The time I learned that law school wasn't only about studying.

Symbiosis Law School provides you with an environment where you can become the best or the worst version of yourself. Which path you choose, will determine your future. You have faculty who will help you with research and internship and are available even outside the classroom. Some of the visiting faculty are tremendously experienced in their fields and learning from them makes you more capable. The workshops and conferences conducted in the college widens your horizons on the topics discussed there. All in all, the college and its people are what you make of it. I, for one, do not regret choosing the college and it has taught me some valuable lessons in law and in life.

Since I wanted to learn law, I took the CLAT Common Law Entrance Test) and the SET Symbiosis Entrance Test). My CLAT scores weren't good enough to get me into the top law schools and since Symbiosis was ranked 4th best law school that year, I decided to get admission here. Sorry I do not remember the exact scores I got, it was a long time ago. Choosing Symbiosis was a decision I made completely on the basis of what I heard about the University from my friends and teachers at the entrance coaching centre. Thankfully, I do not regret the decision.

The course curriculum is one of the best I've seen. Symbiosis law School teaches you law subjects from the very first year of college which very few other colleges do. This means that you'll be able to go for legal internships from the first semester break itself (as opposed to having to wait till say 2rd year to apply for internship at a legal firm or with an an advocate). Learning the legal subjects early on would also mean that by the end of 4th year you will be well versed with most of the important law subjects and can concentrate more on writing and publishing research papers and books. Research, by the way, is an extremely vital part of course at Symbiosis and mostly all the assignments set by the faculty will involve hours of self reading, research and analysis. This, of course, will help students get more acquainted with the subject.

The college placement cell does help with providing internships. Stipends are the sole decision of the firm/company providing the internships and is based on the performance of the intern during the course of internship. So giving a general stipend amount isn't possible. In the last semester, we got internship calls from Barclays, Bajaj Finance, JSA (J. Sagar Associates), JSW, BMR Constructions, Scorpio Shipping Claims, United Phosphorous Limited, IPRAA (Intellectual Property Rights Attorney Association, Chennai), MMB Legal, ELP(Economic Lawys Practice), Suni Thakker Associates (STA, Dubai) etc.

The placement cell works to bring in companies who might be interested in campus recruitment. However, the college does not guarantee 100 percent placements but I'll tell you why that's fine. Most people, in their 4th and 5th year of law school would have companies or firms of their own liking where they would like to join afterwards. Some opt for a litigation career and may have interned with litigation firms or advocates in the past. Another part of the student population prefer to go for higher studies. I have once heard a faculty tell us in my first year that the college doesn't thrive for the placements of the students but in making sure they are prepared enough for whatever career path you choose in life.

The college conducts two main events every year - Symptoms and Symbhav. Symptoms is the intra-college talent competition held every odd semester. It helps the new comers to show case their talents and socialise with the seniors. The inter-college fest, conducted in February is called Symbhav and it is a big deal. It is a 3 day fest with participation from a wide variety of colleges across India. There are competitions in the day time and concerts/performances at night. The college comes together as a team to pull off a fest of this magnitude and first years, especially enjoy it to the fullest.

One thing I absolutely love about Symbiosis is how it brings students from different parts of the country under its roof. It gives you deep insights into the culture and life of the people in our country and I would say it it almost as important as the subjects we learn in the college. It brings in more tolerance between the student community and is therefore a great advantage. The college also encourages various cultural societies which conduct workshops and similar event every month. The college also has an efficient Student Council which bridges the gap between the students and the administration.

It is my sole opinion that the fees are on the expensive side. And I say this because the fee doesn't include your hostel accommodation. Students usually find accommodation on their own although I hear this has changed now. Apparently the college now provides hostel facilities to new comers, but when I joined back in 2012, I had to find a hostel facility on my own. There are PGs around within the range of 5000 to 10,000 per month. However, by the second year most students prefer staying in flats with their friends and they are all available close to college.

The alumni committee of the Student Council conducts yearly meetings in order to socialise with the alumni and open up more opportunities for the current students. The alumni are mostly helpful and I have been told that they help students with internships and studies. We were also very fortunate to have some very nice seniors who took interest in our academic and professional life. I keep in touch with some of them even after them passing out of college.

The faculty is good and very accessible after class hours also. The college also provides guest lectures from imminent scholars on particular subjects and these lectures are highly enlightening.