Parul University, “A Bangladeshi Student's Journey" 13 Facts You Must Know with an Honest Review and.

Parul University, “A Bangladeshi Student’s Journey”- 13 Facts You Must Know with an Honest Review.

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Introduction:

As a Bangladeshi student currently studying at Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat, I want to share my journey and provide valuable insights for fellow international students, especially those from Bangladesh. But I will cover all the necessary information for all the international students too. Whether it’s Bangladeshi or African, the information will help all international students.

Navigating the process of applying to a foreign university or in Parul University, securing a visa and adjusting to life in a new country can be challenging, but it is also an incredibly rewarding experience.

Parul University is renowned for its diverse academic programs, vibrant campus life and strong commitment to student development. Located in Vadodara, Gujarat, Limda.  Parul University offers a unique blend of modern education and cultural richness. As an international student, you’ll find a welcoming environment and numerous opportunities to grow both academically and personally at Parul University.

In this blog post, I will take you through each step of the journey that I have personally experienced at Parul University.

Application Process (how I got admitted): Applying to Parul University as an international student I did not face any trouble. I was looking for a 100% free scholarship programme in India in 2020. Then the SII Scholarship window popped up in front of me.  I would say it is one marketing technique to grab the student’s attention who are very much interested in studying without any cost in any country, especially in India. In the name of the SII Scholarship, most of the Universities of India who are enlisted in the SII Scholarship run their marketing agencies here in Bangladesh. Not only Bangladesh, there are many countries where such Universities do run their business through SII Scholarship.

Anyway, coming back to the point, under the SII Programme there was a consultancy firm that knocked me and told me to get admitted into the Parul University (specified by the name) where I was put a query without knowing about the SII Scholarship. They told me to secure my seat at Parul University and after that, I could sit for the PRAGATI exam to get a 100% scholarship. If I could get the 100% scholarship that time, they told me there I wouldn’t have to pay any money. The time was August 2020, and I remember the SII Scholarship genuinely held between April to July. However, the agencies start their advertisements before the SII Scholarship process starts. Anyway, I enrolled and then my class was (online) started in September 2020. All was good, the Online Faculty and all. Classes were running well. I was happy and busy at the time.

01. Applying for the Student ( S1 Type) Visa:

For the first time applying for the student visa you’ll have to submit the following Documents:

  1. Final Offer Letter (not the 1st one,)
  2. Bonafide Certificate (University will provide)
  3. Payment acknowledgement (provided by the university)
  4. Fees Payment Receipt (in some cases)
  5. Passport (with one copy in some cases)
  6. One 2-inch x 2-inch (white background) colour photo, Ear must be visible
  7. Electricity bill/Gas Bill/Telephone bill/any bill copy (3 to 6 months old, not more than this)
  8. Bank Statement/Dollar Endorsement/Visa card with dollar endorsement on the passport (any)
  9. NID card copy (national ID card copy)/Birth certificate copy.

After that go to the Jamuna Future Park, Basement -2 (after taking the appointment date for 2024) who are applying from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Travel fees you’ll have to give to the Indian government for travelling to their country, Past It was 500 and now in 2024 the travel fees have been increased by 100% and it is now 1000 Bdt.

You must go to the nearest Sonali Bank Branch, the Government Bank of Bangladesh.

 

By Road (Ac Non Ac )Bus Costing From Dhaka to Benapole Border:  

There are many Bus services in Dhaka Bangladesh to travel to Benapole Border. You can choose any of these. The names are

Shyamoli Paribahan, Ac: 1500, Non Ac Is not available

Shohag Paribahan, Ac: Dhaka to Benapole: 1000-1400 tk. Non Ac 750 tk.

Desh Travels: Ac: 1300, Non Ac 750 (Before it was 2000 and 1100), real price would have fluctuated in some cases.

Green line : Ac: 1400, Non Ac 1000

Immigration will take a few hours depending on the time to travel. Usually in the Benapole Haridashpur Border, heavy rush every time you are seen. In some cases, the time will take up to six hours or more to complete the immigration process. But still, people come by this border because from Kolkata it is easier to go anywhere in India and one can get international tickets to go anywhere in India.

