I would suggest you live in a PG or a flat with roommates if comfortable. The hostel isn’t worth living and it’s better to live outside if you want to enjoy your college life. 

• The hostel imposes strict time restrictions. The in-time is 8:30 which is too early
• You can only use mobile phones but you have to pay extra charges to keep the laptop.
• You will always have to get the signatures of your local guardian for leave applications. Otherwise, you cannot go home without permission.
• There are issues with the water supply in the hostel
• You will not be allowed to invite your friends to the hostel rooms.

There are a lot of PG and hostels near to the college at reasonable prices. You can go for it. Unless you are okay with living in a super strict environment with a curfew then you will do fine in the hostel at Fergusson College.

I can tell you my friend’s experience as a non-grant BA student. The fee structure is usually high for Non-Grant. It is so because the faculty are paid from the students' fees and not from the government fund.

The teachers are temporarily hired who often lack proper experience. You will also be not given a choice to select the subjects and will study 6 compulsory subjects. This is a huge setback as you have to study it even though you lack interest in any particular subject. 

One of the positive things about the Non-grant course is that lectures are continuous and end at 10:50 AM. After that, you will be free for the rest of the day. On the other hand, students admitted to Grant courses have to stay in college longer. 

Due to a small batch in non-grant courses, there are good chances of getting the preferred major in 2nd-year. It is so because the seats for grant and non-grant are equal.

There is a more diverse crowd in non-grant courses and you will find students from all over the country.

For BA, the cut-off is usually around 80-85% as of previous year’s records for the Maharashtra students. If you belong to other states, the cut-off will be around 90-95%. depends on how the rest of your peers have performed.

These cut-offs are as per the 1st merit list for Open category students. If you fail to secure a seat, then try during the 2nd and 3rd merit list.

If you are financially stable, then there is an option to get admission at the college after paying donation money.

Fergusson College is an Autonomous institute and comes under Savitribai Phule University, Pune. It is recognized by UGC and offers various undergraduate, post-graduate, and certificate courses under the Arts and Science stream.

• For Admissions in the UG courses, it is entirely based on the merit in higher secondary exams. 
• For PG, applications are accepted based on merit in the entrance exams.
• However, if you are a student from Savitribai Phule Pune University in some way or form, your merit in the entrance exam will be given 50% weightage and the other 50% will be given to your merit in the university.
• The application forms are uploaded to the website for access to prospects. 
• This begins in the month of April every year. Keep a tab on the college website for detailed timelines of the admission process.

The forms will need to be duly submitted online on the College’s website and the procedure to be followed. You need to carry a specific set of original and copies of the following documents:

• 10th marksheet
• 12th marksheet
• Caste Certificate (If applying for the quota)
• Caste Validity
• Domicile certificate (If not born in Maharashtra)
• Non-Creamy Layer Certificate if you wish to apply for financial aid or the quota
• Documents to verify eligibility for Defence or Physically challenged quota if applicable
• Aadhar Card
• Bank Account Details
• Scanned copy of Photograph
• Scanned copy of Signature

For International students the procedure is similar. After verification and due diligence, you will be provided a “Firm letter for Offer”. Make sure you carry your original documents for verification.

If physics is your passion, and you genuinely want to learn, this is not the place for you. One of my friends studied here and these are some things he mentioned.

• The faculty is good but they have limited course material. You would not feel like you have learned much. 
• Most students take up physics in their final years because they know they can easily memorize the course material and pass. This is just so that they can improve their grades. 
• Mugging up theories is definitely not how someone can learn science. 
• They don’t have a real interest in the subject anyway and they would be your peers.
• The system at Fergusson is not great and you wouldn’t want to attend classes as it would not matter and you will pass your exams regardless.

If you are only looking for a college life minus the studies and want to have some fun with fests and events, by all means, join Fergusson because marks and knowledge are secondary here.

In my opinion, Symbiosis is better. As a lot of my friends studied at Symbiosis, I might be able to provide you with some information about the college.

• The course material is extensive and the staff is quite friendly. On the other hand, Fergusson is just mismanaged. 
• The course material at Symbiosis is such that it also covers small parts of the Master’s course material. 
• The faculty encourages you to refer to study materials outside of the course outline which is very healthy. 
• Also, the Honours programs have a good reputation and the symbiosis brand itself is well-recognized. 
• They will add value to your resume and also build a good foundation if you wish to do a Master’s Degree.

As Symbiosis is a private institute, the fees will considerably be higher than Fergusson. But it is good to invest in a college which will give you a proper and industry-oriented education. So Symbiosis won't be a bad choice.

Yes, some of the first-year courses at Fergusson have a management quota. Generally, it is 15% of all seats. Although the cut-off is not very huge for Fergusson so you may get an admission based on merit itself. You may have to wait till the third or fourth list but it is definitely possible and doable.

This donation amount varies from college to college, the more popular the college the bigger the donation amount. Private colleges in India have some seats reserved for the management quota. This could be anywhere between 5-20%. 

Admission to these seats is made on the decision of the college and their selection criteria. Management Quota is for those students, who are unable to get admission through the entrance examinations.

Some of my friends studied at Fergusson College. According to them, you will enjoy your college life to the fullest. There are so many events and fests to participate in and the exposure and learning experience is great.

• Microbiology has a huge demand worldwide. Thus there are many students who opt for it.
• The faculty is really great. Fergusson has 7-8 permanent professors along with a host of visiting faculty.
• The department of Science offers so many courses and most of them require laboratories for practical work, Fergusson has multiple, well-equipped labs to enhance the learning experience. 
• They have recently added a new building for Microbiology and a separate lab for them too which is now available for student use.
• The exams conducted always encourage students to push them to their limits.
• Microbiology at Fergusson is considered one of the best departments in the college.

Therefore if you ever get an opportunity to study microbiology at Fergusson Pune, definitely go for it without thinking twice.