Success Routers

Engineering is probably the most ‘in-demand’ line of undergraduate studies for students in India. An engineering degree - and especially those from top-rung colleges - is widely considered in Indian society to be a golden ticket to the ‘good life’. You could all getting into IIT the Indian counterpart to the American Dream. Engineering preparation has become a lucrative sector within the Indian education industry in its own right, with so many coaching institutes, engineering preparation books, pan-India test series’, ‘brain tonics’, Super 30…and probably a fair share of ojhas too. This article is being written in an attempt to provide a short primer to admissions in engineering colleges in India with further resources. This is not a book, it’s a just a humble attempt to filter out all the noise and point you to the best information available. Let’s get started.

Since the topic to be covered here is vast, it’s been split into sections here. Most of the engineering entrance exams results have been declared by now, so a lot of you would be in a dilemma on which college to join. Go through the podcast above, then read further on.

Brand vs Branch

It’s a question which pops up often - given a choice between a ‘good’ college and a ‘bad’ course, and vice versa, what should you take? Unfortunately there is no clear-cut solution to this issue. This is decision is important because it’s not just about the next 4-5 years of your life, but what you could be working on for the next 40-50 years of your life - in your career. There aren’t many people who get to take their pick among the top IITs / NITs, so it is important to accept that fact and then take informed decisions. The major factors that play a role in influencing a decision are the following, and here’s VoiceTAP’s take on that (with inputs from Vivek Khandelwal):
Area of interest identified: A normal XII pass student generally has no idea about his interests. The glamour in the IT industry tends to make students show inclination towards computer science and electronics. One thing that perhaps students tend to fail to understand is the fact that education in XII standard and education in college are two completely different things. For instance, an interest in computer gaming and Internet cannot be and should not be mistaken for interest in computer science. However if you have identified your area of interest and specialization, then focus only on college with a decent background / history in your area of interest; e.g., UDCT Mumbai is undoubtedly one of the best colleges in India when it comes to chemical engineering even though it’s not an IIT.
Area of interest NOT identified: In case you are confused about your area of interest as most students are, go ahead and chose a college on the basis of its brand value. While age of the institution and brand value are directly related, faculty background is something that decided the quality of education. Institutes like LNMIIT Jaipur have faculty from the IITs which would give them a great edge amongst the private engineering colleges. Most of the students applying to these colleges might refer to last year’s placement, which unfortunately was not the best year for the final year students; so instead you should check placement record of the previous years. If the colleges that you’re considering have similar placement records, then you should focus on the location of college. For example, a private college in Bangalore (like M S Ramaiah) would be more worthy of joining than a regional government college in some state.
Location, location, location: For many students - especially those from metropolitan cities - choice of college is often dictated by where they can get admission. So you might have offers from colleges in Vellore, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, et al - but what happens is that most students from metro cities don’t want to relocate for these colleges and opt for some college close-by instead. If you are a bit more flexible about this then you might be able to get into better colleges.

College Rankings

Indian Institutes of Technology / Joint Entrance Examination

To a student interested in engineering needs no introduction to the IIT JEE. IITs are considered to be the pinnacle of technical education institutes in India. Admission is done on the basis of rank obtained in IIT JEE. Approximately 4 lakh candidates gave the JEE in 2009, with around 10000 students being declared eligible to apply for around 8300 seats in colleges which accept IIT JEE main list ranks (source: IIT JEE 2009 press release). The thing to note is that IIT JEE releases two ranking lists - the main list and extended merit list. If you didn’t make it through, don’t lose heart because even IIT professors admit that JEE might be flawed.
IIT JEE Main List qualifiers - the 10000 students who get a rank - are eligible to apply in any of the fifteen IITs, IT-BHU (Varanasi), and Indian School of Mines University (Dhanbad). Out of these, the top 4000 ranks have a realistic chance of getting into the ‘original seven’ IITs, while the rest are eligible to apply for the newer IITs (like IIT Gujarat) and other institutes under the main list. Only students from the main list are called for counselling according to the counselling schedule. Those who have qualified will be sent a counselling brochure by post. Read what a candidate who participated in IIT JEE counselling had to say, download IIT JEE 2008 counselling flyer (this is different from a brochure), or download IIT JEE 2007 counselling brochure. These last three links should give you an idea of how exactly the JEE admission counselling procedure is held.
IIT JEE Extended Merit List (EML) qualifiers are in a different boat altogether. EML qualifiers are not eligible to any of the JEE Main List colleges nor are they eligible for central counselling. You need to directly get in touch with the institutes in question. Till last year, about 2000 ranks used to be declared in EML, but in JEE 2009 a whopping 60000 ranks have been declared. The reason for this probably is that not many candidates are interested in joining these colleges, although as Rashmi Bansal pointed out in this particular VoiceTAP call, there is no reason for this to be so. Let’s take a look at the colleges you can apply to under the extended merit list.
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST): Started by ISRO to create talented engineering graduates who can later join its organization, IIST functions out of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. It offers courses in aerospace engineering, avionics, and integrated masters degree in applied sciences. You don’t have to pay any tuition fees, hostel fees etc all - in fact they will pay you Rs 3000 per semester to study there. This free ride, however, comes with a catch - you need to sign a bond that after the completion of your course, you will work for five consecutive years at ISRO. This is a binding legal agreement that you cannot break. It might sound scary to some, but it actually isn’t. You’re pretty much guaranteed a job in ISRO on graduation with all the perks that come along with a government job. Moreover, the work experience that you get at ISRO is highly valuable in case you decide to shift to a different employer after the completion of your five year bond.
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER): IISERs are institutes being set up by the Indian government to promote study and research in basic sciences at Pune, Kolkata, Mohali, Bhopal, and Thiruvananthapuram. You won’t get a B. Tech. degree, but something like an integrated M. Sc. or a B. Sc. Don’t make it a foregone conclusion that you don’t want to join these - explore your options. One very basic and good advice given on this VoiceTAP call was you need to keep your options open.
Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (Rae Bareli): Students who are interested in mechanical engineering and chemical engineering can explore this option with B. Tech. in petroleum-related fields with particular specializations. Mankind’s thirst for oil is ever increasing with demand for professionals in this field on the rise. Your career prospects are good too, as six oil PSUs of India promote this institute - so your chances of getting a job offer from these companies after graduation is higher.
Indian Institute of Maritime Studies: If you’re interested in joining the Merchant Navy or other maritime-related fields then this is the course for you.

BITS Pilani / Goa / Hyderabad

BITS Pilani and its branches at Goa and Hyderabad inducts students on the basis of performance in BITSAT. BITS is rated among the top institutes in India and for those who haven’t been able to make it to the IITs / top handful NITs, this a good choice. It’s an excellent choice otherwise too. Combined across all campuses and courses, BITS has around 2000 seats up for grabs. BITS Practice School is an innovative module undertaken by BITS whereby you get industry training