Sumithra Suresh, a 5th-year student at NALSAR, Hyderabad writes about her college’s pros and cons – for a benefit of law school aspirants.

The journey through 5 years in law school involved a lot of mental dissection of the past 4 years of my life – Has law school lived up to my expectations? Have I lived up to its expectations? How has NALSAR changed me and how much has it changed itself? While these thoughts could run into reams and reams of paper, there is one succinct way to sum up it all up – I have had a taste of the best there is, and I can’t imagine having been anywhere but here, at NALSAR.

I must add at this point that my views on NALSAR are entirely my own and I would suggest considering them with the proverbial ‘pinch of salt’ – as there will be the inescapable subjectivity that comes with having spent nearly half a decade of your life in one institute and having integrated into its way of life.

The NALSAR Campus and Infrastructure

One of the first things that struck me about NALSAR was the dignified perfection that the campus exuded – the well-manicured lawns, the dignified grey and white buildings, the red tiled hostel roofs (I could go on and on!). We have very well maintained hostels and everyone is promised a single occupancy room from their 4thyear onwards. Our classrooms too are bright and big and well equipped. The library (the most important part of any law school) is a nice, quiet place where you can always hope to get your work done (and oh yes, we have a good collection of books and online databases too – but I won’t get into the technical details which I’m sure can be gathered from the website and prospectus). There is very little to complain about the infrastructure of the place, except perhaps the need for more varied eating options on campus. We have however addressed this problem by becoming regular visitors of the multitude of affordable dhabas that surround our campus.

Academics and Co-curricular Activities

When it comes to academics and co-curricular activities, your law school experience almost entirely depends on your own choices and motivations. The best part about NALSAR is the kind of platform and opportunities that it gives you. The past 4 years have definitely been challenging – meeting the standards set by some of the brightest minds across the country is definitely an uphill task. I would say that the kind of people you get to interact with at NALSAR is one of the best perks of the place. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the brilliance and intelligence of my peers and seniors, but soon this atmosphere will shape you into emulating some of these qualities that you look up to and admire.

Faculty

Having said that, I should also add that there is room for improvement in the teaching faculty. But then again, faculty crunch issues plague every law school and are not confined to NALSAR alone. So, in the end this is perhaps the best situation you could hope for, given the larger picture of the ‘quality teaching’ issues that affect all of India’s educational institutions.

Jobs and Placement at NALSAR

Excellent placement is one of the best perks of NALSAR – 100% placement is always the case. The pay packages are around 12-15 lakhs per annum at the top Indian law firms. This year, my batch has broken previous records by securing jobs for a huge chunk of students by the end of the 4th year itself. The top law firms were so keen on recruiting that they wished to come even before we entered our final year.
The five years you spend in law school are perhaps most valuable for the kind of intellectual abilities that it inculcates in you – these are skills that will serve you well through whatever you may choose to do in your life. NALSAR has definitely opened up my mind and horizons, and will always be an integral part of who I am and will become.