Centurion University B.Pharm Review By Lohit Hota

Centurion University is relatively new but will have to admit that the college is trying its best to improve. There’s still room for improvement as the faculty is less experienced, the location of the college is remote and the student mentality too is little weird. Though I am still studying and will have to say that the University is trying its best to improve and in next few years will be a University to long for. Bhubaneswar is an education paradise and this institute has lived up to the expectation for sure. The placement too has seen improvement as the number of companies that visited the campus during the 1st year has increased the next year. Mr. Biju Patnaik have often visited the college and shared his thoughts on the importance of education.

The admission for B.Pharm is purely based on CUTM Entrance Test score and it’s relatively easy to get admission in B.Pharm than in other courses. However this was not the only reason I chose B.Pharm. I chose because I wanted to and I am happy to be a part of growing university. The teachers are kind and always motivate the students to chase excellence. The best part of the university that it is established by a group of engineers who wanted to bring a change in the society. Therefore a lot of scholarships are given and the university supports in every way to make sure you develop your ideas. The university has set up a skill development program in collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation. Thus even if the students don’t get placed in campus they will still find a job for themselves off-campus.

In all there are 11 schools in the University for Different Programs. I am enrolled to School of Pharmacy which offers the B. Pharm course. The admission was purely on merit and the fees too is not that high as 90k a year is still less than a lot of other colleges. The CUTM Entrance Test which is required to be cleared for this course was not that tough and the studies too are not that tough.

The course is affiliated to Centurion University and the exam papers are set by the University itself. Solving last 5 years question paper is enough to pass but to score well, you will have to study hard. The portions is done a month before and you have enough time for revision. Rather than staying in the hostel I prefer to go home and study as there’s a lot of disturbance at the hostel. In all the university scores well in terms of academics and will only grow from here.

Faculty is knowledgeable alright but less in experience. Sometimes they are unable to solve the doubts and some senior faculty has to step in. Having said that student’s queries never remain unsolved and therefore no issues in that regard. The faculty and other staff members are quite friendly and are always supportive as well. During practical’s they too participate with the students and the best part is that the faculty is young and therefore it’s easy to connect with them. This makes them less in experience but the connectivity quotient increases. Hence, you can have certain advantages and disadvantages but I would consider this as an advantage.

If you are not satisfied with the faculty there’s a faculty complaint cell and if more students registers the same problem with a certain faculty the faculty gets changed immediately. This is something which was new for me and I hope that other universities and schools to adopt this method. I hope this thing change from the grassroots as this is one issue which sometimes needs serious attention

Believe it or not but Orissa is a backward state and therefore the figures that you will hear are not as staggering as you might hear in some other states. First of all not many Universities provide you employment or placement after B. Pharm. However, Centurion University does. The percentage maybe 50 but I would say is still a great number considering the knowledge that is imparted in student. As I said earlier students work closely with NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) and we are taught certain skills that will require in outside world. Therefore even if we don’t get placed finding an off-campus job is also relatively easy.

On and average a B. Pharm student gets an annual package of INR 2.5-3 lakhs and highest went to a student worth INR 5 lakhs. I told you that figures are not that staggering but are good enough for a beginner. Companies like Cipla and Cadila were the front runners and I was surprised to see some FMCG companies such as Parle and Varun Beverages came to hire B. Pharm students in 2019. The number of companies has increased and it will only increase with time.

There are as many as 9 hostels out of which 6 are boy’s hostel and 3 are girl’s hostel inside the campus. Initially I didn’t realize but then as per the region you can choose hostels. Like I chose Nagbali’s boys hostel which is hostel number 4. The reason being most of the students in this hostel were from Orissa only. The hostel fee is INR 60k which includes mess charges as well. There were 48 rooms in our hostel and total of 96 beds. The hostel rooms were AC and therefore never felt the humid temperature of Bhubaneswar while at the hostel. The hostel was meant for students enrolled in Undergraduate programs. Hostel No 6 which is MBA Boy’s hostel had 38 rooms and was reserved only for MBA students.

For all the boys hostel the mess area was common and the food menu had enough varieties from South Indian to North India. Hence, one can’t complain about the food for sure. As the hostel facility took care of both variety and quality. You will find students from all corners of the country in the hostel. The timings were strict as warden use to visit from 9 to 9.30 pm and if any student was absent from the room a strict action was taken against him. You can’t leave the hostel premises without permission. Each hostel has its own common area where the TV is also installed. Hostel life was fun as this year due to pandemic I had to stay home and I actually missed my hostel days.

The University is spread across 40 acres and in all there are 15 buildings as each faculty has its own building. Among the facilities that were there in the campus included a health center with nearly 40 beds. An Olympic size swimming pool that can accommodate 200 students at a time. There are 3 canteens and a restaurant in the University campus. One canteen though was reserved only for staff. A gymnasium with all the latest equipment’s and is open from 5am to 10pm. The Campus also has a branch of OBC bank and also an ATM that operates 24*7. How can I forget the CCD (Café Coffee Day) outlet inside the campus. That was the biggest charm and mostly the couples are found there. The library is small but well-built.

The best part is the guest house as the campus is far from the city and if somebody’s parents come with nominal charges they can stay at the campus guest house. Nearly 40 AC rooms are there in the guest house and are well-maintained. There’s a retail store inside the campus and from Maggie to bread you will get everything there. Among other facilities 24*7 Wi-Fi facility. Laundry service was also there though the charges are little high but for those who can afford it’s a boon. The college campus has a huge cricket ground, a basketball court and a tennis hard court. All the sporting equipment’s are also available in abundance and therefore whenever you feel like stepping into the playground, you were free to. If you think I have exaggerated the facilities then please visit the University campus because there are few facilities in addition to these as well.

Coming from the same state I never had any issue and too be honest even the outsiders feel home inside the campus. The policy is strict when it comes to ragging and therefore nothing of that sort was ever witnessed in my time during the college. Proper sanitization facilities are there at the campus, and you will even get cigarettes to smoke. I am sorry that I am mentioning this but half of the students do smoke. Talking about the best moments spent at the campus I would say the 1st year’s sports day. All the school nominates the students for 12 sports events that are being conducted.

I was fortunate to be a part of Volleyball and cricket teams. We lost Volley ball in the early rounds but were crowned champions in the cricket and that was arguably the best day at the college thus far. The classes get over by 2 pm and therefore we are free for most of the time. Evenings are spent in the canteens or the sports ground. Haven’t used the gym or the swimming pool facilities. In a nutshell, I have enjoyed every second of mine at the college campus.