The Best Place to Enhance the Quality of Your Grey Matter

Most of the Hindi movies revolving around college life show picture perfect college campuses. After watching them, I am lost in the dreams of studying in such airy campuses. Sadly, such campuses are not a very common sight in many top colleges of Mumbai. But, there are some delightful exceptions as well. I am sure students of Bhavans College may not feel like attending lectures after witnessing the charm of the roomy campus. When I had gone there for my round of admissions, I was thrilled looking at the campus. The thought of having 100% attendance had completely vanished from my mind. Another campus that excited me was belonging to Sophiya College of Arts and Science. I actually felt as if some college scene from a Hindi movie had come alive. The campus is extremely huge and provides the perfect atmosphere to channelize creative and academic energies.

My friends and I always have a debate over top colleges in Mumbai for commerce. In my opinion, it has to be Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics. Getting into this college is a herculean task, if you have not scored a very good grade in your exams. With the constant changing rules of the admission system, an average percentage will not help you in securing a seat in this prestigious college. On a side note, bunking can be a nightmare in this college. You miss a lecture; the entire day’s attendance is cancelled. So, think twice before missing that not-so-interesting accounts lecture.

Significant role of NAAC

These were just my observations that I made in my college life. To understand the credibility and reliability of a college, you can look through ratings provided by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). It accredits higher education institutes in India and ensures that quality is maintained. Ironically, the real work that happens in classrooms is ignored by the team.

Why cannot Mumbai University be a dream place to study? If you visit Mumbai University’s site, you can see a line that states “Re-accredited with A grade by” Honestly, in my five years of education from the university, I never got the ‘A’ grade experience. Our syllabus did not challenge our limits and very few class rooms had the enjoyable intellectual atmosphere. I have come to realize that political interference spells the death of any academic institution. Moves made by any political party are not meant for the benefit of the student, but for their own vested interests. For instance, a novel was removed from the syllabus of the university. The reason was that a  particular political party felt that it hurt religious sentiments. The interesting aspect is that the novel was literally removed overnight from the syllabus. Students were just days away from their examinations. The university is losing its appeal with every passing day. Last year, for a stretch of few months, newspapers were infested with stories about paper leaks. With such examples, I don’t think that the university has given a flawless or an unforgettable experience to their students. Actually, I think that the troubles are in such huge numbers that students will definitely not forget those painful memories.

Advantages of studying in an autonomous institute

Very few colleges offer the right mix of campus, education, and faculty etc…St. Xaviers College is the finest educational institute in Mumbai. The reason is that it has been granted autonomy. It is not affiliated to Mumbai University. Autonomy has been granted to them in the arena of academics and administration. My friends in the college are very happy with the overall atmosphere of the college. It is the place wherein one can enhance the quality of their grey matter. For top notch quality in education, one can consider the option of autonomy.

Online customer reviews have not been favorable about the quality of education provided at Mumbai University. My friend is pursuing her Masters in English Literature from MU and I was quite keen to pursue a post graduation in the field. I enquired about the course. I thought that maybe Post Graduation would be a pleasant experience. But, her reply summed up the scenario at the university quite well. She said, “Go outside Mumbai and pursue the course.”