This one dreadful question plaguing every DU aspirant has remained constant throughout the years: what should I prefer, course vs college?
And the problem with this debate has been that all the usual arguments make sense, and there is no clear winner. Truth be told, this dilemma is bound to occur for a majority of DU aspirants, but the approach under each circumstance will be different. It matters what options you are talking about, what discipline is being considered, which colleges are being compared and what your personal choices are.
To make it easy for you to figure it out, we asked current DU students what they think about this course-college conundrum. Here’s what they have to say:
- Sometimes it depends on the discipline you are choosing
“In my opinion, you should prefer the course because especially for science courses, Masters is the most preferred route after graduation and since for PG, course is important and not college. But this might not be the case for commerce and arts from what I’ve seen.” – Nancy, Pursuing Life Sciences from Hansraj College
- The classic argument of “you should know how to make the best out of it”
“In my opinion, one should prefer course over college because the knowledge you gain is what will stick with you forever. People would probably not ask about the college you went to, but they’ll always ask your qualifications. Getting into an illustrated college has its own perks but you shouldn’t keep your future at stake. All the colleges are good if you know how to make the best out of it.” – Astha Pursuing B.Com Prog. from Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College
- The balanced approach
“In my opinion one should give importance to the course more than college. That is where the seeds for your future are sown. Your choice of course will help you understand its major pros and cons. If you take up any job in the near future what comes in the forefront is the skills you acquired while learning the course. But I also feel the kind of learning atmosphere a good educational institution has the potential to provide in acquiring these skills is also imperative. Ultimately it’s upto you how you bring out the best in you.” – Leela Pursuing B.A (Hons) History from SGTB Khalsa College
- A matter of how a college matters
“I would say one should prefer College over Course because College contributes to one’s overall development.College name decides one’s value in the market. Better learning environment, experienced & efficient faculty, better classroom experience, great placement opportunities etc. are some of the many benefits of going to a reputed college.” – Chetna pursuing BMS from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
- One way is to prioritise
“In my opinion both the course and College do matter. Although the course should be the first priority. But we should not forget that the college name adds a lot to CV and helps in placements as well. If one can get into the College of its choice with the course preferred then it is perfect. Otherwise the course should be given first
preference as one has to study only that during the graduation.” – Diksha pursuing B.Com(Hons) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women
- Hear it from an ECA student
“In my opinion, you should prefer college over course. Your course matters but so does your environment in which you will be building your base. Many top ranked colleges have fantastic societies, which students can explore and be a part of. Being an ECA student, it is due to my society that I’ve experienced and learned many new things. Good colleges give better opportunities in every way.” – Sumixna pursuing B.A(Hons) English from Gargi College
- College is temporary, course is permanent
“In my opinion course should always be preferred over college. Political Science is one of the most fashionable courses of DU and it has a lot of scope. It helps you grow according to the current issues happening in and out of the nation. You indulge in classroom debates that change your perspective about world completely. College will be over in three years but course is what decides your future. Your dream can only be made easier of you have your course in your hand. College is temporary but course is permanent.” – Deepangna pursuing BA (H) Political Science from Miranda House
“In my opinion course matters to a great deal as compared to the college. College will be there only for those 3 years but your course and the knowledge you get out of it remains with you forever.” – Shashwat pursuing BCom Prog. from Shaheed Bhagat Singh college (SBSC)
“For a student course as well as college both matters,a good college means good environment to study and course of your interest means to study what you love. But the course should always be given preference over the college as you can learn a lot studying your choice of subject.” – Mohit pursuing BA(P) from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
“In my opinion, definitely course should be given preference over the college because ultimately what you have studied matters more than from where you have studied. Every college is good in its own way and ofcourse the curriculum of the course as prescribed by the university remains same everywhere. This is the same dilemma that I faced too and I gave preference to course. I feel that my decision is perfect.” – Anubhavi pursuing B.com(Hons.) from Satyawati college
“In my opinion course over college should be given more preference. I’m not going to deny that a good college adds to your CV and maybe a higher standing. But till what point? It would secure you an interview at the most. At the end of the day what matters is that you are genuinely interested in the course that you’re pursuing because that passion is going to help you excel at what you do. Not the name of your college. A college will only get you so far. So instead of thinking about your short term benefits, focus on your long term goal. Don’t gamble your career away for the sake of showing off for the next three years.” – Ankita pursuing B.A(hons) Multimedia and Mass Communication from Indraprastha College for Women
“I believe that courses take up an upper hand in comparison to colleges. Since, what one might learn during a particular course stays forever with them not a specific college he persues that in. The tag of Delhi University is attached to every student’s profile, it’s the course which will lead their future and interest.” – Anuradha pursuing BA Hons History from SGTB Khalsa College
“In my opinion , an individual should prefer course over college because selecting a course is all about pursuing one’s passion. Opting for a course of liking will not only ensure that you find studies interesting, but also this means that you’ll have a far better chance of excelling in the academics. On the other hand, pursuing a course of a non-interesting field can undermine the performance, sometimes to great extents.
