Kushangi Sewani's Review On Symbiosis Law School - [SLS], Pune

Symbiosis Law School, Pune is a good college, the best private law school without a doubt which has managed to create a reputation for itself in the last (almost) 4 decades. Older than even NLSIU, the alumni is vast and comprises of successful passouts who couldn't be more proud of their institution. If not the top 5 NLUs, then SLS, Pune, is the best choice.

The first step is to clear SET(Symbiosis entrance test), a test conducted by the SIU (Symbiosis International University). After clearing the cut off list, the successful candidates are called for the next step, which is PI-WAT (Personal Interview and Writing Ability Test) which has no set pattern. If you manage to clear it then Voila! You can get admission in Symbiosis Law School, Pune. I chose it for myself because, apart from the top National Law Schools, Symbiosis holds its water and brand reputation to the T and it seemed the best option at the moment.

There are 2 options to choose from, B.A.LL.B (Honours) and B.B.A.LL.B. (Honours). While both courses are meticulous, B.A. focuses more on social sciences and law as a social science, B.B.A. focuses more on the economics behind it and mostly into Corporates.

The college has a dedicated placement cell which assists the students in procuring internships and job offers. The internships can be with lawyers, NGOs, law firms, or a judicial clerkship and it depends on the offerors if they give stipend or not. Generally, the stipend is given to the senior students (3rd-5th year) for sure and can range anything from Rs. 5000 - Rs. 20000, while the younger students may or may not get it, depending upon work.

Companies like Wipro, L&T etc. are prominent recruiters who offer plush packages. this year Wipro offered placement to 6 5th year students who attained a package of Rs. 11 lakh/annum + bonus up to 2 lakh. Then, ICICI Bank is a regular recruiter and this year the highest package offered by them was Rs. 14 lakh + bonus upto 1.5 lakh. law firms like Amarchand Mangalda, AZB Partners, Khaitan and Co., Luthra and Luthra etc. are regular recruiters too.

The college ha the annual fest, Symbhav, which is the biggest in Pune and has a huge turnout. the 2015 edition had a turnout of approx 20 colleges across country and it had sponsorship from VH1, Harley Davidson, Hotstar etc. while artists like Nucleya, Voctronica etc. performed. It is a crazy, fun-filled fest and has cash prizes worth lakhs.

Fee structure is slightly expensive with Rs. 235000 for the current batch, but it is easily loanable. But also keep in mind that there may be a 5% increase in the fee with every passing year.

All major banks provide for educational loan for payment of fees and hostel (in case the girls stay in hostel).Every year, the Highest scorer of SET gets awarded with a scholarship for the period of 5 years of his/her batch. Also Rs. 50000 - Rs. 10000 are awarded every year for the toppers of various subjects.

The campus was recently shifted from S.B. Road to the viman nagar campus and the constructed and effective building is huge, although it is not a funky campus or anything. Pretty simple, and you can even say kind of boring but the campus life is pretty great. There is no hostel for boys, and even for girls it is not compulsory to live in the college hostel.The extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are actually the soul of SLS - Pune and there are various cells which operate and carry out all kinds of activities possible.The mindset of the faculties and even the students who come here is very liberal from what I've come across, and people do not hesitate to speak up for what is wrong. The institution is headed by a Woman, so you can assume that there is hardly any gender discrimination.The student Council is an active committee and is completely managed by students. Being an outspoken person, I haven't come across any discrimination for my race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. I think being an institution of law, if we do not follow the principles of equality and free speech then it would be pretty ironic. However, I am glad that the case is not so in here and people are respected for who they are.

The hostel is optional for girls and non-existent for boys.Being a girl who has been staying in the hostel for the past 2 years, I can say that the hostel is as good as it can get. The in timings are 10 pm everyday, except on Saturday when it is 11pm in the night, which is pretty liberal I think.The food is okay to good, depending on the chef's mood, but overall I found it much better than other hostels.There are two options, the twin sharing room with mess fees was for Rs. 135500 and the triple sharing one was for Rs. 115500 + a refundable amount of Rs. 15000 is taken as security deposit.Otherwise finding apartments in the area is pretty easy where a 2BHK is in the range of Rs.16-22 thousand/month and 3BHK for around Rs. 24-30 thousand/month

It has a large alumni base, as it is a very old college with almost 4 decades of existence.The college seniours are very helpful too, more friendly than I could have ever imagined. Instances of ragging are nil and the alumni are placed in the best of law firms, who in turn help with internships and placements of the current students.

The word chilled out is not for the Law schools, or at least not for SLS, which is pretty hectic. The Exams have one day leave between them and it is okay for revision but not for learning the course for the first time. The tip would be to not procrastinate and make a hectic schedule even more hectic.

The faculties of every subject range from Average to very good, depending upon the luck of the individuals as well (sometimes a class gets better faculties than others). However, they are all helpful not just regarding the course but also regarding extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. In fact, every student is assigned one faculty member as a mentor who guides through every problem a student comes across.