My college experience

Set amidst green fields, SRM College of Agricultural Sciences is a part of SRM University. It was recently built and has great infrastructure. My keen interest in agriculture prompted me to take admission to this college. The decision for my admission was only taken after a lot of consultation from various field experts. One has to personally go to the university to confirm their seat after they have completed registration online. The admission procedure is seamlessly easy, and the student is easily briefed by the faculties. And speaking of the faculty, they are well versed in their field of study and make sure that students understand all the subjects. This course comprises 9 subjects which include subjects like Agrology, Agronomy, Crop Physiology, Elementary Mathematics, Botany etc and an optional of NCC/NSS. Practicals are conducted in fully equipped labs and there's a keen emphasis on field practicals. Fees wise it is the amount any private Agricultural University would be.

The students to faculty ratio are about 1:50, and the professors are very helpful. Most of the faculty are PhD holders and have practical experience. Exams are moderately tough to clear and need dedicated time to study for. If one prepares since the beginning, then it is comparatively easy to study so much is a short span of time.

Not a lot of companies offer internship but one can definitely apply for them off-campus and do wonders. The college would help too if any student persuaded them for that particular internship. However, the internship offered in our Agricultural college is really less.

College placements are not up to the mark in my perspective. They are pretty mediocre ranging from 2-4 lakhs per annum. This average is well below the industry placement package. So it is highly recommended that students start applying off-campus for far better packages. More than half of students get placed every year and this number is only going to increase given the ever-increasing demand in the Agriculture sector. Once I get the degree I wish to pursue higher studies abroad. This is because the placements I get at this University won't suffice.

Fees per semester Rs. 1,00,000. One time registration fees- Rs. 10,000/-. Hostel - Depends on a room to room. As of now, there is no financial help or Job provided by the college to help students. Students have to get internships on their own as this is a newly set up campus. Regular emails about various camps and competitions with respect to other courses are sent. A plus point is the university's foreign exchange program which helps students gather greater knowledge from other countries.

The university has a very vibrant annual great called 'Milan'. It's pretty extravagant and is visited by celebrities and eminent personalities. An array of clubs ranging from coding to drama are present. The library is well equipped with a plethora of books and internet material. Apart from offering a variety of sports, there is an option of NCC/NSS which is very beneficial for all students. Hackathons and coding competitions keep happening and the college life is pretty chill. SRMCAS is not surrounded by any fast food joints or shopping malls.

Hostels are mediocre with bare minimum basic necessities. There are more rooms for boys than for girls. Separate prices have to be paid for single/ double/ triple occupancy as well as for AC and non AC rooms. Registration for a hostel is online and proper guidance is given by the administration for booking rooms. Food is okayish with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Being an agricultural college, we get to eat what we grow.

There was a simple group discussion with one of the professors. It was regarding previous qualifications and marks of school. Apart from that, they had asked us about any extracurricular achievement that set us apart. A briefing regarding the course was given to us on campus. One of the main questions we had was regarding the college's ICAR accreditation. The professor made it a point to make it clear that the college would receive the accreditation very soon.