Sophia Girls College M.A Review By Krishna Rathore

"Sophia Girls College, Ajmer" is a pioneer Institution in Rajasthan providing the best education for girls since 1959. This organization is affiliated with 'Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University', Ajmer (MDSU). Sophia was re-accredited 'A Grade' by NAAC (UGC) in the second cycle from 2010-2020 and is now in the process of applying for the third cycle of NAAC as an autonomous College. This College is situated in Ajmer city "The Heart of Rajasthan". Sophia Girls College ranked 33rd out of 239 Top Private Autonomous Colleges of India and got 2nd rank in Rajasthan according to the Education World India Survey. The main objective of this College is "Seek ye Wisdom" which means "to seek wisdom" by empowering the women in higher education by providing a lot of facilities and opportunities. This Institution offers various UG, PG and diploma courses in the field of Arts, Commerce, Science, Computer Science and Management. The admission process in Sophia is online by filling the online application form available on the official website of the College and it is merit-based and entrance exams are conducted for some faculties only. Last but not least, I'd like to state that this College is one of the best in India, and that my time here was the most unforgettable period of my life, providing me with countless memories and life experiences.

I got enrolled in the Institute back in 2013 for my bachelor's in arts faculty. It was a 3-year course. I found the curriculum aligned to the needs of the faculty, thus imparting me the required knowledge & expertise in the field. I graduated in 2016 with a first-class degree. This 3-year journey with the Institute left an impression on me which prompted me to undertake my masters from the same Institute. During my master's, I opted for geography as my major. This curriculum was further linked to the onsite educational tours which further helped in understanding the practical part of the subject. The Institute also offered me the opportunity to take on an additional course relating to Remote Sensing in GIS which was external & backed up by our faculty. Overall, I would like to comment that all the programmes here are pretty much aligned to the needs of the student. The faculty is well versed with the subject they are teaching. The support being provided by the Institute to encourage students to take additional courses is magnificent.

Sophia College has around 60 highly qualified faculty. All the professors in this College are NET qualified, with many of them holding a PhD degree. The average experience of faculty here ranges from 10-12 years. Each subject here is being taught by 4-5 faculties depending on the nature of the topic. All these faculties are qualified and highly experienced in their respective areas. They are not only supportive with the subject knowledge but also serve as mentors to many students, thus guiding them for a better future. Teachers are always willing to help their students with their difficulties, whether they be academic or personal.

The College offers placement for B.com, BBA, and other management courses, while the other faculties have less options. TCS, for example, comes to our College to recruit students. I don't know much about our College's student placement unit because I was an arts and humanities student, but Sophia is a huge name, so people do find employment through campus placement. As far as I can tell, this College is working on improving their placement cell to provide more and more job chances to students from all faculties.

Hostel accommodation is exclusively available for undergraduate students with shared accommodation. PG & other faculties have to find accommodation outside the campus. There are around 150 rooms in the hostel. UG admissions in hostels are purely based on merit. However, in case, any of the UG students wants accommodation outside campus, then they are allowed to do so. Hostel & its rooms are good, having basic amenities like indoor games, television, 24*7 electricity supply and hot water supply from the solar panels. Each room has a bed with mattress, study table, chair, cupboard, etc. The hostel has its mess, thus providing food in-house. Being a girl's hostel, it is well guarded 24x7 by security guards & CCTV surveillance. The hostel fee is around 63,000 rupees payable in 2 installments.

I was a day scholar; thus entry to the hostel was prohibited by the management. There were a few friends of mine in the hostel who used to tell me about the infrastructure & available facilities.

The exquisite College campus is spread over an area of 9.9 acres. The College has a well-equipped library, chemistry, physics, biology, computer, geography and GIS labs. It has a girls hostel and a chapel. Sophia has a canteen & 3-4 sit-outs where students hang out with their friends and create beautiful lifelong memories. There are seminar rooms, conference rooms, and research rooms. Along with all these facilities, the Institution has an auditorium, Gym, sports ground, basketball court, Badminton court, table tennis, etc. There is a swimming pool as well, where students can learn to swim. The corridors and audio-visual classrooms are well ventilated. It also features a beautiful botanical garden, lush green fields providing a serene view if you are a greenery fan.

College hosts a variety of cultural & technical events round the year, thus engaging students & helping them to explore new activities & hidden talents. Dancing, singing, carol singing, fashion shows, Sophian's day, fairs, and intercollegiate events are all part of such cultural events. Being a missionary: College, assembly is held daily in the auditorium. There is a student exchange program with Universities in Singapore. Being a part of this Institute, I can vouch that this is one of the Top College campuses in Rajasthan. College offers a variety of activities to assist students in maturing and breaking out of their shells. NSS & NCC are also there. We had so many clubs in Sophia such as:-

* LYCEUM-DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

* ATHENAEUM: DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

* ARTH-NITI: DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

* PRAKRITI: DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

If you desire a perfect mix of studies and extracurricular activities, this is the finest institute to go.