PES College of Pharmacy B.Pharm Review By Suman Kumar

PES Pharmacy College, which used to be affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences is now been made a part of PES University. It is one of the renowned institutions for pharmacy education in the city of Bangalore. By providing the best resources for learning, the college not only imparts knowledge but also helps the students to be technically sound. The institution shapes its students to be professionally competent and proficient. It is best known for delivering quality education and having well-equipped labs. It has received accreditation from major institutions in the country.

The process of college admission is quite simple. They have an eligibility test within the campus and the results determine if you can enroll in the college or not. The college also considers other national level entrance test for admission to the college. I took admission to the Bachelor of Pharmacy program, which is a four-year undergraduate degree course. In my experience, the college helped me to open up to the endless possibilities in learning and understanding about medicine and research. I have even discussed about the teaching quality that our college offers and is much better than various other colleges of Bangalore.

To begin with, it is important to have studied PCM/B in XII grade to enroll in Bachelor of Pharmacy. The course as prescribed by the Pharmacy Council of India consists of chemistry, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, pharmaceutics, pharmacognosy, microbiology, and other subjects divided over four years. With the Bachelor of Pharmacy program, the institution aims at giving skillful and competent pharmacists to society. The aim is also to create pharmacy professionals who can give enough information to the patients regarding medicines and alert physicians in case of an error in prescriptions.

Along with quality education, the college aims at encouraging students to take part in research activities. I felt a lot of the subjects and syllabus was a burden as few subjects feel irrelevant to the course. Practical experiments are a major part of the curriculum, and it is extremely vital to get thorough with those too. The laboratory sessions are important keeping in mind the exposure to practical applications of the topics. The college has an extensive scholarship program for students from all sections of society. The office desk also helps students in obtaining several other scholarships to benefit studies.

The college has a good faculty that is experienced and knowledgeable. The lecturers are supportive and help concerning any academic and non-academic concerns. Even with practical experiments, few lecturers gave industry-standard insights about the experiments which were useful for better understanding. There used to be problems with lecturers quitting the college in the middle of the academic year, but they were resolved effectively. There are multiple departments in the college, and every teacher is ready to help if a student approaches them, no matter how experienced they are.

I have often had some insightful conversations regarding all the latest developments in the field of pharmacy with the lecturers in this college. They encourage you to stay up-to-date with all the happenings and carry out research work throughout the course. We were also given opportunities to attend various conferences and guest lectures to broaden our understanding and knowledge of subjects.

The college attracts several major recruiters including Quintiles, Biocon, Indigene, Novo Nordisk, Accenture, and others. The average salary package for campus placements in the college is about Rs. 2.5 lakhs per annum. The college provided ample placement training to prepare us for recruitment. The pharmacy sector is gaining a lot of importance in the country and it is easy to find a job outside the campus too in manufacturing, clinical research, hospitals, and others.

The college also supports taking up internships at industries over summer breaks to develop technical knowledge. The alumni of the college often visit and provide the students with guidance regarding career options.

The hostel facility is good in the college and it combines students from various programs under PES University. There are separate hostels for boys and girls and are situated near the college. The college provides bus service to reach college from hostels too. The hostels are clean and the food facility is good too with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

Hostels are equipped with all modern amenities including Wi-Fi, laundry, gymnasium, etc. Apart from hostels, a lot of paying guest accommodations and student rooms are available in and around the campus.

The campus in which the college is situated was established in 1972. The campus is situated in one of the nicest areas in the city, with not much traffic and hustle-bustle of the city. There are all the essential services close to the campus. The campus is quite old and small compared to the other campuses by the university. However, it has all the facilities to ensure a good study environment. The classrooms are spacious and have audio-visual setups for interactive learning. The college has one of the best laboratory setups in comparison with other institutions. They have all the necessary analytical instruments and equipment for practical experiments.

The campus has one building that runs around and it includes other programs too. We benefited from the digital library facility in the college for our project work. There is a library and a study room with all the textbooks and reference books, shared with other programs. The college also has an indoor badminton and table tennis court. There is a small canteen within the campus, which, however, is overcrowded during break time.

The campus is quite diversified with students from different parts of the country study here. There is no ragging or any kind of discrimination among students on the campus. The seniors are helpful not only in providing study materials but also in giving proper direction in terms of career choices or further studies. The schedule during the course is usually jam-packed throughout the week owing to dedicated laboratory hours, almost every day. It is a happening place during college fest, intercollegiate competitions, and sports events.

The institution also carries out various awareness campaigns in the form of social outreach programs. I think one of the best things about this college is to provide special student programs, where the faculty helps slow learners to improve academically. The college has also included yoga as a part of the weekly schedule to promote health and fitness. Unlike other colleges in the city, the college has a uniform policy, compulsory every day of the week. There are photography, drama, dance, and social activities clubs that are active throughout the year. The college hosts an international conference that allows students to experience a bigger platform and interact with experts and leaders in the field.