If you observe the behaviour of humans closely, then you would understand that humans are very curious creatures to ever walk on this planet Earth. Talking about curiosity, what do you think about the very known thing that humans have contemplated yet have only managed to explore or just scarfed the surface of it?

Yes, you guessed it right, it is the human brain that drives the curiosity yet is the most unexplored territory that is yet to be fully understood and explored. That is the reason some human actions cannot be justified even by science.

If you look up for quotes or definitions of psychologists, you will surely come across the anonymous quote that states, “Psychologist is a man who watches everyone else when a beautiful girl enters the room.”

Many of the prominent thinkers from the ancient world have made an attempt to study human behaviour and psychology. Though they have only scratched the surface of it, they have laid the foundation of psychology and discovered some of the most interesting facts about the natural computer chip that resides in our foremost cranial cavity.

Given the curious nature of humans, there are many people who have wandered off in an attempt to dedicate their life to psychology. While such growing interest in humans helped in discovering various hidden facts about the brain and its socio-psychological behaviour, many efficient psychology colleges have been established.

In India, where tradition, human nature and culture move all together with human progression, psychology has played a crucial role in developing this incredible country.

Catering to that need for growth in the bracket of psychology, Surana College was established, and today it holds the position of being one of the leading psychology colleges in the country.

Establishment of Surana College of Psychology

Surana College was established in 1995 as a part of Surana Educational Institutions governed by the GDA Foundation. Over the years, it has crafted its way to being one of Bangalore’s leading colleges with world-class academics, inspirational teaching and an inspiring track record of student employability.

In this incredible college where students study the nature, functional and behavioural patterns of our very own human brain, the college management has curated the atmosphere in a way that transmits something more that is more than just a degree. The college philosophy is about its people, a friendly campus-based lifestyle, new engaging experiences, broaden outlook and intellectual discovery, all placed at the heart of the ‘Garden City’.

The Inception Story of Post Graduate Department of Psychology

After bringing significant progress of educating students in the field of psychology and addressing the increasing interest in the field of psychology, the college management decided to introduce and spread their wings for further studies. Talking about the inception story of Surana College’s post graduate department of psychology, Dr Archana Surana says, “The Post Graduate Department of Psychology was established in 2003 attracting some of the bright minds to study, teach and undertake research here. With over 20+ University ranks to its credit, it’s no coincidence that we are consistently among the top colleges in the country for Psychology programs. Our teaching is inspired by our stupendous research and core belief that psychological science can help people improve their lives.”

The two-year course offers the following specializations.

• Clinical Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Organizational Psychology

A Self-competing Track Record

Since its inception, Surana College has served over 40,000 students and has been re-accredited by NAAV with an ‘A+’ Grade. The institute offers eight distinct degree courses along with five postgraduate courses.

Moreover, the college has made a name for itself among aspiring psychology students as a renowned college for honing the students’ overall skills and has produced over 50 university ranks and some of India’s best sportspersons, musicians, and theatre artists.

Vidyadhanam Sarvadhana Pradhaanam

Surana College has been incepted on its core value of ‘Vidyadhanam Sarvadhana Pradhaanam‘, which translates to ‘Education is the supreme of all wealth’. Sharing the institute’s vision Dr Archanan Surana, the Managing Trustee, says, “Our vision is to be the educational institution of preferred choice by ushering convergence of knowledge, skills and values through holistic education. With a mission to Mould Character and Careers, one of core value being ‘Vidyadhanam Sarvadhana Pradhaanam’.”

The Scholarly Leader

Dr Archana Surana, the inspiration behind the Surana Educational Institutions (SEI), is a dedicated educator working to provide everyone with a high-quality education. She has received the 2015 Network 7 media house jury’s Most Valuable Women Educationalist and Reformist award for India. She is an advocate for education, a benefactor, and a social worker.

In the pharmaceutical business, where Dr Surana started her professional career as a “director,” she made a significant strategic and financial contribution to the organization’s growth over a ten-year period. She is a Bhawribai Surana Charitable Trust member and the managing trustee of the charitable trust GDA Foundation. She has worked for a number of orphanages, taken part in NSS’s rural development initiatives, and promoted the “Social & Eco” movement.

Preparing Self-reliant and Independent Thinkers

Being a prominent college of psychology, Surana College has recognized the need to treat every patient differently and in a way that would help the person sitting on the other side of the table. In that farsighted vision, the institution prepares its students and transforms them into self-reliant, independent thinkers who are capable and socially helpful citizens of the country, imbued with ideals to give back in their own small way to society.

