Chitkara University, Rajpura BJMC Review By Ishita Kukreja

Chitkara University is an institute that focuses on the overall development of the student. It does not only provide academic exposure, several internships as well as international opportunities. The admission process is quite simplified and is available both online as well as offline mode. University maintains contact and assists you with the admission process till it has been done. The college management is quite efficient as several events are organised by them which includes guest lectures, fest, exchange programmes and much more. My journey as a Chitkarian has just begun and till now even in my first semester ample of opportunities was laid before me.

The course I joined is Bachelors of Journalism and Mass Communication (BJMC). The eligibility of this course is the clearance of 12th in any stream from any board, which is followed by a personal interview. There is no sort of entrance exam to join the course. I joined this course because the media industry is quite in demand and it is widespread. The different nature of subjects that are taught gives us several options to choose from. In my first year, I have been taught subjects like Fundamentals of Journalism, Mass communication theories and practices, Photography, Introduction to reporting. The subjects which will be taught in future revolve around advertising, PR, Radio, Television in specific. Two subjects: English and Current affairs continue during the whole course. The subjects are as par expectations: It gives whole insights about the media industry as well. The course is quite helpful in jobs as the whole practical part is worked upon as well for which various labs like a radio station, television studio are setup. It also helps in the network building of a student which will add to the CV of a student.

The number of faculty even though limited is quite an expert in their respective field in my course. The university overall is quite big and contains several teachers according to the requirements of a particular course. The teachers which are hired in my course are usually having some sort of experience with the media industry as some of them have even worked with media giants. The dean of our department is still working as a host of the news bulletin All India Radio. Most of the teachers are well qualified and some of them have completed and some are pursuing their PhD. Teachers of my department are quite helpful in aspects other than academics as well. They maintain a cordial relationship with students and are always ready to mentor us. Even the dean himself keeps on interacting with the students in order to provide guidance and mentor them.

Chitkara has a very well working training & placement cell. It also has an international department that assists the students who want to apply for exchange programmes, pursue their higher studies abroad and want to apply for a scholarship. Even in the first year itself, several expert talks, guest lectures, extracurricular activities have been intros to us. There are regular efforts to add on to our CV. Top companies that visit our campus for placement are Radio Mirchi FM, Hindustan Times, NDTV, Network18, PVR cinemas and many more. The sixth semester is usually reserved for internship, to gain an industrial exposure. Generally 90% of the students receive an internship either paid or unpaid. This, the training and placement cell is extensively working.

Yes, a hostel facility is provided to the students. There are several hostels in the university campus itself for both boys and girls. They are separate buildings for both boys and girls. The hostel fees per year approx around Rs.1,10,000. It includes the hostel rent, mess charges and the laundry too. The food which mess provides is liked by only some students as it is not home-like. But, the cafeterias in the college offer scrumptious food at normal prices. One disadvantage of the hostel is the common washroom. There is a strict gating policy in the hostel and tight security as well. If you want to leave the campus, you have to take a gate pass which will require permission from your parents. This, it is quite strict in those terms. However, we can freely roam in the campus before the gating time.

The university campus is very beautiful and does not disappoint in any context. Every department has been allotted a separate building and each building has a wonderful environment as well as architecture. The classrooms are very well equipped and provide a good environment. There are libraries in almost all the departments and practical labs as well. A modern computer room is also present in the campus. In our department radio labs, television studio, video editing room is present. There are two cafeterias in the campus named Square one and Square two., Lapinos Pizza is also present in the campus itself and many playgrounds are also there. A garden namely Chitkara woods is also present in the campus itself. Also sports facilities like badminton court, tennis court, swimming pool are also present. Amenities for other sports are also included in the campus.

The overall campus life of Chitkara is extremely good. It gives you a full experience ranging from academic excellence to fun-filled days. In the university which gives you a medium to pursue your interests. Several clubs operate in the campus. These clubs are related to dance, music, bhangra, MUN’s etc. Fests are also organised for one department or the other. This, overall my experience at Chitkara University is amazing and campus life is equally amazing.