• To begin with could you please briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey so far.

I am Arya Gutgutia, just done with my first year from the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. I am pursuing BA LLB. I prepared for CLAT 2024 under Rajneesh Sir’s supervision and guidance. The first semester of law school was pretty daunting and intimidating. A lot of things were going on simultaneously, making it difficult to navigate. But eventually over time things started to make more sense. Second semester was pretty chill as a lot of things were figured out. I also took part in DM Harish International moot court competition. This played a crucial role in my learning as a law student.

🧑‍🎓 Life at Law School

• How would you describe your daily life at law school ? 

The classes begin from 9:30 a.m. in the morning and goes on till 5 in the evening. There is an hour break in between the classes. Post class, I normally have snacks and take a quick nap before heading towards the library to finish my readings. I also like to take a small walk around the campus and end my day by 12 or 1 am.

🍽️ Food (Mess/Canteen)

• How is the food at your law school in terms of taste, variety, and hygiene?

The food is fairly good. There is non veg almost every day. The hygiene is decently maintained. There are special lunches and dinners on festivals or any such occasions.

• Are there good alternatives to mess food nearby (cafes, delivery options)?

There is canteen in the college itself. There are a lot of street food options available in the side gate of the college. We also have many cafes, food chain outlets and small eateries within a kilometre’s range. This is one of the benefits of having the campus in the city. Food delivery apps deliver throughout the day.

• How do students usually manage food when mess food isn’t good? How is the water availability? 

Most people eat from the canteen or side gate or one can easily go out or order food online. There are ample options when one is tired of eating the same mess food.

There is water available in very floor of the hostels and academic block and in the mess.

🏡 Hostel Life

• What is the last entry time for hostels? How strict are the hostel rules regarding timings and permissions?

There is no such entry time for hostels. Students are free to enter and exit the hostel whenever they want. The hostel rules are not at all strict regarding timings or any such permissions.

• How are the hostel facilities overall (rooms, cleanliness, Wi-Fi, common areas)?

The cleanliness of the room highly depends on how you maintain it. One can get it cleaned up by asking the helps in the hostel or can clean it themselves. There is Wi-Fi available everywhere in the hostel.

• What’s the social life like in hostels — are there events, gatherings, study groups?⁠

There are floor parties or hostel parties that happens which is pretty common in the boy’s hostel. In girls hostel they do happen but not much. Apart form this there is no hostel specific event.

• How is the hostel infrastructure? Are the rooms single, double or triple sharing?

For first year girls, there is a dormitory. A few of the first-year boys and girls also get allotted the Staff Quarters or Warden’s Flat where it is like an apartment with 2 or 3 rooms. From second year normally everyone gets a double sharing room. Mostly from 3^rd or 4^th year one gets a single sharing room based on their preference.

• Is ac facility available?

ACs are only available in the dorms, Staff quarters and warden’s flat.

• Does one need their parent’s permission to go out of the campus (as in, is some otp sent to parents) ?

no there’s no permission required but a registry is maintained for the same

• The washrooms are shared by how many people ?

⁠there are washrooms on every floor in the acad block as well as hostels, where proper hygiene is maintained

📜 Rules & Regulations

• What are the major academic rules and regulations — especially regarding attendance and exams?

Maintaining attendance is one of the most important things to do in NUJS. One can get debarred if the attendance does not meet the requirement. The attendance requirement is 70%. There are end semester exams for 60 marks at the end of every semester. The rest 40 marks are internals and depends on how the professors wants to evaluate.

• How strict is the administration regarding discipline and code of conduct?

The administration is pretty liberal about the code of conduct.

• Are there specific dress codes for certain activities like moots or presentations?

For moots and ADR, one is expected to wear formals but for presentations there is no such requirements.

📝 Academics: Internals, Assignments, Unit Tests

• How frequent are the internals, assignments, and UTs (Unit Tests)?

They are spread over the entire semester and depends on how the professors schedule it.

• Are assessments heavily weighted towards exams, projects, or continuous evaluation?

It again depends on the professor’s discretion and how they divide the 40 marks. Normally there are projects, vivas, presentations and mid sems. The rest 60 marks is for the end sems.

📚 Classes and Timing

• What is the daily class timing like?

9:30 to 5:00

• Are Saturdays working days at your law school?

Not really. If there seems a need to schedule an extra class then it can be done on Saturdays.

• How hectic is the weekly schedule?

Pretty hectic. There is always something or other is going on like projects, internals, readings or events along with classes till 5.

🎉 Semester Breaks

• When are the semester breaks scheduled? And how long are these semester breaks?

After the monsoon semester there is almost a week or two long break in the month of December and January . After the winter semester there is 2-month long break in the months of May and June.

• Are breaks enough to take internships or refresh properly?

One can easily do internship in the break after winter semester. We also have a month-long break in October for internships.

🌍 Diversity and National Representation

• How is the national representation at your law school — do students come from all over India?

There are students from almost all over the country.

• How inclusive and diverse is the campus culture?

The campus is extremely diverse with people belonging to various social positions and cultures. It is also very inclusive.

🛎️ Day 1: Registration and Admission

• What was the Day 1 experience like during hostel registration and college admission?

The Day 1 experience was pretty smooth. Everyone was given a token number and a proper flowchart on where to go for registration and other things. The staff was also pretty co-operative.

• Are there any important tips for a smooth admission/hostel registration process?

One should reach a bit early to get the starting token numbers, otherwise the wait time extends a lot.

⚖️ Moot Court Activities

• What is the culture around mooting at your college?

There is a very active mooting culture with students doing very well in the competitions.

