MOP Vaishnav, a whirlwind of an experience.

Our college management is most definitely one of the most open minded and most cooperative of lot. Apart from the fact that almost everyone in the college, starting from the faculties to the principal are extremely approachable, they also are extremely efficient. By doing so, not only are they building role models for coming generation, but also are teaching students what an ideal faculty should be like. I have no complains regarding my college, except for the fact that if they let the students use the lift, atleast of just the students in the fifth floor, we would reach our classes faster and not be so exhausted. I came into this college slightly disappointed considering I came from a coed school, but with less than six months to graduate, I understand that this was one of the most exhilarating experiences I've had and will cherish this all my life.

To get considered for a seat at MOP Vaishnav College For Women, for Electronic Media, a 3 year course, we had an entrance exam, and a personal interview with the Head of The Department and also the vice principal of the college. I took the entrance exam, and topped the exam by scoring full marks, among about 250 people who took the test. The test consisted mainly of General Knowledge and Current Affairs and Quantitative Aptitude questions. I opted for the particular college, for two main reasons. One, this particular course that I'm studying, isn't provided by any other college in Chennai. Two, the infrastructure of this college is one of the best in the city, and also one of most well known and prominent colleges in the country.

I believe the course curriculum is up to date. And is equally oriented towards research and also creativity. In the first year, we had subjects like: Introduction To Electronic Media, Audiography-where we were taught the nuances of sound, understanding visual media-where we were taught the basics of drawing and design. We also had 3 elective papers, being: Personal Effectiveness Program- while was a life skill program and Hindi and English. In the second semester, we had Radio Production in which we had to produce our own radio program for our college radio station, 2D Graphics- where we were taught softwares such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. In the subject called basics of production design, another core paper, we were taught how a set works, and set designing. The skill papers were English, Hindi, Life Skills and EVS. For the third semester, we had the core papers: of Photography-we had to develop our own portfolio, Television Production- we were taught to come up with our own script, and other pre production work, and also shoot the same, edit and dub it. Media Culture and society and Visual Sociology were the other two core papers, for Media Culture and Society- we were taught the sociological perspective of the society and for Visual Sociology we had to come up with our own thesis. Our skills papers were: Community Radio Programming and Communication Skills. For the fourth semester, we had subjects like: Broadcast Law and Ethics which focussed on media laws governing India, Videography where we learned the art and nuances of video making, script writing for electronic media: where we were taught the technicalities and the details that go in writing a script, and interactive multimedia where we were taught Adobe Flash and illustrator. The elective papers were Customer Relationship Management, Work Culture Etiquette, And Presentation Skills.

Our college holds a compulsory summer internship program during the summer holidays of the second year. As we are media students, the only prerequisite we have is to work in a media house. Our college gives us the chance of contacting prospective mentors and speaking to them individually, thus honing our communication skills. Apart from that, we were also given the opportunity to go to Vancouver Film School for the period of a month to understand the working and how film making is perceived in countries like Canada.

Our placement and job opportunities given in this college are nothing short of brilliant. Apart from companies like Reuters and Google hiring students of Electronic Media at MOP through campus placements, a lot of our students have also been working as assistant directors to multiple prominent directors. Apart from this, they also have been placed as cinematographers and Cameraperson and so graphic designers.

Our college has events throughout the year. Apart from Abhilasha, which is a cultural festival for the Freshers, just to break the ice and make them feel welcome, which is a highly competitive event, we have VISH which is the Vaishnav Initiative for Social Help which is a 3 day event. Not only do we visit multiple homes where students aren't provided with proper educational materials, we are also given a chance for a dandiya night and a movie night. Apart from these two, our department conducts the MOP Model United Nations and Champions of Indian Cinema which is a very elaborate event celebrating a particular champion of Indian cinema. This aside, we have Jhankar and Jhankar Intelligentsia Fest which are two separate events. Jhankar for intern departmental competitions and Jhankar Intelligentsia Fest for inter collegiate students. These events run throughout the year, apart from the numerous events by every department.

Our fee structure is 45,000/- INR per semester I believe this is a reasonable amount we pay, for the course and the kind of opportunities being provided to us. At the end of the day we shell out about 3 Lacs for a 3 year course, which in comparison to other colleges and services provided and the location is definitely worth it.

Our college provides full scholarship to sports students for all the three years for different kinds of sports starting from Chess and Basketball to NCC and ball badminton. Apart from this, the college also provides scholarships for students who cannot afford to pay the fees. They select the deserving students through a rigorous process and make sure those who completely deserve it only receive it.

Though our college has a very small campus, it has it's own advantages. With ample parking space and located in the heart of the city, it compensates for the things we miss out on. We also have a very elaborate student cabinet, who are very efficient and friendly. Ours being a women's only college also makes sure there is regional diversity, with people from different parts of the world and different religions. Workshops for each department is conducted every month by calling different prominent people of the industry. Our college is also very tolerant towards people of different communities and also encourage exchange programs to colleges in various countries.

Our college holds about 3 different kinds of canteens. One that provides south Indian food such as rice, vada, idly, dosa etc. Which caters to the students who like south Indian food. The second canteen is a canteen that is special just for different kinds of juices and milkshakes. And the third canteen provides us with north Indian chaat food, which is a change from the regular monotonous food. Our college doesn't have a facility of hostels. And the canteen food is very reasonably priced.

Our alumni network and connect with the seniors are extremely strong. Considering the fact that all the courses are three year courses, we take an extra effort at keeping in touch with our seniors and alumni and conduct regular alumni meet. Apart from that, we also have frequent interactive sessions with alumni of different batches to understand their experiences and how they tackled the challenges. By doing so, not only do we get an insight of how things will be, we also understand that we shouldn't be making the same mistake.

We have exams at frequent intervals, as a method of checking and making sure the students are up to date. Every month, we write a fifty mark exam for every subject, apart from which, 20 marks are allocated to classroom involvement, and submission of assignments. We also have labs for graphics classes, which are hectic every single day, even when the faculty is absent. Our lab classes occur every single day of the week, making sure we are in touch with the portions.

I had procured the admission form for Electronic Media during the month of May, 2015. The entrance examination for the course was scheduled for the end of may. Upon entering the exam room, I realised that we were the second batch of students for taking up the entrance exam, and that there was very strict invigilation. I was told that I will be given the acceptance notification, if any within 5 working days. About 3 days after I took the examination, I received a message from the college stating my acceptance and their request to fill the fee payment. Apart from the message, I also received a call from the college office stating the same and requesting me to confirm my admission with the college within 24 hours.

Our faculties at MOP Vaishnav College For Women, and Electronic Media in specific are excellent with respect to teaching and also are extremely qualified. Our Head Of The Department holds an M.Phil in Economics, our Broadcast Law faculty holds a PhD in Media and our other faculties hold an M.Phil apart from a minimum of 15 years of teaching.