SSE Review

Symbiosis School of Economics (SSE) has a great brand image as compared to other colleges I applied to (NMIMS & SNU). I chose SSE as it has great optional courses related to finance which I was interested in (Corporate Finance, Portfolio management and more). The college is in Pune which is really good as its a student city. It has great places around. The main con of the college is that its campus is very very small. We don't have any ground or court hence all sports practices are held in parks, grounds and courts a little far away from the college. The faculty is also not that great even though the curriculum is very well made.

The course is very good here. All subjects are practical ones. Students get to choose many optional subjects, ranging from Corporate Finance, Portfolio Management, Taxation, Operation Management, Behaviour Economics, Mathematical Economics and more which you won't find in Delhi University as well. The faculty is not very good. There are a few good ones but most students have a tough time understanding what they teach and rely on books and online material. About 40% of faculty have a PHD, while the rest hold a masters degree. The faculty-student ratio is about 1:30. Most teachers have a masters from Pune University, while quite a few have it from top college like Gokhale, DU, etc. Term exams are very tough for a few subjects like Statistics, Econometrics and macroeconomics. While there are quite a few easy subjects as well. Overall academics at SSE is tough and a student is expected to study throughout the year.

College offers internship opportunities but those aren't very good. Usually, these internships don't do any good for your profile. Recently, DE Shaw came for an internship and hired 4 students. This was the first good company to come on campus for the internship.

The Placement Cell is responsible for the placement process. It is not very streamlined. Getting a job is considered tough, usually, the student has to search for it themselves. The average package offered is about 4 Lakhs which is okayish. Usually, students go for masters in Europe which is one of the best options. About 40 people apply for placements out of 180 students and out of that about 20-30 get placed.

The fee is about 2.5 Lakhs per year for the BSc Economics Program. The fee is increased by about 8% every year. Hostel costs about 1.6L including food and rent. So for an outstation student, one year of study would cost about 4.1 Lakhs. There are no academic scholarships that are offered as such. There are a few scholarships that are need-based but are usually given after you take admission to the college. Internships aren't given by the college and a student has to find it himself. Placement cell works hard but a few people are able to get the job, or maybe students prefer to go for a masters afterwards.

There is an annual fest called Equilibrium which is organized in January. It is one of the top fests in Pune after a few colleges. There is student participation from all across Pune. We also have one economics fest called Economist of the year organised in Nov-Dec. Classrooms are well equipped with all facilities. There are no sports facilities on campus, students need to travel to grounds near the college that are rented by the team for practice. There are a lot of Clubs but most of them are totally dead. Student club and society culture do not exist.

The hostel is very near to the college building, almost 20 meters away. The hostel is good but very small. The mess is open to all and serves veg & non-veg food. The hostel is not very affordable and is based on merit not need.

There was a personal interview in the admission process. There is not set questions for Personal Interview, the faculty asks questions related to subjects you studied in school. Also, the emphasis is given on why you want to study economics from the Symbiosis School of Economics. SET is the entrance exam that needs to be given for admission. It contains Aptitude Questions, Verbal Ability and an essay. Basic level CAT questions can be done to crack the exam. The syllabus corresponds to CAT but is quite easier than that.