Passing the Benapole, Petrapole border to the Kolkata new market will take one whole day. Mostly you will reach the New Market Kolata by 5 pm no matter whether your immigration is finished early or not.

By Train:

Most people like to travel by train because it takes less time in the immigration process but nowadays, in Bangladesh travelling by train to India is costly than previous. At that price, one can easily purchase an Air ticket adding some extra amount but by Bus now it takes only 6 to 8 hours hardly to reach Benapole Border with minimum cost from Dhaka. One who doesn’t have money-related issues then they can take a flight.

2. Kolkata to Vadodara Ticket:

If you can wait 2 to 3 days then it is ok otherwise you can do several things to cut the ticket to Vadodara to reach Parul University. For International Citizens, Fairlie Place/Eastern Railway/Kolkata is the best option to get a confirmed seat.

  1. By 9 am book an Uber and go to the Fairlie Place/Eastern Railway/Kolkata. Uber will cost 100 rupees from Kolkata, the Newmarket area.
  2. At 10 am the office will open and then collect a form.
  3. There will be two sections one is for those people who will travel from Kolkata to anywhere in India and the other is from Kolkata to Bangladesh.
  4. After entry, the left side is the section where one can get the ticket form of Kolkata to inside anywhere in India, the right side is for those people who will travel from Kolkata to Bangladesh.
  5. There you can have to wait for some hours or in some cases within an hour you can get the ticket if available on that day, the availability of the ticket they’ll show you.
  6. One must get the ticket from here.
  7. For this you will have to take with you one passport photocopy and a visa copy and fill out the form accurately.
  8. The other way is to go to the railway station by 9 am and get a confirmed Tatkal ticket from the railway station. But for this, you will have to reach there within 10 am. After 10 am the daily tatkal Kota will not going to work for you.
FAIRLIE PLACE KOLKATA

3. Vadodara Railway Station to The Parul University:

There are three options.

  1. Book Uber and get in and reach the Destination. It will cost you more than a local vehicle.
  2. Book an Auto Rickshaw, it will cost you around 150 to 250 Rupees. But the Ideal cost is 150 but they will ask from you 250 to 300.
  3. The cheapest way is to go to the bus stand after crossing the railway station, opposite side of the railway station, the Government bus stand is located. Go there and ask for the bus. I will provide the bus schedule image here. The bus number is 3C if you want to go to Parul University, 3B, 3C, and 3E will also come from the station but these busses will not come crossing Parul University. These buses will go directly to Waghodia Village. In some cases, these buses cross Parul University but one has to be sure about it before getting in.

4. After Reaching Parul University (1st time) and some common facts:

After reaching there you will have to set a place to stay. It can be the hostel or anywhere else outside of the University depending on your admission criteria. Then you’ll have to do several things immediately.

  • Go to the ISAC department (International Student Affairs Council)
  • Collect the bonafide Certificate.
  • Ensure your stay and address, if you will stay on campus, they will do all for you for the first time. Usually for the 1st time they do this step for everyone. If not then to collect the Bonafide you will have to submit your house rent agreement papers with police verification. After that, they will provide you a bonafide Certificate.
  • Within 14 days of your arrival in India you will have to apply for the FRRO application signing up to the FRRO website. https://indianfrro.gov.in/eservices/home.jsp
  • Then you will have to upload there all your documents in pdf format with minimum size.
  • Rent Agreement all copy
  • Photo
  • Bonafide Certificate
  • Passport Copy
  • Valid Visa Copy
  • NOC
  • C Form
  • Bank Statement. (depending on the FRRO requirement)
  • No fee is charged for registration, but a foreigner who has delayed registration and if a delay is condoned, a penalty in Indian currency equivalent to US$ 30/- for late registration may be charged.

After that, You’re all set. Then just wait to get the FRRO certificate.

