What is Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA) ?
Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University) in Pune is one of the most prominent liberal arts colleges in the country. SSLA offers students an opportunity to pursue a four-year, full-time, Liberal Arts degree program styled closely on internationally valued models. Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts provides either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) or a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree based on the Major opted for by the Student.
What is a Liberal Arts program and why should one opt for it?
A Liberal Arts program is one that provides students the option of studying subjects from across the academic spectrum, with the option to pursue unconventional combinations of subjects. Although a Liberal Arts program revolves around the concept of intellectual freedom, it also believes that students require foundational knowledge in major fields of study. A degree in Liberal Arts, as opposed to other degree courses, aims at creating a strong, well-rounded foundation for all students, regardless of their major and minor field of study. Students pursuing a Liberal Arts program are exposed to a range of building blocks as their core courses that span diverse fields such as history, sociology, anthropology, science, creative writing, and critical thinking.
Why should one choose Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts?
Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, recognised as one of the top 10 Liberal Arts colleges of the country, provides a program styled closely on internationally valued models. SSLA offers nineteen core courses along with a minimum of eight electives, apart from a student’s selected Major and Minor specializations in order to not only provided students with intellectual freedom, but also a strong base of knowledge on aspects across the academic spectrum. The courses provide are structured around the approach of relevance, interconnectedness and vitality of knowledge.
In addition to academics, SSLA encourages its students to complete certain requirements for the degree in the form of Internships, Community Service projects along with the option of Semester Exchange programmes. Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts thus not only functions as a placement ground for its students but it also provides them with the opportunity and confidence to create their own jobs.
What degree does Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts offer?
The Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts offers a four year, full-time, Bachelor of Arts (B.A) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree program, covered over eight semesters. The degree awarded shall be based on the majors and minors opted for, by the student. For example, those majoring in courses such as Economics, Business Studies, Media Studies, Sociology, English, Psychology or Political Science & Public Policy will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Liberal Arts) degree, while those majoring in courses such as Biology, Mathematics & Statistics or Computer Science will be awarded a Bachelor of Science (Liberal Arts) degree.
How do you get into SSLA?
For more information, visit our Admissions page:
https://ssla.edu.in/admissions
What is Student Life like at SSLA?
While the academic rigour of SSLA keeps the students on their toes, there are several other aspects of what a student’s life would entail at this institution. A sizeable amount of SSLA’s student population is intrinsically involved in various extracurricular activities such as sports, dance, art and so forth. Students may also be members of various cells and committees during their four years here. Elected students can also be a part of the Student Council at SSLA, and can have the opportunity to work for the welfare of the student body and the college. In order to keep up with the opinions and events that SSLA holds, we have two in-house publications; The Student Review and The Newsletter respectively.
Apart from college related activities, students can enjoy the sights and treats of the diverse city that is Pune.
To learn more about student life here, visit this page:
https://ssla.edu.in/studentlife
What accommodation facilities does SSLA offer?
Keeping in mind that a large percentage of SSLA students come from cities other than Pune, the need for hostel accommodation becomes imperative. There are several Symbiosis Girls’ Hostels in the vicinity of the college campus, located in the areas of Viman Nagar and Sakore Nagar. These hostels are equipped with facilities such as WIFI, Television, Cleaning Services, Sports Facilities and so on.
Symbiosis does not provide for boy’s hostels, as yet. However multiple paying guest accommodations and residential apartments for shared rent are available in and around Viman Nagar.
To learn about the specifics of hostel living and costs, visit:
What are the extracurricular opportunities at SSLA?
SSLA has a plethora of clubs and activities for interested students. These include the Art Club, the Music Club, the Dance Club, the Photography Club, the Theatre Club and so forth. The college also offers a wide variety of sports activities such as Basketball, Football, Table Tennis, Squash, Volleyball etc.
To learn more about the clubs and sports offered at SSLA, visit:
https://ssla.edu.in/clubs
What are the career prospects after SSLA?
While most Liberal Arts graduates opt for higher studies after their graduation, there are also several career opportunities they could take up. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, Liberal Arts graduates have the skill set to take up almost any career of their choice. Journalism, Business, Advertising, Civil Services, Writing, Research, NGOs, Academics, Policy Making and Financial Analysis, Banking and Public Relations are just some of the careers that students can opt for, right after their graduation. By using the knowledge gained from the myriad subjects that they have learnt, SSLA graduates can use their inter-disciplinary skill set to form a niche for themselves in any field of their choice.
For more information, visit:
https://ssla.edu.in/career1
What does the daily schedule of a student look like?
A student’s day generally begins at 7:30 in the morning and ends at around 7 in the evening. This varies from student to student and depends on the courses they have selected. Although a student’s day may stretch from 7:30 in the morning to 7 in the evening, students generally do not have back to back classes. A daily schedule of a student generally comprises of around three classes per day on an average and is usually interspersed with club programs and committee meetings.
How long are the summer and winter breaks? Are students given holiday homework?
The summer break extends from mid-May to the beginning of August while the winter break extends stretches over the month of December. Although students aren’t provided with holiday homework, students are required to complete integral part of their four year program at SSLA, namely their community outreach project, internship program and any requirements of their dissertation. The aforementioned integral aspects of the liberal arts program are spread out over the summer and winter breaks across the four years that students spend at SSLA.
What are the attendance and backlog policies?
There is a minimum requirement of 75% attendance for every course the student is enrolled in, as well as 75% aggregate attendance. Lack of the minimum required attendance will result in TNG/CNG (Term Not Granted / Course Not Granted), where the student will not be allowed to appear for the Semester End Evaluation (SEE). The student will have to clear all the exams related to the TNG/CNG in the following semester as backlog exams. Attendance noncompliance will also impact the Continuous Assessment (CA) grades. Furthermore, students will not be allowed to appear for the Semester End Evaluations (SEE), if attendance is less than 75%, including any time period of hospitalisation. Special considerations will be given to students for the following reasons:
Students are expected to fill in a leave form and submit it to the admin office for attendance condonation.
If a student scores less than 40% in the Continuous Assessment (CA) or the Semester End Evaluation (SEE, the student will receive a backlog. This would require the student to complete Continuous Assessments (CA) and Semester End Evaluations (SEE), as applicable for the course in the following semester.
The following situations will result in a backlog:
What is the basic course structure at SSLA?
There are 19 core courses and 8 electives which are compulsory and which every student will complete across the 8 semesters along with 1 major specialization and 1 minor specialization. The students therefore study 19 core (compulsory) courses + 8 general (electives) + 1 Minor specialization subject (6 papers) + 1 Major specialization subject (10 papers)
Specialization courses (which are in the form of Majors and Minors) are chosen in the 2nd semester and are taught from the 3rd semester onwards.