One must remember that having a brilliant academic record in a preferred course from a not much reputed college is always better than having an average or above average academic record from an exceptional college . From my own experiences, I believe not having a good college name in your CV can be compensated by good academic results but average academic records even from exceptional colleges may not open a way to stable future.” – Sanjoli pursuing BCom Hons from Kamala Nehru College
- Because college is important for exposure
“In my opinion college should be given more preference over course because college gives you exposure for your over-all development and after all, it matters what you learn through societies and activities. That said, one should not sacrifice his/her stream. For instance, One can prefer a better college if he is getting B.com (P) instead of B.com Hons. That will not make a big difference but refrain from change of stream as in shifting to Eng Hons. Or Political Science Hons. in the said case.” – Mridul pursuing B.com (P) from Sri Aurobindo College
- Some ‘sweet’ suggestions
“Getting into the preferred college with the preferred course is like cherry on a cake. But even if you don’t get the cherry you will still be having your cake i.e your course.” – Sharique pursuing B.com (H) from Ramjas College
- What’s your final goal?
“We can’t ignore the fact that academic reputation of a college plays a vital role in providing opportunities and better facilities. But not everyone is eligible to get into such colleges. Keeping that in mind, I would prefer that course should be given more importance than college because it will decide your career, which is your extreme goal, and your institution provides you a space to pursue that. At the end, what you have done matters, not from where.” – Sakshi pursuing Political Science Hons from Miranda House
- A walk in the park, yes?
“A preferred course has worth much more than that of a reputed college- College name adds to the brand but if you aren’t doing what you love (Course) then you won’t be able to make it in the long run – Course provides the base on which you will do the Postgraduation- College on the other hand provides you exposure which would help you to get the job but maintaining that job would not be a walk in a park.
So course over college anytime.” – Kunal pursuing B.Com (P) from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
- Remember, it is all DU, guys!
“In my opinion, Course definitely takes an upper hand over the college. There is no denying the fact that a college can do wonders in shaping one’s personality, but it cannot dig an interest which never existed at the first place. You could well enjoy course if you are in a good college because of factors like faculty and culture, but it wouldn’t stay long after the 3 year term ends. It is better to add upon your underlying interests because you can anyway tap on the resources of the very integrated, Delhi University college” – Swati pursuing English (Hons.) from Miranda House
- Wrong course in a good college is a disaster
“In my opinion, course matters more than college. It’s important to choose a course you’re actually interested in as you might regret having chosen the wrong course later in life. Also, your course is what your career depends upon. College does help in shaping your personality to a large extent, but that doesn’t undermine the fact that with a wrong course in a good college, you might land up nowhere.” – Shriyanshi pursuing BA Hons. English from Lady Shri Ram College For Women
- Once and for all, the possibilities are endless
“A lot of people who choose courses they feel they are passionate about get disillusioned with their subject choices. There is a big possibility of you reconsidering your choice at the end of first two semesters.
However there’s an equal probability of you getting interested and passionate about a subject that is taught by better faculty members. For teachers and study material available to you would have a huge impact on the way youd perceive a course. I firmly believe that the name of a prestigious institution adds to ones over all growth and development. It not only pushes you to raise your bars but provides you with an edge over the others. There is no denying in the fact that it is the course that would be practiced in near future but it does not change the fact that it is a good institution and it’s vigorous training that allows the development of excellence and expertise. A good college offers better opportunities and new vistas for you to examine. College is that phase of life that enables you to explore your potentialities. A good institution better equips you with the armaments required. Welcome to the warzone!” – Oorja pursuing English Hons. from St. Stephen’s College.
We hope all of these opinions helped in making a decision! Good luck with the cut-off lists and entrance tests!
