Presidency College B.A Review By Sourabh Bamal

It has been the most memorable experience of my life. I graduated from Presidency College, Chennai, in the arts. There were around five specializations in Arts, and students could choose any. The online application process was not available at Presidency College at our time. One has to apply in an old-fashioned way, and then the cut-off list is out. The cut for B.A. was 82% during our time. It was 82 for outsiders like us, but it was close to 70% for the students from Tamil Nadu. The college has a 10% reservation for outsiders, but the fact of the matter is that nearly 25% of the students were from other states of India.

In B.A., studies are lenient, which was the major reason I chose B.A. The attendance was not that compulsory as 50% was enough to be in the teacher's good books. There's still a yearly system rather than the semester in B.A. Internals carried just 10% weightage as it was more of a theory course. The question papers set by the university were fairly easy and getting passing marks was quite easy.

Teacher support is excellent, and they implement new-age things in their teaching. The faculty teaches students to think critically, which is sufficient for B.A. as the course is not that vast. Some teachers aren't good, but it was unquestionable when it comes to their qualifications. They prepare us well and train us carefully. Tests and exams aren't easy, but the faculty made us adapt quite well. Most students never miss a class because the professors make it so interesting. My personal view about the faculty is that I was very proud of the way they handled outsiders. They made sure that language will never be a communication barrier and they made sure that no students in the class speak in Tamil or any regional language for that matter. English was the first and only language of teaching and communication during the classes.

If a B.A. course could place students, I don't think anything better can happen than that. Jokes apart, but there weren't any placement opportunities for B.A. students. However, we were prepared for further entrance examinations. Our faculty and management recommended some colleges to us and made us prepare for them. I listened to them and landed in one of the country's best economic schools in Delhi. So the placements were as good as nil.

The boy's hostel of the College was called the Victoria boys hostel, and the accommodation for over 250 boys was possible in the hostel. All furniture and accessories needed for our wellbeing are provided in our well-organized rooms. The rooms are not allocated randomly but on a first-come, first-served basis, and no changes are made to the allocation afterward. The rooms were amazing and apart from our rooms there was a common room at the hostel with many gaming facilities. After consuming heavy dinner at the mess daily, it was important to burn out some calories, and for that the common room had enough facilities with a table tennis table, a badminton court close to the hostel and a basketball court with flood lights so that we could play at night as well. Another significant feature was the availability of laundry services. I had a lot of fun at the hostel as the hostel had students from several states of India.

Presidency College was built during the time of English rule, so its infrastructure reflects its heritage. There are also good classrooms and a good assembly hall and common room. In the general library, you will be able to find the necessary books. Laboratories offer necessary equipment, but for B.A. students it was an experiment lab and nothing else. Besides its computer lab, the college also has physics laboratories and zoological laboratories. The campus is surrounded by natural scenery. This is an ideal environment for those who love nature. Our library, labs, and research department are excellent, but the college buildings were in a little poor state. A Wi-Fi connection is available in the library. The hostels are also decent, and the food served in mess is okay. The College is located near the seashore and therefore there is always a pleasant breeze blowing.

Presidency College provides its students with beautiful campus life. Hostel facilities have excellent facilities in terms of parking, canteens, and gardens. As a student of the College, I had many opportunities to get engaged in many activities. The College's management and faculty encouraged students to be a part of activities. The outsiders had their share of fun as they weren't left behind. The language was a barrier for outsiders but was manageable.