Stella Maris College, Chennai

Admissions to the Bachelor's program are through SSLC and HSC marks. Students are short-listed based on their HSC performance and called on for an interview which is held in the presence of the HoD and most faculties of the respective department. A further selection is based on your confidence and the interest you display towards the subject during the interview. The admission process was very organized and based on merit.

I joined Stella Maris College to pursue my bachelor's in Physics in 2015. The course spans over 3 years (6 semesters). The first two years will consist of core papers (Physics) along with elective papers from other Science departments such as Mathematics and Chemistry, while the final year focuses on only Core papers. Hands-on practical sessions will be conducted in the first two years in Physics (core) and Chemistry (Allied). Each of our Faculty members are either CSIR-NET qualified or holds a Ph.D. degree or both. They are well-qualified and very approachable. Our batch (2015-2018) had 55 students. The grades were calculated based on both internals (50%) and semester exams (50%). With regard to the internals, usually, two internal tests will be conducted for each paper to calculate the overall internal grades. In addition to that, a third internal test will be held to help students boost their grades.

Students in the final years of their respective courses are eligible to attend placements. The Placement cell within campus takes the initiative to analyze the skill set of the students who are interested in getting placed and guides them accordingly. Nearly 60% of the students attending placements get recruited from leading companies in the IT, Bank sector to name a few. In addition to that, if the student wants to pursue higher studies, their faculties guide them accordingly.

SMC has both Aided (morning) and Self-financed (Evening) shifts. The Shift mentioned by the students in their application will be given preference. Since Shift II is self-financed, its fee will be more than that of Shift I. The college has a Placement cell within the campus which helps students get placed in leading companies in the IT, Banks sectors to name a few.

SMC holds an annual fest called Aquilae. A star-studded, colorful event where students from all city colleges are invited gives way to an epic 3 days per year. The college and its departments constantly encourage its students to attend cultural events in other colleges. Hence along with academia, SMC students are well-rounded in all aspects. It's mandatory for students to join at least one club within the campus in the first year. Students have a wide variety of clubs to choose from including NSS, NCC, Sports teams such as basketball, table tennis, yoga, etc, Eco-club, Rotary club, Mime, Dance, Choir to name a few. The Student's Union members are voted and selected by the student body itself.