooms have a seating capacity of around 70 to 80 students. The College has 2 beautiful and rich in literature libraries, basketball court, volleyball court, a gymkhana for indoor sports and exercises, 1 FinTech lab, computer labs, medical room, canteen, common room, a wellness center with an amazing psychologist constantly helping students along with student support group. My most favorite part of the College is XRCVC (Xavier's Research Centre for Visually Challenged). The College is quiet helpful and accessible to students having a physical impairment.

SXCBOM Mumbai is known for its campus life. It's totally happening and lively. The College has 15 curricular committees with different objectives. Everyday each committee is conducting some or the other activity or session. There are students jamming in the canteen and dancing in the foyer for inter-collegiate fests. This is one of the best Colleges to choose if you are an artist, painter, dancer, instrumentalist, actor, etc. Working in these fests and committees not only helps one develop their skills but also acts as a good place for networking. The College has a strong student council. The College is well-known for its annual Fest ‘Malhar’. Students across Mumbai participate in it since this fest has its own hype and charm. At our College academics, talent and art is celebrated. There are other fests such as ‘Janfest': an annual classical music concerts, ‘Zephyrus’ (Business fests) and many more. College also has a mandatory social involvement program in the first year for all the students to make them understand the difficulties of the underprivileged. Overall the fests, the committees and the activities make the College happening and lively.