Auro University BJMC Review By Gunjan Patanwadia

I chose Auro as there was no alternate than Auro in Surat for Mass Comm. Therefore, one can safely say that something will be missing at Auro. Yes, there some miss but I would say more hits than misses. One year Mass Communication degree course is never heard of as most of the universities I checked just offered a diploma certificate while at Auro you get a Bachelor’s degree. Live projects and experimental learning were the key components of the course and they are what helping me in long run. There are still early days in my career but when I see our students of the batch I will so proud that not just a happy zone but we are well connected politically and socially because of this course. University needs its due but something about this course as well which is yet to be recognized.

Experimental learning was the way we learned this course because after the first six month, we were sent for internships. I have seen internships in other courses where people are given just a smaller role and working under someone. After a month, we were given roles and we had to do those tasks. Al that made us responsible while we were still in our teens. Youth power has rules journalism and if one thinks that sitting in AC rooms is all that what journalists do then they should see the larger picture. It takes years and years of hard work to get a white-collar entry in this field. The university helped us know that challenges that this course brings and also maintaining ethics while printing or writing something.

Every now and then some new people will come and give us lectures at the beautiful auditorium of the university. It was never a pep talk because when people who are achievers tell you have no choice but to believe. The college professors too took help from the outside noises as they themselves weren’t that strong. In the name of faculty some characters were hired and this was definitely a poor beginning of the course that is meant to build skills more than anything else.

One can seriously have placements if they want to but it may depend on the quality of placements. A PG which is just a year course will be done in blinking of an eye and might propel you to a better job. Just like politics where you have to begin from grassroots bachelors in journalism means knowing how the local press or media houses operate. Once you do PG from a nationalized university you will have opportunities at the national level and pay might be less but you will a long run and a better place to learn and excel. University can’t be blamed for the kind of placements but the university is still in lullaby and still I would say they have done exceedingly well in finding placements for the students.

The university hostels are great. There is a boys and a girls hostel and because I had my known staying there I know the kind of facilities and rooms that are in charge. The warden wasn’t that strict of the boy’s hostel and a call by changing voice was enough to bring him out of the campus for night outs. Food served was pure veg and was prepared by some of the best chefs as the university groups are majorly in the hotel business. Fees is slightly higher but it cut down on travelling expenses as the hostel is inside the campus. For outsiders’ hostel is rather a better option because Surat city is still new to students coming and staying in PGs or flats.

It may be a joke but what I heard was that the management of the university bought this land to build a resort. The university is like a resort that has huge gardens, nice playground, and is spread in miles. A swimming pool was missing or else it would have looked like a resort. The reception area is as good as any 5-star hotel and classes were equally good. Benches for two that could have easily accommodated four. There were two auditoriums, one little small while the other one was the biggest of them hall. There’s an exhibition hall and a nice student area. There are 8-10 different colleges in the campus and the crowd was simply amazing.

The field we choose doesn’t allow us to have a long stay at the campus. I could hardly make friends with students of other colleges as we had a lot going on in our own department. A sense of competition was built in us and we would see every other student as our competitor. It was both positive and negative but all in first-hand experience at the university was magical.