Faculty:
The fact that this is a clean slate approach and the opportunity to think from the ground up, and to design an entirely new paradigm of learning, has really helped us attract a very strong line of faculty, and these are not simply faculty from the MITs and Harvards of the world but from Indian institutions as well. There is a good mix of young and old, Indian and overseas. In 20 to 30 years from now, hopefully there are more institutions that have come up and more such Ph.Ds that have graduated from these universities and are doing great research that are ultimately driving the growth of these universities in decades to come.
Learning outcome:
We are looking at education not just as a career but a preparation for life and life in a very changing world. There are four outcomes we would like to see in our students: adaptability and resilience, societal impact — how does an individual’s thought and action impact the society, sense of purpose — why do we do what we do, and finally, a sense of ethics. We believe if our students leave with these outcomes, then they are set to lead happy and successful careers in a changing world.
Admission:
What we look for in students is a holistic set of attributes. So, the admission process is entirely meritocratic but also holistic. So, we don’t look at only grades. As part of the admission process, we took students to live sites. For example, in Mumbai, they rode the local train and in Chennai they went to Adyar Poonga for the first half of the day in groups of 10 or 12 with a couple of faculty members, identifying problems to solve. In agreeing on what problem to solve, they sort of prioritised what is important and they debated with each other. And the second half of the day they spent thinking of solutions for the problem. The thing that gives the best sort of window into their minds is the essay we asked them to write which was ‘what does this day mean to you’. The intent was also to give the students a flavour of what life at Krea would be like.