Expressing her views of the learning outcomes and course objectives, Dr Archana Surana says, “The appropriate balance of freedom, responsibility, and discipline is provided to students on campus. The institution promotes interdisciplinary and lateral thinking in research to question existing knowledge and life paradigms. The pursuit of entrepreneurship is also encouraged. The Surana’s does not accept donations; instead, we charge a reasonable price for a high-quality programme. The institution’s benefit has been offering co-education.”

Developing a 360° Psychological Perspective

Psychology is not just limited to science and study of brain and human behavioural patterns, but it is an art of connecting in a better way with the patients and helping them. That is the reason student involvement is in the key functioning at the college, even in extension activities, community services and sustenance of the academic environment.

Highlighting how the colleges take that extra mile to make their students complete psychologists, Dr Archana Surana asserts, “Acceptance from parents and the general public has been a huge help to the college’s operation. Visitors offering pats on the back, advice, and inspiration include academics, soldiers, professionals, and well-known people. The corporate sector, service sector, and socio-cultural institutions value having college students work for them.”

“The team is aware of how critical it is to identify and develop various levels of leadership from a 360° view. The learning outcomes have been improved and ensured by a positive academic interaction between teachers and students. The institution’s efforts to retain and preserve the love of learning have been successful. The Management’s strong backing and effective departmental coordination make the institution proud,” she further adds.

Catering to the Global Mental Healthcare Space

Along with the specialization Bachelor’s and Master’s courses provided by the Surana College, the college also offers some additional specializations add-ons. Some of these add-on courses are:

• In-house paid internship and work experience at associated organizations
• Certificate course in Psychological Counselling
• Certificate courses from Upgrad Certificate courses from NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning)

The growing concerns about human mental health are a major global issue. Talking about how the college is preparing its students to tackle that, Dr Archana Surana says, “The department emphasizes outcome-driven training as the pedagogy or method of teaching
Consists of both synchronous and asynchronous approaches. The training is more focused on the learner, their abilities, skills, and interests. One of its kind pedagogy- The commonly used synchronous learning shall be adopted for three units in each course which is interactive and occurs in real-time with the teacher, whereas the other two units shall be dealt with asynchronous approaches where the learning occurs with the help of prepared resources, without a real-time teacher-led interaction.”

“Asynchronous learning gives students more time to critically reflect on their course topic and assess various applications of their learning. Flipped classrooms with an internship, community activities, extensions, outbound training or projects are implemented to provide real-life experiences and to equip students to function effectively as a professional,” she further adds.

The Complete Arc of Learning at Surana College of Psychology

A career in psychology is something that most people in India are not aware of. Asserting the importance of psychology in the current society and how the Surana College helps students to have a commendable career in psychology, Dr Archana Surana says, “Keeping professionalism in view we have started the Surana Well Being Centre. A unit of the department which provides all psychological services ranging from assessments to interventions to the public. This provides a platform for alumni who wish to offer their services to the needy. Students get an opportunity of hands-on training on applying their theoretical learning at the centre.”

“By the end of the two years master’s program in Psychology, the graduates of MSc Psychology will be able to:  Demonstrate competence in psychology research, assessment, evaluation, counselling, and teaching. Conduct investigations of complex psychological problems by methods that include appropriate experiments, analysis and interpretation of data and synthesis of information in order to reach valid conclusions. Use appropriate knowledge and skills to identify, formulate, analyze, and solve complex psychological issues pertaining to individuals, institutions, and society to reach substantiated conclusions. Create, select, apply, adapt and extend appropriate psychological assessment techniques, theories, tools and tests to a range of societal problems. Identify and address their own educational and skill needs in a changing world in ways sufficient to maintain their competence as psychologists and to allow them to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of psychology,” she further adds.

Talking about the earlier achievements of alumni of Surana College, Dr Archana Surana further asserts, “Our alumni have made it to premier universities in India including NIMHANS and IITs for their M.Phils. and PhDs. Many of our students have gone ahead to successfully complete their NET/SLET examinations for Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship.“

A Psychologist’s Advice to Budding Educators

Advising the younger generation who wish to enter the field of psychology as researchers and educators, Dr Archana Surana says, “Educators in the field of psychology should pay attention to the skill enhancement of master’s degree students. The New Education Policy has created a bigger avenue for students to design their professional growth. Designing the academic ambience for students to make the best use of the new opportunities is imperative. The academia is also responsible for helping the students to deal with the new challenges posed by the post-pandemic world. The academic fraternity of psychology has a two-fold obligation to invest in the wellbeing of students on one side and empower them to advocate wellbeing for the society.“