Sir Sitaram and Lady Shantabai Patkar College of Arts and Science B.A Review By Sejal Pandey

Patkar-Varde College is amongst the best colleges in Mumbai. It is reaccredited with A+ by NAAC. It also won the "star college scheme" award and Rusa 2.0 award. It is affiliated with Mumbai University which is among the top universities of India. No matter in which course you want to enroll in, the college makes a different staff committee for making the admission process easier for students. And that committee not just guides you on how to take the admission but also counseling is done for the students who are confused upon which stream to choose. The management is friendly and solves all your queries and makes it easier for you to understand the college better.

Earlier I was very much confused on which course to choose. So, the counseling staff aided me with that. After talking to the counselors I got the clear vision on which course to go for. I opted for Bachelor of Arts. And there are numerous other courses provided by this college. The eligibility criteria for every course is different. However if you want to enroll in bachelors degree courses then you have to have a minimum amount of cut-off marks in your HSC. The cut-off marks differ every year. I wanted to join this course because I have a lot of interest in history and political science. The college professors are so well-read and they pay their utmost attention to the students. They don't just want to finish their syllabus and leave, but actually they help students understand the concepts in a deep way and the professors teach students even after the classes get over. And therefore, I never needed to join a personal coaching class.

For my course there are at least 50-65 faculties available just to solve your queries and doubts. And also overall there are numerous faculties which are related to different courses and different functions. The professors here have minimum 5 to 10 years of experience and more. The professors explain the concepts in a storytelling manner which becomes really interesting and therefore you pay your full attention. The teaching faculties are mostly doctorates in their respective fields. They are mostly PhDs and post-graduates. They use PowerPoint presentations, charts and interesting field works which make the subject interesting. The very unique thing about this college is that they emphasize a lot on social works. Therefore, a lot social work related activities keep occurring in Patkar College.

The students who pass out from such a reputed college are easily hired by honorable companies. The training and placement cell of Patkar-Varde college provides various courses and trainings which are very useful for placement purposes. Courses such as personality development, speaking skills, public speaking etc. are provided free of cost. One of my senior friends was offered job in Motilal Oswal Company which is an outstanding opportunity for any fresh graduate. Mostly everyone gets a placement/job after graduating from such a prominent college. So, placement opportunities are not a problem here.

Yes, Patkar college provides a hostel facility. There are separate hostels for girls and boys. There is a big building which is joint with the college itself and that is the hostel of girls. The boys' hostel is behind the college which is three-storey building. The hostel fees is not very expensive. It is reasonably affordable. In the morning there is breakfast and tea which is provided in the college canteen and in the afternoon lunch and in the evening dinner which are also provided in the college canteen. The food is healthy and hygienic. The food quality is given a priority here. You are not allowed to go outside the hostel after 10 pm which is a moderate and common rule for any hostel. They provide locker services and the security is tight every time. The students who do not live in hostels are not allowed to enter the hostel premises.

The infrastructure of this college is commendable. The area of the ground is very vast and the buildings related to different courses have their different grounds. There is a big canteen in which there are a variety of foods and beverages offered. Behind the canteen, there is a beautiful space with beautiful benches where you can chill and relax with your friends or alone. The classrooms are substantial and there is a projector and a stage where the professors stand so that they keep an eye on every student as the classroom is large. The library is enormous in terms of area as well as in terms of variety of books. You can read whichever books you want for whatever amount of time you want. You can even take the books home to read. Not just books but also newspapers and various magazines are available here also novels and story books. There are 10-12 laboratories in this college in different buildings which are for different streams. There are 3-5 biotechnology labs and 5-6 chemistry labs and 6-7 biology labs and 4-5 physics labs. There are many workshops held by the teachers or sometimes by the seniors who are related to different niches and career growth. There is a large auditorium where guest speakers are brought and functions and important announcements are made. In case of any medical or emergency you just have to call the staff and they would be happy and ready to help you.

The campus life here is terrific. The amount of things that you learn is endless. You just not learn the simple bookish things here, but also the practical things which are actually needed in real life. You learn to write and speak in a professional manner. Problem-solving skills, decision-making skills are formulated in you. Not just your career but also as a person your personality grows in this college. There is a chess club, sports club, extracurricular activities club, badminton club, cricket club, boxing club, self-defense club, and what not! The boxing club is very famous in this college. There are many intercollegiate level competitions organised. There are many fests in Patkar college and every department organises their own fests. The arts department has its fest called as Ikralio, the commerce has Vinyasa or something like that. The fests here are celebrated on a great scale. Professional band, DJ, etc. can be seen during fests and many famous actors and actresses also come to these fests. Overall, the college life or I should say the campus life here is remarkable.