Rani Birla Girl's College B.A Review By Alisha Khanam

Calcutta University ranks among the Top 10 universities of India so when it came to admission it was my first choice. There are many reputed colleges under Calcutta University and Rani Birla Girls College is one of them. This college is famous for its art department and once you’ll take admission there you’ll know why. The professors are highly experienced and it has a great learning ambiance. Getting admission is very easy if you have a decent score. Since it is a girl's college competition is less. If you live in South Kolkata and want to pursue a career in a field related to arts then Rani Birla Girls College should be your choice. For science, I won’t recommend this place much because there are plenty of better options under CU.

Academics is the strength of Rani Birla Girls College. Trust me it feels more like a school and less like a college. The syllabus is rigorously followed and attendance is a very big deal. You cannot bunk classes unless you are very smart and devise a clever plan to do so. Once your session starts you will be flooded with assignments and projects. But I can say that some departments are better than others in academics. For instance, our HOD and professors take a keen interest in our performance even during the lockdown and the result is that journalism students are doing better than their peers.

The faculty is really impressive and you will rarely find such teachers anywhere else. They are friendly, cooperative, and experts in their field. They will not only teach but also train you to be the best in your field. Unlike the majority of teachers, they focus on average and intelligent students equally and encourage all of us to do better. But if you are not lucky enough you might land with a few teachers who are very strict and short-tempered. Overall the faculty is impressive but the major drawback is that they lack coordination. The management faculty is not that good and they often confuse the students. The faculty don’t make their own decisions, they strictly follow CU guidelines.

Rani Birla Girls College is not the best place to get placement, especially during the covid period. No one from last year's batch who attended the classes online got placement. The campus is really small and the student number is also less so you might end up getting an internship but getting a high stipend job is very difficult in this college. The big companies don't come to our campus for placement but you may get an opportunity through CU to get a good placement. It also depends on your degree and one plus point is that CU has a very good reputation so every college that comes under it has by default a good image so if your scores are decent you may land a good internship.

This college does not provide any kind of hostel facility. The campus has a canteen but that has been closed for years and we see no chance of its reopening because of covid protocols. Finding a place in the locality is also tough because it is a very expensive area. Finding budget-friendly options is next to impossible. You can take a PG/hostel or room on rent at a little distance and from there you can come to college by bus. But there is no bus stand near the 500m radius of the college. You will have to walk at least 4-5 mins every day otherwise a cab is also a good but expensive alternative.

You should not expect cool or high-tech infrastructure from a 50-60-year-old college. The building is decent, properly ventilated and fans are added almost everywhere so that it is not too hot in the summer. You will find computer labs, good libraries, small ground, and decent-sized classrooms. Overall speaking the building looks like an old Bengali mansion. There has not been much architectural change but computers and devices have been installed at every corner. You will feel like you are in a school.

The campus is nothing extraordinary. It is a good place where you can come sit, study in the library or in your classroom. The ground is small and green and most of the events happen there only. But we are often invited to other colleges with bigger infrastructure to attend events. The best thing on the campus is the library. If you are a nerd you are going to love it. It has all kinds of books and even fiction and non-fiction novels. Each department has a separate small library also. Classes start in the morning at 9-10 am and sometimes even continue till evening 4-5 pm. If you want to study rigorously then it is a great place for you but if you want to enjoy college life it is not an ideal choice.