  • Do not enter from the Parul Sevashram Hospital gate to attend your class or anytime to entry to the University area from the Hospital gate. They will treat you as if you are a criminal and will behave with you rudely. If you have a valid reason to enter the hospital, any health issue only then you can enter from the hospital gate.
  • Parul Arogya Card will be issued for the student’s first-time admission to Parul University where they can get 200000 rupees of health insurance but for that, you’ll have to stay in the hostel. Also, there are a few more things which only the hostel students can get as the facilities from the university day after day one student can realize those things.
  • Hostel rules are hard to maintain there. No entry after 9.30 If you want to enter the university at night then you will have to show the security at the gate your pass from the hostel rector which you will have to pre-collect from your hostel rector after conversation and confirmation over the phone and video call with your parents.
  • In the hostel mess you will have to show your mess card for taking the lunch. Without the mess card, they will treat you as if you are a beggar who enters into the mess to take their food. All the members sitting in the mess are usually not educated. They will treat so badly with you if you don’t have a mess card.

5. Food:

Generally, here in the hostel no Bengalis like the food of the hostel mess. You will be getting all Veg items here full of oil. I liked the “Dal” here and the “Chas” which is called “Matha” in Bengali language and the machine-made Roti or Ruti. If you are a non-veg lover then hostel food is not for you. On Sunday in the hostel at night no dinner will be provided to the students and for that day especially you will have to go outside to take your food. Also, you can take the non-veg food from the international hostel mess by giving them an extra 2000-3000 rupees and for that, you will have to get permission from ISAC.

You can easily get non-veg food outside starting from 70-120 rupees but the taste might not satisfy you in some cases. Biryani you can get it easily here but the chicken quality is not that good.

Parul University hostel mess food

Attendance:

Here on the university campus 75% attendance is a must. New rules they have made for students. If the attendance is below 75% then the university can take any action against you and it can be the detention from the college for 1 year.

6. Outside Living Cost and other facts:

If you have a wish to stay outside from the hostel and the budget is low then you can have low-cost houses easily in Waghodia village side area than the City side area.

  1. One Bhk room will cost you around 4000 to 4500 rupees, Some Landowners charge the house rent person-wise. Make sure which criteria can suit you well.
  2. Two Bhk 5000 to 6500, Three Bhk 6000-7500. Depending on the Room, how many persons share one house depends on the Land owner’s criteria.
  3. From Waghodia to the University, the Auto rickshaw will cost you 20 rupees (up/down daily).
  4. You can get all things here.
  5. If you are planning to move to the city side then it will cost you 60 to 120 rupees/day depending on the location without your outside food cost.
  6. The bus is scheduled here. It will come at its scheduled time.
  7. If you plan to buy clothes here it will be more costly here than Bangladesh. The quality will not satisfy you. For better quality, you will have to pay a higher amount than Bangladesh. So better buy clothes from Bangladesh or your own country.
  8. Online services are good here. Most people get their products from online.
  9. Be careful using your student bank account here because it can be on hold anytime for any silly reason and you will suffer for that. Do not do any illegal things here with your bank account otherwise, it will be feezed/lien/hold.

Visa Extension: Before expiring your visa 2 months before, you can re-apply for it without going to your country. For that, you will have to keep some papers with you handy. For the hostel students, the necessary papers are:

  1. Attendance Certificate
  2. Mis Report(Attendance)
  3. NOC
  4. Bank Statement
  5. All Marksheet
  6. Two Photos
  7. Last FRRO Copy
  8. Orogonal Passport

Off-campus students will have to apply for the FRRO by themselves. For the off-campus students, the necessary papers are:

  1. Attendance Certificate
  2. Mis Report(Attendance)
  3. NOC
  4. Bank Statement
  5. Rent Agreement with the police verification page
  6. C Form
  7. .All mark sheet
  8. Two Photos
  9. Last FRRO Copy
  10. Original Passport

The list of documents required for the police verification are:

  1. Application Form
  2. C Form
  3. Bonafied Certificate
  4. Residence proof with police verification
  5. Attendance Certificate
  6. NOC
  7. Bank Statement
  8. All mark sheet Copy
  9. All FRRO Copy
  10. Self request letter
  11. Passport Copy
  12. Visa Copy

Remember to keep 3 copies of each, one will be the original and the other two will be the Xerox copy.

