Arushi Gupta's Review On Panjab University - [PU], Chandigarh

I preferred this university as it is a government university and the tuition fees is also very less approx. 32,000 for the whole program which is very less as compared to the private universities which charges around Rs. 1,50,000 for the whole program. At Panjab University, the admission process was also simple. After the cut-off list was uploaded, the candidates were called for the admission process at the department itself and the list of the required documents was also provided beforehand, in order to prevent any rush at the last moment. After the verification of all the documents and the interview (happened for some students only), the final list was prepared and students were admitted to the program. The good thing about this university is that the academics is really very good, the teachers are very informative and helpful. Also, the ambience is amazing with lush green trees and gardens everywhere providing a good and relaxed environment to study and nurture ourselves. Each year book fair is also held in the university to explore the reading world. But, there are also some negative points like the university still relies on the paper work in this digital era. Most of the things are done on paper so it takes a lot of time to process the information which is very tiring. Recently only, they have started going digital in some areas and the digital transformation is very slow. The flow of information is very slow, like I said-paper work exists. Also, the events held in the university are not able to reach everyone on time due to this factor.I didn't used any website or blogs while selecting this college as it is a reputed university, so I knew already about this university. I just went through this university's website. So, that's how I landed here.

I did my graduation in economics and I was also interested to pursue masters in it for having teaching as a career, that is why I chose this course. The students ratio is 15:1. The faculty is really good and experienced here. They are helpful, kind and they listen to understand their students problem really well. Even they help in personal matters too, if facing issues. The professors, associate professors and assistant professors are all very experienced and knowledgeable. Their teaching method is flexible depending on the way in which the students understands like using whiteboards, discussions, examples, students interactive methods, critical thinking etc. The term exams happen timely as the date sheet is designed around 20-30 days in advance and the generally, three papers are set up and one is selected for the examination. It is not difficult to pass in the examination if students are attentive in the classes.

I did my internship in Sulabh International Social Service Organization (worked as a researcher) and also Think India-NITI-Public Policy and Research Internship (worked as a researcher). Both the internships were without the stipend. In the former, I worked on the income generation of women lower income families and the possible reasons of it. And in the latter, I worked on a working paper on Impacts of US-China trade war on Indian Economy.

The students become eligible for campus placements for my program in the final semester. Very few companies visit but the job opportunities are really good for the course. The profiles for operation analyst, financial analyst, in NGO's etc are opened for us.

The life at campus is amazing. The annual fest is conducted like Jhankaar, Cyanide, Aaghaz etc. and they are conducted in varying months. These events are really wonderful to attend. Also, the there is no scarcity of books, journals, magazines and newspapers in the library. They are sufficient in number for the students. The classrooms are also well furnished with sitting arrangement for students, good infrastructure etc. Each department conducts its own sports event along with the university sport event. Also, the extracurricular activities are there to provide a refreshing and rejuvenating experience to students. Students are involved in handling different clubs and websites and other social media platforms. Like for example, we have Economics Society for our economics department-from where we receive all the updates and students also run Instagram handle where all the photos, videos, information and news about the events are carried out.

The campus infrastructure is also very nice like we have many sports grounds. The campus has its own wi-fi facility and students can get free access to it by login through their id's and passwords provided to them by their respective departments. The campus also library which is very big and the environment is really wonderful. The library has two section: the one where students can their own material and read and the other one-where taking your own books is not allowed, only photostated material is allowed and the library books can be taken for study purpose. All the UPSC aspirants from the university are found studying in the library. The place is so good that sometimes you don't even get place to sit and has to wait for sometime to get a seat. Also, to an advantage the library is opened 24*7 for all days of the week. The labs are well equipped with equipment's and materials that are required for a specific task.

The hostel facility is based upon the marks and rank of your entrance examination. The hostel seats are allotted according to the specific seats allotted by the department to the hostel. The seats very from department to department and course to course. So, the higher your rank is, the higher the chance is of you getting the hostel. I had good rank, so, I got the hostel facility. The allotment of the hostel room was done on the website and after receiving that, the hostel admission process started, whereby we were required to submit documents like identity proof, entrance examination marks, course enrollment etc. Then, the room were allotted to us. The facilities include bed, table and an almirah. The hostel facility is very much affordable as compared to renting a room or PG. The hostel costs comes about to 5,000-6,000 per semester, so 12,000 approx. for a whole year (exclusive of food). Whereas, the PG costs around 8,000 per month, 96,000 per year (inclusive of food) (also depends whether you take an A.C. room or a non-A.C room, or seater's). The hostel food is really good. While moving in I was afraid, but after having the meal, I heaved a sign of relief. The food really makes you feel at home whereas the PG food is not so good. The meal quality is also good and the menu is made according to which the food is served so no repetitions. I can say this because I have experienced both P.G. and hostel.