Ashoka University B.Sc Review By Devansh Srivastava

I chose this university because I wanted a curriculum and pedagogy different from traditional Indian colleges, and Ashoka provides just that. We can choose what we want to study and even select our courses and teachers, so the students have overall freedom in choosing what they want to study and how they want to study it, hence the liberal structure. My overall experience at the university has been highly positive. Apart from the academics, the students also get an overall liberty, so I would say this is indeed an overall liberal college, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different from the traditional teaching.

The academics at Ashoka University are rigorous, everyone has to do mandatory 9 Foundation Courses (FCs), which help them get a better idea about all the possible majors that they can take up and help them choose their major accordingly after exploring all the subjects. I am currently doing computer science and I am satisfied with the overall teaching practices of the faculty, there are not any entry requirements as such, you just have to complete the pre-requisites before taking up major/minor courses (wherever required). Classes are very engaging and interactive.

The faculty is top notch. We have teachers from MIT, IITs, and other very big names. The professors are very approachable and every class has Teaching Fellow(s) (TF) and Teaching Assistant(s) (TA), to whom you can go with any doubts or any concerns about the course that you may have. Students can also meet the professor’s one on one by booking office hours with them. The teaching style of the professors is such that the class stays very interactive, where students can speak up with any doubts and some classes are even led in the form of a conversation between the professor and the student body. All the teachers are from relevant backgrounds with relevant fields of studies, and hence teach very well. As I said, the academics are rigorous but it is what sets it apart, because it is being taught by the best.

There is a Career Development Office in Ashoka University which looks after the placements of the students, and works very well. Many big companies like Deloitte, EY, and Accenture etc. are regular recruiters from Ashoka University. Apart from jobs, many people opt for higher studies and go to Ivy Leagues and other great colleges to continue their studies.

Ashoka University is a residential college, which means every student has to stay on campus during the course of their studies. We have Residential Halls (RH) for this purpose, and all the RHs are the same. Two students live in a single room, and every room is equipped with central air conditioners. However, we do not have attached bathrooms in our rooms. We have common bathrooms, two on every floor, which are designed in such a way that they are accessible to everyone, including differently-abled people. Not only the bathrooms but the whole campus is accessible and friendly. We get hot water at a certain specified time. We also have two pantries on every floor, each with a refrigerator, induction cooker, water cooler, electric kettle, and seating facility. We also have Residence Assistants (RA) in every floor, who we can go to if we have any problem and they also organise recreational activities every once in a while.

The campus has a very good architecture where everything is well planned, we have 4 academic blocks where the classes are conducted, 5 Residence Halls as of now (the campus is being expanded currently and construction is going on, so the number will increase in the coming future), and a Mess Building with three floors. Apart from this, we also have Faculty Buildings, where some members from the faculty live and also some places where we can get food other than that of the mess. We also have a Multi Purpose Hall (MPH) where all the sports facilities are available and a swimming pool.

Because of the highly selective nature of Ashoka, the crowd is excessively filtered and is amazing, we have students with really good profiles and hence the crowd is really good. There are a lot of student led clubs and societies, many of which organise their own fests, and apart from the fests, there are many other activities which you can take part in almost every day. The student body is very friendly and welcoming to people from all places and backgrounds.