UWC Mahindra College

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Mahindra United World College India
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Village Khubawali, PO Paud Pune , Maharashtra , 412108 India
Coordinates	18°32′29″N 73°35′09″E / 18.54139°N 73.58583°E / 18.54139; 73.58583Coordinates: 18°32′29″N 73°35′09″E / 18.54139°N 73.58583°E / 18.54139; 73.58583
Information
Other name	MUWCI
Type	Independent, boarding school
Motto	UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future
Established	1997; 24 years ago (1997)
Oversight	United World Colleges
Chairman	Keshub Mahindra
Head of College	Soraya Sayed Hassen
Faculty	27
Gender	Co-educational
Number of students	240 (boarding)
Student to teacher ratio	9:1
Campus size	175 acres (0.71 km2)
Campus type	Rural
National ranking	AAAAA, 1# Boarding School in Maharashtra[1]
Newspaper	On The Hill
School fees	29,500$ (2019-2020)[citation needed]
Affiliation	International Baccalaureate
Website	www.uwcmahindracollege.org

UWC Mahindra College is a pre-university International Boarding School, located 40km west of Pune in Maharashtra, India. The college is a two-year programme with about 250 full-time boarders, and follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP). It is one of the 18 United World Colleges. The school was established in 1997 by the patron of Mahindra Group, Harish Mahindra; the current chair is Keshub Mahindra.

History[]

On 28 November 1997, Queen Noor of Jordan and Nelson Mandela inaugurated the UWC Mahindra College in India as one of the now eighteen United World Colleges (UWC) and the third UWC in Asia. The school was largely funded by donations (approximately US$8m) from the Mahindra family, especially Harish Mahindra.^{[citation needed]}

The founding Head of College, David Wilkinson, together with his wife Veronica Wilkinson, had previously founded the Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong. In 2009, Jonathan Long became the Head of the College. In 2011, Pelham Lindfield Roberts became the Head of College until May 2018 when he moved to UWC in China. Following him, Soraya Sayed Hassen became the Head of College.

Campus[]

The college is located near the village of Paud in the Taluka Mulshi region of the western state of Maharashtra, India. It is around 40 km from the city of Pune (which, in turn, is around 100 km south-east of Mumbai). The MUWCI campus is situated on a hill surrounded by rural communities and overlooking the valley of the Mula river near Mulshi Dam.

The residential side of campus is divided into communal clusters called "Wadas". The Wadas house between 40 and 60 students and 4-6 teachers and families. Students live in independent houses of 8 students each, with communal courtyards. Teachers also serve as 'Wada parents' and 'House parents', providing a supportive residential learning context.

View of one of the staircases leading to the main academic quadrangle.

The campus is divided into a residential and an academic area. The campus of the school was designed by architect Christopher Charles Benninger. The design incorporates traditional elements and local building materials.^[2][3]

Academics[]

A view of the academic area

UWC Mahindra College offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Students can also choose to do the UWC Mahindra College Project Based Diploma by choosing a research project to pursue during two years of study.^[4]

College Meeting, May 2005

The following IB subjects are available at UWCMC, though offerings may change slightly year to year:^[5][6][7]

• Group 1: The Students' Best Language - English Literature (HL/SL), English Language And Literature (HL/SL), Spanish Literature (HL/SL), Hindi Literature (HL/SL), Language Self-Taught (HL/SL)
• Group 2: Modern Language Acquisition - English B (HL/SL), Hindi B (HL/SL), Beginner's Hindi (SL), Spanish B (HL/SL), Spanish ab initio (SL), French B (HL/SL), German B (HL/SL)
• Group 3: Individuals and Societies - Psychology (HL/SL), Philosophy (HL/SL), Global Politics (HL), History (HL/SL), Economics (HL/SL), Environmental Systems and Societies (SL)
• Group 4: Experimental Sciences - Physics (HL/SL), Chemistry (HL/SL), Biology (HL/SL), Environmental Systems and Societies (SL), Computer Science (HL/SL).
• Group 5: Mathematics - Mathematics (HL/SL), Mathematical Studies (1 year or 2 years) (SL)
• Group 6: The Arts - Visual Arts (HL/SL), Film Studies (HL/SL), Theater (HL/SL).

Apart from formal subjects, the experiential learning programme (known as Triveni at UWCMC) forms a significant part of the students' education. Triveni in Hindi means confluence of three rivers. Triveni is formed of three streams - (i) the IB CAS (Creativity, Action & Service) programme, (ii) Project & Travel Weeks (iii) a rich on-campus seminar and discussion series including This Is India, Global Affairs, guest speakers and more.

Students[]

Students in UWC Mahindra College represent many different nationalities. The Class of 2018 represented 57 countries.

Admission[]

Students are nominated to UWC Mahindra College via their UWC National Committees. Indian students, residents and PIO/OCI students can apply via the . The selection process is rigorous with an acceptance rate of 10-15%. The application process for Indian students starts in June and are finalized by January. The candidates are shortlisted based on potential to demonstrate UWC values and academic merit. Shortlisted candidates are invited to an overnight selection camp held at the UWCMC campus in Pune. During the camp, various activities are conducted including panel interviews, Group Discussions, Object-Presentation and various written and computer based tests. Based on the students' performance the committee nominates students to Mahindra UWC or any of the other sixteen United World Colleges.

Administration[]

David Wilkinson was the founding Head of College at the inception of UWC Mahindra College in 1997. In 2009, Jonathan Long was appointed as the Head of College and remained until 2011, when Pelham Lindfield Roberts joined.^[8] Soraya Sayed Hassen took on the role of Head of College in 2018,^[9] after Pelham Lindfield Roberts was appointed principal at .

Alumni[]

• Dhaval Chadha,^[10] '04
• Arvinn Gadgil, '99
• Valeria Luiselli
• Malaika Vaz, '15
• ,^[11][12] '15

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Plans and images at archnet.org