St Stephen's College B.A Review By Femi Grace

As the popular perception goes, St. Stephen's College is considered to be one of the most prestigious and best colleges in India. Throughout the years, it has remained as the college every high school student dreams of. The reputation is obviously one of the main reasons why students aspire for this college, apart from the huge alumni names, and it was the same for me as well. Also, Stephen's is known to have one of the best faculties in India, especially for Arts courses. Two years in college made me realize that, although not everything was exactly how one sees and expects from the outside, the college still can be regarded as one of the finest. The faculty indeed is one of the best, the environment of academics is always competitive, the overall atmosphere is challenging and the reputation seems reasonable. However, one will nevertheless find a home in the vintage buildings of red bricks, and will definitely gain a lifetime experience.

With the new changes bought through NEP in the Indian Education System, ours was the first batch which got into Undergraduate Courses through the CUET entrance exam. Each desired undergraduate course has its own eligibility criteria with respect to the subjects selected in Class XII and the subjects one has to choose as papers for the CUET. The details are in the CUET guidelines PDF found on their website. The entry requirement in terms of the cutoff marks for History Honors in St. Stephen's College is not publicly available. Students are enrolled based on their total marks and the seat availability. St. Stephen's is a minority institution and therefore it has its own procedure for selecting minority students. While 85% determinant is the CUET score, the 15% marks are based on interviews held by the college for the aspiring students from minorities. This rule is subject to change, considering the Supreme Court case regarding this contention. Students in History Honors in our batch had scores ranging from 800/800 to 600/800. The motive for the selection of this course is mostly due to interest and aptitude. However, History Honors is also a well known course in Stephen's as the favorite of young UPSC aspirants.

The faculty in college, especially for History Honors is by far the best I have encountered. All the professors are extremely well qualified and are professionals in their disciplines. The knowledge in their respective subjects and areas of interest is impressively deep. Most of these teachers also have years of experience in teaching the variety of papers. The way of teaching is extremely effective and passionate. They guide the students really well; shape them and their personalities for exams, but also for life. Most of these teachers foster critical thinking skills and correlate teaching content with contemporary realities as well. All of them are student friendly too.

St. Stephen's College has its own placement cell known as the CPC (Campus Placement Cell). The CPC is quite effective in our college in regards of overall guidance provided to students from day 1 for shaping their careers. Students receive huge number of internship opportunities while in college, and by the final year, the college sees an impressive number of students recruited for various jobs throughout and outside the country.

Yes, the college has its own residential facilities. St. Stephens has 3 residences for girls and 3 for boys. The residence of the teaching staff is also within the campus. Students are admitted into the hostel based on various criteria’s such as distance from home, score, academic performance, participation in extracurricular activities, attendance in lectures and other activities etc. The hostel is not the best, considering the infrastructure and mess food. The overall infrastructural facilities are not well conditioned for Delhi and its climatic reactions. The mess food is only average, and the restrictions are slightly stricter for girls than the boys. There is no air conditioning. However, the residence is extremely popular amongst students as the choice of accommodation, considering the fee and the corresponding facilities. The cost of commutation saved is high, and the residence remains extremely convenient for students to enjoy college life to its fullest. Extracurricular activities have wider scope and more suitability for the residence students, and they also have their own recreational activities in terms of fests, sports and other activities. The residence students also have an upper hand over participation in any kind of events, especially the ones which extend late into the evenings. The friendships and camaraderie formed between the residence students is an exceptional experience, which day scholars lose out on. The overall experience is of fun and frolic, and the residence experience remains one of the favorites of every Stephanian.

The infrastructure facilities of the college are one of its main drawbacks. The college is more than a century old, and so is most of its infrastructure. The buildings, chairs, tables, and overall structure is old, yet unique. The campus is wide and beautiful and has a lot of greenery. The college holds a unique vintage and aesthetic charm to it, and most of it is due to the beauty of the buildings. However, keeping that aside, the infrastructure is generally fragile and constantly under the threat of damage. With the FYUP programmed to be implemented from the forthcoming year, the college is under construction to expand its buildings and number of classrooms. All the classrooms as of now are air conditioned. However, the auditorium hall is not. The college has multiple lawns as well, apart from the huge sports ground and basketball court. The college also has its own gymnasium and a recreational room for indoor games and sports.

The campus life in college is lively, however not as colorful as one expects from the DU culture. The college is mostly isolated from the larger DU atmosphere, both in metaphorical and interactive terms. However, Stephen's has its own charm from the huge number of events and programs held every day of different nature by different societies. Many societies are one of the best in DU, and the college sees many nationally and internationally reputed speakers and people as guests of events. The annual fest of the Harmony spans three days with cultural performances from each department and society. The third day is famous for its prom night. However, this fest unfortunately is closed to any students from outside the college. Many society events are open to all. The overall crowd in Stephens is largely quite active, however a significant number are leaned more towards academics than extracurricular.