7. FRRO Related Information:

The meaning of FRRO is the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Foreign students in India are required to register with the FRRO depending on their visa type and nationality. The FRRO handles all services related to foreigners living in India and registration is mandatory for those with valid visas for more than 180 days. Within 14 days of arrival in India an international student, it is compulsory to register in the FRRO portal. Otherwise, the penalty will be counted if within 14 days one does not register themselves. Remember to register yourself in FRRO within 14 days of your arrival in India it will cost you zero rupees fees. No one can ask money for it even the University itself.

If one student does not have visa validity here in India and wants to reapply for the visa they have to submit all the documents mentioned above before the visa expiry of about two months before. If the FRRO Office call the student for any confusion regarding uploaded documents the student should be there on time to meet the FRRO Officer.

Recently I got a call from the FRRO Office Ahmedabad regarding my issue and my issue was in my bonafide certificate the visa extension period was written there was only for 1 month duration where I will be here in India about one year more. As I took a drop of one year and instead of 2024 the completion of my course is about to be finished in July 2025. For that reason, the officer called me to meet him physically. When I went there the officer told me to send him an email where it will be written from the University that my course will be finished in 2025 not in 2024.

There I faced more issues. When I called the ISAC office sitting in the FRRO office about my bonafide issue the ISAC member told me they can’t reissue the bonafide certificate without having the letter from my department that I took a drop where the ISAC person was the one who did the mistake about the duration of my course after knowing my actual reason of taking a drop. He told me to go there to the University to have the proper bonafide with the letter after that he will issue me a new bonafide certificate. I then took a letter over the phone from my department instantly and gave that to the ISAC member. After having the letter, he told me he did not have time to re-issue me the bonafide that time though he wouldn’t have to re-write the bonafide of mine which was already on his computer. He just needs to rewrite the date only. He was telling me to go back and collect the bonafide on Monday! Sometimes they (ISAC) will not cooperate with you. But after having the letter only the FRRO Officer gave me the visa. He was such a kind person.

FRRO Office Address: THE FRRO office address was previously in “Barrack No. 2, First Floor, Govt. Polytechnic Campus, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.” But the new FRRO Office is now “FRRO Office, Ground Floor, Plot No: 235, HUDCO Bhawan, Ishwar Bhuvan Road, NR. Commerce SIX Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380009, Ph: 079-26306606, Fax-079-26306607.

FRRO New Address

8. Important facts about the ISAC member’s behaviour with International (especially Bangladeshi) Students:

ISAC (International Students Affairs Cell) whose main work is to provide a nurturing and supportive environment to international students at Parul University. Some members were so friendly and responsive and some members were so rude there. They think of themselves as they are something like they are minister. I have faced a lot of issues with their behaviour. Deepa Karvat, the Assistant Director in Parul University is nowadays behaving rudely with the international students. Last 12th of July 2024 I went with an application after messaging her about the issue I was facing and she at that time talked with me like she was something! Such a rude behaviour.

In the ISAC office there are a lot of personal clashes the members have with each other and for those personal clashes they behave with the students so rudely. Like if someone goes to Deepa with a reference to Deepak and Shatabdi as an example (works for Bangladesh) she used to scroll the student for that! No one here in the ISAC department (rarely) is good. I got help every time from one person, Umang Parmer, the Executive officer at ISAC. He used to pick up calls and reply to messages which I saw personally. Jayesh is sometimes good but when I was in trouble it was simple to work to do with the bonafide he mistakenly wrote the wrong date, could have re-written it and sent it to me within a while but he did not do that.

