06.01.

2021
University Education
University Education is considered as the highest and the last step in the formal
education of a person. It is deemed worthy and necessary because people from
different parts of the state or countries of the world come together, in a single
place, to receive high quality access to education, or for further specialization in
their chosen fields.

The system of universities is almost as old as civilization, and can be traced back
to its roots in Ancient India, like in Taxila and Nalanda, Ancient Greece, like in
Alexandria, and Ancient China. Humans developed the concept of education way
back in around 2500 – 4000 years ago. Then in the Middle Ages, Universities
started to crop up in Europe like Oxford and Cambridge. During the Industrial Age
and the British Colonial Rule, a variety of new Universities started around the
world, where the focus shifted from religious teaching to technical fields like
science and engineering to train the newly emerging industry workforce, and to
promote research and development, to further develop new technologies and
sciences.

In India, Universities are also of different types – Open, Private, Public, Deemed.
University differs from college in that it serves as an umbrella for multiple
different courses, from different fields of study, and gives the opportunity to
students to choose any number of courses of their own liking.

Universities are run by Chancellors, Vice – Chancellors, Principals and Deans. They
manage the overwork of administration, and the fee system is mostly handled
through electronic medium, with some intervention required by the
administrative office. In India, all Universities are governed by the University
Grants Commission (UGC).

University these days are usually co-ed. They have a campus, the place where
people study and stay. Each University runs different programs in science,
engineering, humanities, law, and runs various skill development courses.
Universities offer graduate, post-graduate and doctoral programs to their
students. They have electives, which are additional courses, and shorter in
duration and intensity as compared to the major, which a student chooses as
their main field of study.

Universities have grading systems and additional projects to gauge the

performance of students. Universities have a semester system, wherein 1 year is
divided into 2 semesters each, and each semester consists of tests, quizzes,
practicals, lectures and projects, which are then compiled as GPA, or Grade Point
Assessments. They operate their academics in batches, where a fixed collection of
students is separated from their academic year by their year of admission, and
those batch of students are divided into classes, differing from their chosen fields
of study. Universities have Commencement, the ceremony which celebrates the
completion of degrees of a batch of students.

Universities have hostels or dormitories, where students live for the time they are
receiving their education. They have libraries, for studying and borrowing books.
Students can issue a library pass, with the help of which they can borrow a fixed
number of books for a fixed period of time before returning them back.
Universities have an administration center, for handling work related to running
of the universities and student fees. There are canteens and food stalls for eating.
We can find loads of students hanging out with their friends in canteens, and
working on their assignments. There also available faculty rooms for professors,
lecturers and teaching assistants as their work stations. Universities have green
areas, sports fields, art galleries, clubs like robotics, drama etc. There are also
dedicated laboratories for practical research work.

Students begin to prepare for their University examinations in their school itself.
There are also many Universities which are affiliated with political parties, and can
go to the route of political fundamentalism.

Universities conduct an orientation ceremony for new students and their parents,
to accustom them with their functioning and programs.
Universities grant scholarships to meritorious students to ease their financial
burden. The tuition fees are decided by the administrative people. Universities
provide placements to students studying in their final year to provide them with
job opportunities right after they finish their degree, and various government,
semi-government and private organisations come to hold placements to seek
fresh talent from the country.

There is a lot of research and development conducted in universities on a variety

of topics, and in a variety of sub-fields like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics,
Biology, Law, History, Art etc. which generates employment opportunities for a
lot of people involved and allows for promotion of research and development.
They usually file patents of their research work and dissertations, and publish
them in various journals.

Universities have alumni, who are graduated people now working in different
fields, and are chosen by Universities from a list of people to represent and
promote themselves in the national and international level.

Universities also have a Students’ Union, which handle the problems of students,
and organize college fairs and a variety of cultural events in the campus
throughout the year.

There are many Universities which also conduct and offer online, and distance
learning programs for students who are employed and desire to better equip
themselves with a more comprehensive understanding of a subject, which allows
them to study from their comfort of homes. The process for this works in the way
that the students are provide with study materials like lectures, notes and books,
and then their examinations are conducted according to the semester system,
which may be held online, or at the University campus. Then after the completion
of their program, the students are offered their degree.

Universities are able to offer a gap year to students before they come back to
allow them to travel or work.
Universities also have adult learners, the people who begin their education later
than the typical undergraduate crop. Then there are first generation students,
who are first in their line of families to attend a university.

Universities also offer campus tours and open days to new admission and visiting
students & parents, to give them an idea of their environment, and promote
themselves among the fresh crop of students.

There are many seminars held in universities, wherein many visiting professors
and learned individuals are invited to give talks on a variety of topics. Universities
also have student exchange programs, where students of different universities
swap their places to know more about them, and gain new experiences from the
different countries they are living in.

Professors sometimes also write a reference for a few meritorious students to

allow them with opportunities to study and work in illustrious places.

Universities also grant holidays and semester-wise and yearly breaks to its
students and faculty, to provide them relief from their workload, and provide
them the opportunity to visit their homes and families, and come back later with
a new and refreshed spirit.

Universities also offer the opportunity of Withdrawal to students who no longer

wish to continue their study program.

Universities contribute to the holistic development of students by improving their

mental, physical and social state. Universities are the vertebrae of the country, as
they provide grooming of leaders and new talent in a variety of fields, and they
are the place where the students’ talent is nurtured, who in turn administer the
country efficiently to eradicate problems, and solve and improve the state of their
country.

Overall, universities are a mini-life in itself, providing students with all they need
for their holistic development, and are a great place to meet new people, study,
work, and get trained for the real world and provide an all-round development for
the students studying there.