Remarks :
College made adults out of us kids. It was a roller coaster ride that prepared us for society. The management did the best they could butility my recollection of college tells me how student driven it was. I am clearly enamoured by what my college gave me, but it's more the people there than the institution itself.
Entrance Preview :
Professional Examination Board Examination 2005. I was wait listed at 5. It is ranked amongst the top five law schools in India at the time.
Course Curriculum Overview :
The curriculum was well designed, in accordance with BCI guidelines. In my fifth year, we were to present a dissertation on a specialised area of law, which, at the undergraduate level in India is a rarity. So the amount of reading (we had a trimester system) was intense and required plenty of research.
Internships Opportunities :
Yes, through the Placement Coordination Committee with the best law firms and companies in the country such as Amarchand Mangaldas (as it then was), Trilegal etc.the general stipend was around 25000 and the overall experience can be summed up as complementary to legal education.
Placement Experience :
Its not unusual to have 100% placements in national law schools generally. The numbers indicate that the best firms took all our students and others would get absorbed in banks like ICICI back then. In my placement year (2011), the average figure was around 10 lakhs.
College Events :
We had an environmental law moot court competition which is nationally acclaimed. We also had cultural events organised by Athena (our cultural club) and an annual sports fest. We would actively participate in mock UNs, debating and mooting. Invariably, national level participation from the renowned law and non law colleges would be a regular feature.
Fee Structure And Facilities :
Fees are reasonable compared to engineering and medical colleges. But it is quite expensive by law school standards, and above average while comparing law schools in general. Payments could be made every trimester, and for the majority of the students, would include tuition and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees were quite reasonable in comparison with other law schools.
Loan/ Scholarship Provisions :
No scholarships were instituted back then, except the ones that can be availed through UGC or government.
Campus Life :
Campus life was in a wild life sanctuary. Quite literally. There were tigers spotted on campus recently. It's Idyllic on campus, except for the hectic schedules and people running berserk over national and international competitions. The crowd was truly mini India. We had people from all over the country as it is a national level entrance exam. They were of all races and religions although sexual orientation was not to be discussed openly back then. People were varied in economic status too - from kids of bureaucrats to Richie riches and from more downtrodden sections of society. Politics and unions are banned in law school.
Hostel Facilities :
We were guaranteed single occupancy rooms from Day 1. The sports and TV rooms were quite good and on campus, so it was quite convenient. There wasoon enough and more room for the whole college as it was roughly 80 per batch. The girls' hostel was usually considered better, as it hadoes a Japanese Garden and interesting architecture ! The food could've done with a lot of improvement in general but we lived next to some popular dhabas which was where our money would be spent !
Alumni/Alumna :
There is a good alumni network, although life in the law takes away from regular in person interactions. Thankfully, social media keeps us up to date.
Exam Structure :
Exceptionally hectic, as we had two exams every three months for each subject, with one project and viva voce. We covered more than 60 subjects in the five years of law school. The exams were split into 30 marks and 50 marks each trimester per subject with 15 marks for project and five marks for viva voice.
Admission :
In 2005, there was no Common Law Entrance Exam. We would apply to each college when they notified the exam (for NLIU, sometime in March), and would appear at centres on the scheduled dates. The Administration was thankfully not glitchy for me, but I recall having to travel to Bangalore to give the exam, even though I am from Chennai. They had less centres in the south presumably because not many people applied to study in Madhya Pradesh back then.
Faculty :
The faculty were very qualified, most of whom had significant publications and exposure to international best practices, as it was a national law school of some eminence. Subjects were allotted on the basis of their specialisation. However, teaching is an art unto itself, and save some teachers (who incidentally did not have a pedigree) who taught, others were academics - very qualified, but not very advanced in pedagogical skills.
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