BA LLB Hons Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur

As a student who has recently joined Hidayatullah National Law University, there are several observations that I have made. It is perhaps most prudent at this point, to emphasize that it is not possible for any two students to have the same experience at university, and that the following statements are simply my views. To me, every aspect of the college seems to have its own positives and negatives: Firstly, the infrastructure of the college is quite breathtaking. There are several buildings in the campus, and all of them are centered around the main academic block which is built like the Parliament of India. Other than this, there is a new academic block that has been constructed, a three-story library, the girls hostel (one old + one new), the boys hostel (one old + one new), an open gym (in addition to a girl's gym and a boy's gym), a cafeteria, a football ground, a cricket ground and two basketball courts (although, the girl's basketball court is quite dysfunctional). In addition to this, the campus is quite green. Another benefit is that the college is located in the quiet premises of Naya Raipur which has great roads (google it!) and is a budding smart city. There's a lake attached to the campus, which is a huge plus. The disadvantage to this, however, is the fact that there are not many places of entertainment nearby. A newly constructed cafe (The Marvosa) has been established just outside HNLU with great food and beverages, but other than that, we're pretty much left to pick between the Jungle Safari and a petrol pump for recreation. The college provides transportation to and from the city (2+2) times a day, but this is quite an exhausting trip to make, considering that the campus is located 30 km from the city! (we're expecting a utility center to be constructed in college soon and dhaba deliveries are quite easy to place from within premises itself) Secondly, the student crowd (in my opinion) seems a little negative. Don't let this bog you down once you enter college and do not listen to anyone who tells you to "light le!" instead, if you find the right crowd to fit into and work towards whatever goals you have in mind at that particular time (may it be academics, joining a band or quizzing), I am sure that there are diverse students who have a similar interest as you! Note: Informal debates and jamming sessions take place a few times a month at the lakeside stairs and these are super fun to attend. Again, the negative aspect to this happens when you let the other students tell you how difficult law school is, or if you allow peer pressure to steer you towards drug abuse (most law colleges have this problem). As the college gives you a lot of liberty with the way that you spend your time, at the end of the day, this college is what you make of it. Thirdly, the faculty is quite average (sometimes, even disappointingly sub-par). At least as far as I've heard though, there is no Indian University till date that has managed to escape the plague of bad faculty. The up-side to this is the fact that our library is well stocked and repeatedly updated with the newest books. This makes it super easy to self study. There's a photocopy room at the top floor of the library where you can photocopy pages of the books and other notes for 60 paisa a page. The college also subscribes to various law pages like Manupatra and SCC Online which gives you a vast amount of study material in itself. Note: The seniors at HNLU are some of the most helpful people you will ever meet. As Dumbledore once said- "Help will always be given at Hogwarts- read: HNLU- to those who ask for it." (don't mind me. Not everyone in college is this cheesy!). But seriously, the faculty is of no help when it comes to mooting or paper presentations, but the seniors and even the alumnus are very responsive and will be there for you when you're in a tight spot. (Pro tip: Instead of buying new books, get them for free from your senior friend). Guest lectures are also being organised (more frequently nowadays), so make sure to attend them, because trust me, you can always use a little bit of extra motivation in law school. Finally, coming to the academics itself- the system is based on a credit-grade point average mechanism (so you've got to put in consistent work every semester) and one project from each of the six subjects have to be submitted every semester (for the syllabus, you can look at the official HNLU website, though it is of little use for other things). Although these projects are often halfheartedly done, I've found that if you put effort into this, you can convert this into a research paper for submission easily (two birds, one stone). The marks are given stringently and there continues to be a lack of transparency in the method of correction, but the students are continuously striving to reform this. It is on purpose that I have avoided talking about the mess food in detail. Although I love the taste of the food there, I find the high amount of oil-content in the food to be unhealthy. The way taste is perceived differs from one person to another. Again, dhabas are available nearby, if you're willing to part with your money. Oh, and there is enough scope to party (alcohol included. obviously.) several times over the year. Looking forward to having you there :)

• Placement
• Infrastructure
• College Life
• Industry Exposure
• Affordability
• Student Crowd
• Faculty
• Hostel

It is the sixth national law university set up in India amongst many others. Locationally, it's far from the business hubs of the country so the placements are mostly based on PPOs that one may get. College life is amazing with good infrastructure. I have done my law degree from this college with a good experience overall.

• Placement
• Infrastructure
• College Life
• Industry Exposure
• Affordability
• Student Crowd
• Faculty
• Hostel

The only thing good about this university is the fact that the infrastructure and a very proactive student body make a lot more of themselves through pure effort. Most of the faculty are absolutely not qualified to be within a country mile of a classroom, let alone be allowed to teach there. The administration doesn't care about the careers and aspirations of the students. But on the bright side the students are proactive and helpful and most of your knowledge and exposure here comes directly or indirectly from them. Overall a lot more negatives than positives. Especially for a university that is portrayed as being one of the best in their field.

• Placement
• Infrastructure
• College Life
• Industry Exposure
• Affordability
• Student Crowd
• Faculty
• Hostel

When I joined in 2011, I never thought this place will turn out to be what it is today. While I had only negatives to talk about back then; the growth in terms of infrastructure, faculty, student crowd and all the other aspects made me want to stay just a little bit longer when it was time to leave. The hostel life was fun - and the best part was having single rooms (the small, cozy balcony was just an added bonus). The crowd was not only fun, but also very talented - which inculcated a very healthy competitive spirit. The only drawback was the location of the college - which was situated far away from the main city. All in all, it was a memorable experience being a part of this university!

• Placement
• Infrastructure
• College Life
• Industry Exposure
• Affordability
• Student Crowd
• Faculty
• Hostel

Campus Designed like the parliament, the campus of the law school is really fascinating. Spawning across an area of around 70 acres, it has all major places: Football field, Basketball court, Cricket ground( though a cemented pitch), Gym well-equipped with all sophisticated machines( I ain't a regular gym-goer but can guess), Cafeteria( apart from homosexual mess), Badminton court, IT-Lab and a massive library( which I'll discuss in detail) Library and academics The faculty of the national law school is not that good and can be designated with an "OK" adjective. This puts the entire burden on the student to score marks and excels in academics. Library and free Wi-Fi can compensate for same. HNLU has one of the largest libraries of the country, containing thousands of Law Journals from different parts of the world. Also, subjects like sociology or political science(Major) is less about teachers and more about books and thinking about them. This makes the library more necessary. Hostel Life Hostels are fine with sufficiently spaced rooms and hygienic washrooms( except when there comes the swarm of mosquitoes). You can play loud music or play badminton at night except when the teachers are on rounds( They go back in five minutes :)). The food is good, except for the few dishes they suck at( for example, curry, whose fan I've always been, now shakes me to the deep). Thankfully, there is a shop in the mess itself, where you can buy delicacies( they make tasty sandwiches and noodles), when turn off the food, you hate, comes) Placements It's a national law school. Big firms come here and recruit people. They shortlist the top 10 or top 15 rankers, which makes it important to excel in academics. The placement % is reasonably good despite 50% domicile reservation.

• Placement
• Infrastructure
• College Life
• Industry Exposure
• Affordability
• Student Crowd
• Faculty
• Hostel