He every time used to take three weeks to send the bonafide to the students when it was urgent then too. Also, I have to tell you about Shatabdi Dey, she is another person who used to scroll the students and behave so rudely with the students. She used to tell lies with the students of Bangladesh and after taking the admission she used to deny her words which she told the students while getting admission in Parul University. Also, she used to use the students for the promotion of the university but if one student needed the actual help she used to skip that part and at that time she pretended not to know the student.

One member I wanna mention here is Deepak Jobanputra who is another person who used to use International students, especially girls. I must say the character of the ISAC members is wow in this case if the University Owner can take a step to review their background and take some necessary steps to know about what’s going on in the ISAC it will be better for all the International students here in the University.

From Bangladesh’s Consultancy firm, a female representative from Parul University named Shatabdi used to give the students the wrong information about Parul University. Every time, she used to give the students false information that if one student got admitted to Parul University he or she would be able to do the job here in India which is a piece of wrong and fake news. After being admitted into Parul University with false information the students after coming here to India faced different issues given by that woman. This woman then used to argue with the students regarding these issues saying that she did not tell them such pieces of information. It is also horrible.

I would request all the students not get admitted to any university without knowing the facts. Please research the facts before getting admission to any university. Try to collect the right information as much as you can. I know such consultancy firms that are doing good and do not provide any wrong information to the students. Asterisk is one of those.

I wanted to write about these people many times ago but was not getting enough time. I must want to grab the attention of Parul University about the real facts to enquiry about the ISAC members deeply. It is a humble request to Parul University.

Parul University ISAC people

9. Some Departments need to talk about:

The BBA students here have no work. I do not understand why students are coming here to study in the BBA and MBA fields! If one student does not study then also, they will be promoted to the next semester I saw many such BBA and MBA students here who don’t study here and after coming here to India they used to take drugs all the time, do start to live together and so on. Also, for that kind of student, Parul University has job opportunities in the admission call centre which starts from 5000 to even 20000+ rupees! This department does not carry so much value here in the University at all and I do not think that this subject can be a better choice for a student who are serious about their study. The CSE department and mostly the Engineering departments, MBBS and Medical related departments, and Design departments are good here as compared to the other departments I have seen.

The University has some other facilities offering the students now and then. One should have carried a good educational background to grab those opportunities. From here one student can easily shift themselves to any other country by exchanging their semester, or taking the Job placement or in higher studies. The opportunities are good here if you can spend money, it will be a sure shot for you.

10. Important Points to discuss the Placement for International students:

Here, Work and study in India, no job placements are available for international students. The Indian law doesn’t allow you to get a better job here. For Bangladeshi students, the per annum package must be at least 16 lack plus to get a work permit visa here in India.

11. Faculty Of Parul University

Parul University does not have a good-quality of faculty members. I have seen they do not spend money on hiring a good faculty. Fresh graduates from Parul University can see here taking the classes and often Parul University offers fresh graduates or masters students to take the classes.

The infrastructure of Parul University is good. Their marketing strategies are good. But I think they should focus on hiring some good quality faculty members also to rank the university.

12. Furniture Workshop for Design Students

In February 2024 we had a furniture workshop in “Kasthkala” in Jetalpur, Gujarat taken by Nisa Gandhi and Parth. The workshop was good. We did hard work on that workshop but the external was not good to mark the students. He asked his carpenters to give markings to those who were the choosable ones of that carpenter. It is the internal news we got. Strange isn’t it? The students who were not present in the whole workshop gave them the highest mark. The Design Faculty should be aware of this external marking too. Also after the workshop is finished, they should meet to get feedback from the students that what’s the actual outcome can come from the students about the workshop as the workshop was taken by one who is not a faculty member of Parul University. 

Parul University PID Furniture Workshop

13. Conclusion:

In conclusion, I must say studying in India can be the best choice for an International student who does not have enough money to spend. Now in Bangladesh, the protests against the students and the government are horrible day after day and all the Schools and colleges are shut down. In this situation studying in Bangladesh would not be the right choice for a student there. So for that, I must say studying in India can be the right decision for a student to grow their future as compared to Bangladesh. No session blockage will be here in India to have a gap in their semester.