The comprehensive guide to picking the ideal Engineering Institute for you in India

All the information one ignores while making the “decision”

The most important decision of your career, or so you are told. Yes, picking the right Engineering institute is a significant decision, it deserves careful and smart deliberation. This article is not about college rankings, that information is available in abundance over the Internet. It’s also not about cut off JEE scores for various institutes. This article is about all the little details a student tends to look past during the intensive decision-making period.

Ideally this article would be most helpful to students in high school, specifically in the final years of high school and anyone who assists them in their decision including parents and family.

Why should you consider the opinion of a fresh college graduate like me?

Because I’m a fresh college graduate. I’ve been in the same situation. I’ve taken the conventional decisions and I’ve realised my mistakes. I’ve analysed every situation during the four years of my college journey and discovered all the important details which are not emphasized enough right at the beginning.

Some of my opinions could be debatable. I’m reflecting on my experiences here. Please feel free to convince yourself. I would strongly suggest, students and parents alike, to talk to recent graduates and college students about their experiences. Why I highlight recent graduates is because they would be able to give the latest information and updates.

Step 0

Figure out your ultimate goal. I mean the serious dream you wish you achieve. It’s completely normal if you don’t have focused aim yet, but there should be at least a few alternatives in your head. What is it that you want to do after getting a degree in technology?

Step 1

Assuming your mind is full of some ideas about your future, you must first decide the branch that best suits you. The choice of the branch influences the choice of the institute. This step requires the most research. There is nothing worse than being stuck with a branch you don’t like for four long years. Believe it or not your branch might impact your immediate future more than your Institute.

Make sure you go through the course structure and subjects in each branch on the official website of institutes to understand what the branch is about.

The choice of your branch should solely be a result of your interests and future plans, rather than the popularity of a branch. If you are really passionate about a branch, you would unquestionably perform better than a branch you picked without much thought. The right branch brings out the best in you, and inspires you to achieve great heights irrespective of whether that branch closes at the highest cut off conventionally or not. I draw attention to this because I saw a lot of classmates studying something they were not meant to, which eventually led to poor performance and lack of motivation.

Step 2

Answer the following questions in your head:

Are you looking to invest your time majorly in projects and research activities, or aiming to prepare for some examination/opportunity (other than what the institute has to offer) in the future?

Do you value the quality of learning, teachers and an inspiring culture of projects and technical activities over the abundance of fests and cultural clubs?

Your responses to these questions would help you answer the government vs private college debate. Let me illustrate how:

The opinions that I shall now make do not apply to the following government institutes, the established IITs (IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras) and some NITs (NIT Tiruchirappalli, NIT Surathkal, NIT Warangal, NIT Allahabad). If your score permits you to join the branch of your choice at one of these, you can ignore any judgement I make under the ‘government institute’ tag. Also, when I mention private institutes, I do not mean just any college. I am only referring to reputed colleges which have established their existence.

I have seen a lot of people, specially parents completely disregard private colleges and choose mediocre government colleges as the most fitting institute for their child. This may be due to the fact that their selection is based on the evidence from their time of higher education. It is important to understand that a lot has changed over the last few decades. The higher demand of imagination and technical creativity in the industry entails a project and research culture during the years of education itself, which is non existent in most government institutes.

The quality of professors in government institutes is wretched. Their knowledge is outdated. Students receive no inspiration or motivation from the professors. More often than not, it’s the teachers opting to miss classes than students! Conversely, the professors at private colleges are better trained and support their students for internship opportunities and encourage project ideas.

If you are someone who studied in a school among the best in your region, then the very change from school to a government institute would be drastic. The environment of fellow students, professors and administrative department would be unbelievable during the first few months with respect to communication, interests, inspiration, administration among a lot others. These factors play a role not recognised often. Friends and classmates with poor communication skills in turn affects your own communication skills. The lack of interests and inspiration leads to unproductive years of education. The poor administration is as annoying as any government office, which in all respects is what it literally is.

Debunking the popular belief, government institutes and private institutes have a similar fee structure. It’s only when one tries incorrect means does the fee rise to a exceptionally high figure. You can satisfy yourself by checking the fee structure of individual institutes on their official websites.

So, if you are someone looking to learn and grow in your branch, government institutes are a big NO.

But, that’s not what everyone aims for. If your future plan does not demand the best technical knowledge but more time to prepare for a certain examination or an opportunity, or you lay more emphasis on learning through MOOCs, then yes a government institute would give you abundant time for such activities.

Also, if your future plan requires you to score higher grade points, then government institutes are again a better choice. The examination and evaluation is relatively easier and one can score a decent grade point even while focusing on other activities.

I’m sure you must be wondering why I haven’t addressed the topic of placements. Well, the reason is because I believe that it’s one’s knowledge that is more important than the institute. Nevertheless, both government institutes and reputed private institutes allow the students to appear in companies where again the student performs based on their own knowledge. It is however always a good idea to analyse the placement trends of your selected branch in your selected institute to get a better picture. Also, a lot of times institutes regulate the branches that are allowed to appear for a specific company. This regulation varies each year and it is always better to consult final year students of the college for the most accurate information.

The city and region where the Institute is located often makes a difference too. Companies located in and around the region look for fresh graduates which are easier to acquire.

Step 3

Apply! A lot of institutes that do not use the JEE for admission procedure conduct their own competitive examinations. It is important to apply for them around the same time when one applies for JEE (even if you are absolutely certain that you are going to perform exceptionally well). It is always a good idea to have backup options available. Do not be overconfident.

What when you are not satisfied with your performance

Very often a student is not satisfied with their performance, specially the score in JEE. The immediate proposal is to take a year off and prepare one more time. The idea of a gap year, although appealing is not very satisfying when actually taken up. Most importantly, it is not the best idea to opt for a gap year, just to satisfy yourself, because it is not worth it. The result at the end of the gap year is rarely impressive. One manages to improve their score and rank a little, but giving up an entire year, to get a college just better than what could be the year back is not a great plan. Not only is it exasperating, it hardly adds anything to the intellect because one learns nothing new, instead ends up repeating topics which would be hardly useful in the next few years.

The content of this article is based on my experience and observation. Please feel free to convince yourself. I hope this helps you make an informed decision.