Placements: Since the school is only two years in running it doesn't have a graduating batch yet. However, as far as internships are concerned there are plenty of opportunities. Almost every student does an internship in the first year itself and our faculty help us in connecting with organisations that work towards our areas of interest. Additionally, the college invites professionals from the field to give talks or conduct workshops every week that allows us to meet and engage with people who are practitioners in the field. We are encouraged to keep in touch with these professionals which are great internship opportunities in themselves.
Infrastructure: The studios are well-equipped and each student has their own workspace. These are open till 1 am and open at 6 am to allow us to work whenever we like. Additionally, there is a digital lab, construction and fabrication lab with all the materials we require. Mess services are pre-paid and are common for the whole university. Situated in different parts of the academic block, the dining halls are managed by Sodexo and there is always a lot of variety to choose from, be it Indian, Chinese or continental. All three cuisine stations are available at all times. Apart from the mess, there is a food court with popular brands like dominos, subway, bercos, keventers, etc. That are open till midnight. Additionally, multiple tuck shops serve fries, burgers, ice cream, fruits and other snacks and these are open till about 2 am for when we're hungry and the mess is closed. Additional facilities like a convenience store, tailor shop, 24/7 pharmacy, beauty parlour, atm facility, etc. Are available on campus. The hostels are fully air-conditioned, Wi-Fi-enabled and the rooms are 2/3/4 people sharing depending on the type of hostel. Every room has an attached washroom as well. Each hostel block has a common room with a television, microwave, refrigerator, fuse ball table, carrom board, and other games. Laundry is also taken care of, we just have to deposit our laundry bag at the washex stalls around campus and collect it two days later. The room can be cleaned as often as we want, the seniors come in and help us every time we ask them. There are vending machines fully stocked with snacks and tetra packs which are located all over the campus, including the hostel blocks and studios.
Faculty: Both the programs offered here are unlike any other programs in the country. Apart from lectures, discussions and studio sessions, the college hosts workshops every other week like film making, woodworking, illustration, etc. That allow us to build on our skill sets simultaneously. The college also invites professionals from the field to give talks every week that allows us to meet and engage with people who are practitioners in the field. As far as the subjects are concerned, they are very different from traditional subjects offered in other architecture colleges. There is a large emphasis on making so all of our assignments and projects are more practical than theoretical. Our assignments are really interesting and range from sketches and essays to short films and building walls with our own hands. In fact, in the first year itself, we get to work on live projects that help us understand how different it is learning from the actual site instead of a textbook. We go on regular field trips every other week and even go on study programs as a batch to different places like Mumbai and Himachal Pradesh to allow us to extend our understanding of our subjects beyond the classroom. The exposure here is great. Even our subjects arent limited to architecture alone. We have classes on sociology, anthropology, graphic design, etc. And have the option to pick a minor field of study that could range from construction management and interior design to law, business or even psychology. The entire syllabus is inter-disciplinary and we are allowed to structure the course as per our academic interests. The faculty might just be the best part. Since we have small class sizes, each student gets a lot of individual attention and everyone gets to engage in discussions. They are always approachable and help us in whatever we need, be it doubts from lectures or even things that spark our interest outside of it. We spend a lot of time with our faculty even outside the classroom, during casual lunches or conversations we pick up in the studios after class hours. Being surrounded by really qualified people all the time enhances our learning experience.
Other: I decided to join Jindal because of the option to study a minor subject along with my major in architecture. This minor area of study can be from any other school in the university like law and business, or even from the architecture school like construction management or interior design. Additionally, the exposure we get here is unlike any other. In fact, in the first year itself, we get to work on live projects that help us understand how different it is learning from the actual site instead of a textbook. Even our electives are common with other students in the university, so in one elective, we could have an architecture first-year along with a banking and finance second-year and a law fourth-year student. The entire curriculum is quite interdisciplinary and we have the option to learn from students outside of our course as well. As far as the extracurriculars are concerned, campus life is quite eventful. There are multiple clubs and societies that any student can be a part of. These range from debate and environment society to dance society and Rotaract. There is always something happening on campus that students can get involved in whether it is a talk, workshop, open mic, or a committee for an upcoming fest. We have two large-scale annual fests- one cultural and one sports, students can be a part of any of the committees for the planning and execution of these fests. Apart from these large-scale fests, there are smaller fests held by the different schools or societies that happen from time to time. Festivals like Diwali, Holi, Halloween, etc. Are also celebrated with great enthusiasm and act as great opportunities for us to interact with students outside of our course.
Does Jindal School of Art and Architecture offer better placements than ICAD?