Presidency University B.A Review By Prayash Mukhopadhyay

Presidency University (previously Presidency College, until 2010) is a 203 years old institution which stands for its academic brilliance and students perspective of politics, art, culture, and history worldwide. Noble laureates such as Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee, Oscar winner Satyajit Ray and freedom movement hero Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose have been students of this institution, along with more incredible alumni in the list that can overshadow any other institution in the country.

The first time entry at 203 years old will leave the spectator mesmerised by its architecture, the colonial architecture makes us realise the struggle and establishment we as Indians have come through and fought with, which still boasts the students in this university to keep growing on. The university hold has a student union body as well for giving a democratic and powerful voice to the student community.

I have joined The Department of Performing Arts as I am very much interested and inclined towards theatre and cinema as a medium of art and this course provides me with an understanding of performance in music, dance, and theatre.

The eligibility is for first division pass in your 10+2 level and admission is done through PUBDET exam held by the Joint entrance examination Board of West Bengal.

The esteemed faculty at the Presidency University is full of experienced and talented professors who in their respective fields donate extraordinary research themselves, encouraging a wide range of students to do so too, although the transition from college to university which started from 2010 is tacking a slack, giving room for various improvements in this region as changes in faculty and research have been with quite some changes since 2014.

In the top 2% scientist around the world according to the impact list, 1 professor from the physics department and another 2 from the maths department were selected showing the scientific stronghold of the university.

Placement in government colleges and universities for pure science and arts is usually very rare in our country but the college provides some in the economics and sociology departments, along with a few others in sciences. The basic demand of students here shapes to go for academic endeavors and research field rather than jobs.

The university also provides 2 different hostels for boys and girls with one of the most minimal charges of lodging and food across the city but is a question to availability as demand for it often too high. The boy's hostel is the historic Eden Hindu Hostel, located just beside the campus, and the girl's hostel accommodation is provided with transportation to and from the hostel to the campus.

The tricky lodging is sometimes a serious problem and the authority of the university is quite bad at maintaining the seats given to students for this, although the hostels are in very fine quality with good food and hygiene. Boys hostel also endeavors on doing the marketing of the hostel themselves, getting a rich understanding of the surrounding economics of the market.

The prangon space in the campus also offers a similar atmosphere where the university canteens are situated and the students have their social interaction over. The university has seminar rooms in every department with projectors, enable enough to hold international seminars and conferences. The campus also has a badminton court, table tennis room, world-class field encouraging sports for the enthusiasts. Research lab of historic and world-class stature adds its potential of research. The classrooms are very neat and many of them air-conditioned for survival during the summer, giving students a healthy environment to study.

The library is also has a very big foundation as the central library halls 4 stories of books and machinates required for the infrastructure of a library, and also a separate arts library also fully equipped with books and technologies. Hygiene is also an important factor which various government institutions exempt from, but not here, as the presidency has a very good quality of hygiene and well-maintained toilets with a professional company named NIS of national recognition handling it. Conducting a Bengal famous fest Milieu, organized by the student union along with 2 other fests (Ispat Abahon and Icon) conducted by different student bodies also adds to the cultural life of the student. The campus holds a world-class auditorium for cultural programs, which can be used for a musical, dance, and theatre performances along with the screening of films and documentaries.

The university is located in the heart of Kolkata, College Street, also known as বইপাড়া (in Bengali, Boi Para), which is known as the biggest book market in the world. On the opposite side of the campus, there’s Coffee House which is a hub for the student community around Kolkata meet and share every idea that they incur in their day to day lives, forming out of the box thinking a regular mindset and encouraging people to go for bigger goals.

Being a student here gave me all the necessities that one can wish for in a state university, fewer fees, more infrastructure, good education, and plenty of social outlook to life.