• How early can a first-year student start participating in moots?

There are moot internals conducted in the first semester itself where the first years are encouraged to take part in high numbers. First there is batch rounds where the top 30 moves to university rounds. In university rounds, national and international moots are allotted on the basis of the ranks. Apart from internals there are application opened for numerous moots throughout the year.

• Are there internal selections for moots?

Yes . But there are moots that can be done without going the process of internals.

• Is there any special training or mentorship available for moots?

If one goes through internals then one can be allotted a moot mentor. Apart from that seniors are there to help out in almost every step.

• Are the moot courts sponsored by the college?

There is a reimbursement policy which is being drafted.

🎯 Extracurriculars

• What extracurricular activities are available at your law school?

Apart from moot and ADR, there is also debating, sports, theatre, dance and music.

• Which activities would you recommend to a 1st year student?

As a first year one should try everything so as to one can realise what they are interested in.

• How do extracurriculars help in career building or internships?

They help in increasing confidence, research skills, knowledge and connections. A lot of these competitions are a good way to network with people.

• Are there any limitations of participating in extracurriculars?

No , there is no limitations 

• How do you personally balance academics and extracurricular activities?

By prioritising what is important and completing it on time.

👥 Committees

• What are the major committees and societies in your law school?

There are various SJA and non SJA committees that one can join. These include the Moot Court Society, ADR Society, Cultural Committee, Sports Committee, Informal Discussion Group, etc.

• Which committees should a first-year student definitely try to join?

It honestly depends on one’s interest. There is orientation for every committee, one can attend them and choose for themselves. Every committee has their own set of work and interaction; one can apply for one best suited for them. A first year can join up to 2 SJA societies and as many non SJA societies they want.

• What is the process of getting into a committee? How competitive is the selection for these committees?

The committees open up for application, where one has to maybe send their CV or write a Statement of Purpose or maybe answer a few questions. Then normally there is an interview conducted by the members of that society for selection. The competitiveness differs for every committee, but mostly it is on the vibes of the applicant.

🎊 Fests and Campus Life

• What are the major college fests?

There is one major cultural fest called Outlawed and one sports fest called Invicta that happens simultaneously during the winter (even ) semester. Apart from these fests, there are numerous events happening throughout the year especially in the even semesters.

• How vibrant is the cultural and sports scene at your law school?

The cultural and sports scene in the college is very happening and vibrant. There is something or other happening throughout the year. There are numerous inter batch sports tournaments that happen. There are also various cultural events like dandiya night, lohri night, cultural night, etc., that happens.

🏀 Sports Facilities

• What kind of sports facilities are available on campus?

There is quad in the academic building where people normally play most of the sports. There is also a basketball court in front of the hostels.

• Are there any sports teams or tournaments students can participate in?

There are various sports tournaments that happen. A lot of them are inter-batch tournaments like football, volleyball, etc. There are also other tournaments like frisbee, pool and football tournaments that happen. External competition includes Tri-series that happens every year.

• How active is the sports culture at your college?

It is pretty active during Invicta and tri-series, but most of the time something or other tournament happens within college keeping the sports culture alive.

🎓 Class Representative (CR) Selection and Responsibilities

• How is the CR (Class Representative) selected?

They are selected by election. One CR is selected for each batch.

• What are the main responsibilities of a CR?

It includes but is not limited to co-ordinating with professors on a daily basis and also with the administration.

• How much influence or say does a CR have regarding student concerns?

A CR generally helps in voicing the batch’s problems. They also help in moderating within the batch.

🏛️ Student Union

• Is there a Student Union at your college?

Yes, the student union is called Student Juridical Association (SJA).

• How active is the Student Union in addressing student issues or organizing events?

The SJA is pretty active in the college. It takes cognisance of almost all the issues raised by the students. There are various committees that are under the SJA who organises all such events in the college.

• Can first-year students get involved with the Student Union?

Only first year CRs are part of the SJA. One can join the SJA through the various available positions from their second year.

🧑‍💼 Key People in the Administration

• Who are the key people in the administration that students should know about? (Dean, Registrar, Warden, etc.)

Registrar, Academic and examination section, and faculty. But one can know them gradually over time as per need.

• Whom should students approach for different issues like academic help, hostel problems, or disciplinary matters?

Normally everyone approaches the SJA who can guide appropriately on how to go about. One can also approach the academic section for the relevant issues.

• “Is there any unwritten advice about how to approach professors or administration to get help more easily?”

Professors are pretty approachable. One can schedule a meeting with them over email.

 Scholarships

• What scholarships are available for the students?

There is usually merit cum means scholarship available.

🛠️ Internship Guidance

• How does the college support students in finding internships?

There are RPCs formed for 2^nd – 4^th year batches and CRC for the 5^th year batch. Seniors also send across databases with appropriate information.

• What should a first-year law student do to land good internships?

As first year the internships are not that important. Normally connections or approaching people really help.

• What types of internships are recommended during the first year?

One can do a litigation internship or research internship. Basically, anywhere they can learn the basics of the legal world.

❤️ College Likes & Areas of Improvement

• What do you like the most about your college?

Seniors! They are the ones who help you in literally everything.

• Where do you think the college can improve?

The infrastructure can improve.

🏆 College Strengths 

• According to you, what are the three biggest strengths of your college?

Seniors and peers, Location and Alumni .

🎯 Placements and Career Support

• How strong is the placement cell at your college?

Placement is one of the strongest suits of NUJS. Most of the people who sit for placements get placed.

• What kind of firms, companies, or organizations usually recruit from your campus?

Tier 1 law firms, companies looking for in house counsels, etc recruit.