Garden City University B.Com Review By Kumavat Ghanshyam

I joined GCU in 2013 and kicked off immediately. I was used to public talk and the stage, so I just rocked at the orientation program. I was made my class leader as many outsiders went in isolation because they were not used to it. I was among the first batch of the University, and since then, the University has grown many x times. Earlier, the college was under Karnataka State University, but the college gained autonomous state in 2013. As soon as the college turned autonomous, things speeded up. Everything happened so swiftly from admissions to commencement, and I can say it from my experience that the entire process of getting admitted here is hassle-free. If Christ University and St. Joseph's College are the top-ranked commerce colleges in Bangalore, then GCU for sure is third in that list. There were only positive surprises at the University as the faculty and facilities provided were beyond my expectations.

One might differ, but Bangalore University B. Com (Hons) syllabus is outdated and poor. GCU has revised it, and the syllabus was at par with DU. The professors guided us with sheer dedication as B. Com (Hons) is much tougher than a normal B. Com. Apart from university books, we also used to refer to DU books. The course was divided into six semesters, and each semester had 6 theory and 2 practical subjects. To move further, one can carry a maximum of 1 experimental and 2 theory subjects.

Faculty were not outright professional as many new or freshers were hired. They lacked experience but brought freshness. A new university does need fresh faces, and I am sure they would have become pro by now. I didn't had any issues then, but some students who love criticizing or are good at bashing others and finding nooks had a problem with faculties. I loved them because one can have a hand in hand with them even beyond classrooms. They always welcomed us in staff rooms and also completed all our demands of getting some extra classes. Buttering was also required to get through the practical’s as practical’s in B. Com is a copy-paste thing.

Placements were as good as no placements. Since we were the first batch and B. Com students were not even considered for placements. The companies that came for BCA or BBA students had few roles for B. Com students, and they made some petty offers. No steep offers were made, and therefore none of my classmates had a campus placement. I was okay with that because even DU students who do B. Com struggle to find jobs. So, placements seemed irrelevant to talk about.

Galaxy home or the boy's hostels were super fantastic. The hostel rooms were terrific, and all UG students were allotted A wing as it had all 3 and 4 seater rooms. The B wing was for PG students as it had 2 seaters and single-seater rooms. The hostel rules were strict as no one other than hostellers were allowed to enter the hostel premises. There were two wardens as one on day duty and the other one for night duty. If anyone stays in the hostel and bunking classes without any medical emergency, they would immediately report that. The food was hygienic but had a limited menu. The girl's hostel was called Venus Home and had four wings, i.e., C, D, E, and F. The curfew time differed as it was 9 pm for the boys hostel, but for Venus Home, it was 8 pm. We had extra leverage on Saturdays as the in time was increased from 8 pm to 10 pm for girls and 9 pm to 11 pm for boys.

The University is a namesake of it as it is like a garden with modern buildings and a palm tree complex with over 100 palm trees. Cemented roads, a proper shed for parking, and a food court just below the main admin building. The hostels are behind the main buildings, and one has to cross the college building before leaving the college as the hostel doesn't have a separate exit point. For the first time, I saw an indoor football ground, and the sport is known as Futsal. Apart from that, there's a beautiful basketball court. To justify the name of Garden University, there are flower pots planted on each floor, and one can visibly see the garden view from any point of the University.

Life at GCU was different than what I had at boarding schools. Even though I was a hosteller, we had more freedom. We were taken for industrial visits twice, and workshops for photography, acting, and singing were organized on campus every now and then. The University also organizes a blood donation camp every year. Thus, the campus was full of life and full of energy.