St. Joseph's University - An honest, personal review

The course of Biology as one subject was started in the year 2022. I was in the first batch of the course. Therefore, the department was figuring out the structure and curriculum. There has been major changes made to the curriculum since it was first started. Presently, the curriculum is very relevant and engaging. The labs of the Biology course are not very advanced and modern. Old equipments and techniques are still being used.

Not many internships are available. Students usually have to find internships on their own. And a few courses require one to complete an internship to complete the course. Students usually find it on their own.

Campus placements is majorly available for students of the Commerce, Business, Computer science fields. Other courses too have placements, but it's not that great. The University also offers various courses under the placement cell, like soft skill courses, LinkedIn subscriptions etc.

In the first year, the fees for BSc Biology started at 40000 and now increased to 78500. The spike is majorly due to the college becoming a University in 2022 (therefore inclusion of additional University fees) The fees for other courses differ across streams respectively. From the year academic year 2024, there is a major change in the fee structure of all courses due to the implementation of the State Education Policy. The fees is set for 3 majors. For the year academic year, 2024-25 the fees for BSc Biology (+2 other majors) is approximately 1 lakh, with slight differences according to the other majors. There are various scholarship options at SJU. There is a Management Scholarship given out by the University Management. The University is very keen on students using all scholarship opportunities that they can. There is a detailed page for scholarships given in the University website. (www sju.edu.in)

SJU is very happening. It has 2 major fests per year. One is an intra-college fest and the other is a inter-college fest. There are numerous associations and clubs in the college. There is something for everyone. It is all majorly student led. So, there are various leadership opportunities for students. There is a vibrant sports community as well.

There is a boys' hostel in the University campus. And there is a tie-up with a girl's hostel outside the campus. The hostel is average. There are many PGs around the campus. Since the University is located in the heart of the city, the rent is comparatively high. More details of the Boys' hostel is given in the University website. (I don't know much because I'm a girl hahaha)

I got accepted to Mount Carmel College before I received acceptance from SJU. But SJU was my first priority. Reasons being - SJU is Co-ed which plays an important role in a holistic sense. and MCC didn't have the course that SJU had. And SJU seemed to have better infrastructure, faculty and overall. The admission process at SJU is pretty simple. First, the applicant has to send in an applicant. Then, you are shortlisted for an interview/test, depending on the course you choose. Then you are informed if you are accepted. You have to pay the fees and that's the admission process. The interviews are not very intense (again, dpeneding on the faculty who take the interview). But basic knowledge of the course, why you're choosing the course and college has to be clear.

There is an average of 40 students in a class. This also depends on the course and stream. But the faculty number is directly proportional to the number of students in the course. Teachers are very approachable. The exam system in constantly evolving according to University guidelines. But there is a standard of 1 Midsemester exam and 1 Final exam (+ 1 Final Practical exams for Practical subjects) The exams are not too complicated, but not too easy too. There are options for students to improve their scores/ retake exams, by paying a certain amount. The course structure is also constantly evolving depending on relevancy.

I had to give an entrance interview for my admission. This is after I was shortlisted for the interview. There is a filteration done after the initial application is submitted. The interview was taken by a teacher of my subject (Biology) He asked questions relating to the subject. They were basic question. For some of my friends, they had two rounds of interviews. One with faculty/faculties and the next with the Dean of the stream /Vice Chancellor.