Engineering College Selection and Placements - Part 3

Placements is the backbone for an Engineering college to boast of its saleability factor. The percentage of placements of students in various companies is the glory and hallmark of the institution. Those institutions which give precedence to the students getting placed in various national and multinational companies by imparting necessary training are preferable. Minimum desirable placement record is 30 percent - 40 percent.

Verify whether the same companies are visiting the campus continuously. Reputed companies visiting continuously for more than 3 or 4 terms indicates that the quality of graduates coming out of the institution is good. Consistency- Results are another yardstick to measure an institutions competency. Particularly ask for first year and final year results branch wise. The first year result should be more than 50% and final year result more than 95 %.

Some more tips on Engineering College Selection:

Library - One must get information about the number of books in the library and the student book ratio. Enquire how many issue cards are being given to each student towards lending books from library.

Extra Curricular : Extra -curricular and technical activities like student’s national level seminars, symposiums, technical events and student meets ,Guest lecturers arranged by eminent professors from reputed institutions are the bench marks for a student to excel in emerging technical fields. Enquire whether the institute is organizing such events at least once a year. The number of workshops and seminars conducted also gives an indication of how good the institution is.

Industry institute interaction : Industry institute interaction plays a vital role in fetching a lot of practical exposure to a student while learning the theoretical aspects in class room. It is possible only when the institute is having MOUs with reputed industries in and around. The institute should have organized at least two industrial visits (one day) to the local industries and an industrial tour at 3 rd or 4th year level to all students.

Social Milieu : It is not a cliché when it is said that some of the institutions are known for their path breaking work on the social scene. The institutions that encourage their students to work in a practical social setting are invariably responsible in transforming them in to responsible citizens. Students should select those institutions that organize awareness programmes to inculcate social responsibility. These Institutions encourage the students to take part in NSS and NCC activities. As selfless service is a powerful tool to serve the society, students are advised to select institutions judiciously to make themselves vibrant and energetic in all spheres.

Alumni- If the alumni of the institute are positioned well it is a sign of the good quality of the institute.

Best Engineering College Selection Tips - Part 2

Accreditation is a very important component in the selection of any technical institution. Quality standards in education cannot be compromised at this crucial phase in one’s life. The students can look out for certifications like National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA) which are national bodies assessing quality standards in education and these provide the student with the cues as to the competency, authority, or credibility of the institution. NBA accreditation for the institute alone is not sufficient, one has to verify whether his discipline of interest is accredited or not.

Autonomous position of an institution is another parameter which should guide a student in the selection process as it provides him with a wide range of flexibilities like excellent educational agenda in addition to providing him with the best possible platform in the choice of a course and offering ample research opportunities which are an integral part of any autonomous institution.

See Some More Tips in Part 1 of the article.

Academia – Students should prefer institutions having faculty with rich experience and a faculty student ratio which is the best in the industry. This aids the students in procuring for themselves a conducive environment where there is scope for real learning to happen and the student can also be assured of proper functionality. The number of doctorates in any given branch must also be on the checklist of the students’ itinerary during their selection process. As per AICTE requirement at least one doctorate is essential for each department having an intake of less than or equal to 60.It is equally important to know the profile of the principal as he is the precision instrument of the institution taking up the huge responsibility of making the students to surge ahead. One has to lookout for the number of faculty with M.Tech qualification in addition to the faculty with Doctorates.

If there are a large number of faculty with B.Tech qualification that is most undesirable. Though it is difficult, by browsing the institution’s website, find out specifics about the the institution from which the faculty have got their highest degree. If the highest degree of the faculty is from the same institution the quality of education may not be good.

Infrastructure has to be another important parameter in the students’ selection process. It includes classrooms, labs and e-Learning facilities which do play a very important role to develop the technical knowledge of the students practically as well as theoretically. Infrastructure of an institution propels the students in the direction of learning conceptual and research oriented courses. Visit the institute of your choice and ascertain if the lab facilities are good. For core branches like Mech, Civil, Electrical, Electronics good infrastructure is a must. For CSE and IT branches good number of computers with latest configuration will do. Also verify whether sufficient licensed software packages are available in the department.

Selecting Good Engineering College - Part 1

Education is the bedrock for social change and economic development. It is the most powerful weapon which one can use to change the world. To perform well and to cross benchmarks across the world in career, one has to select a platform where one can build up his personality and cater to the needs of a career.

Globalization has brought in vibrant technological transformation in to the lives of the student community wanting to pursue cutting-edge technologies in areas which are often interdisciplinary in nature. For a student wanting to pursue technical education in any realm- be it engineering, business management or any other domain- the crucial query remains this?

How do I select an institution which hones my aspirations and prepares me for life?

The answers to the above question should be picked up by the students before they embark on the most vital academic journey of their life, so that they can step in to a brighter tomorrow without any regrets of not having known the simpler facets of what a quality education entails.

Before selecting an institution as his foundation rock, the first thing a student has to do is to interact with any faculty member working in the neighboring Engineering colleges or at least with an individual who completed his engineering. Discuss with them and try to extract information about the colleges of his/her choice by giving emphasis to the following areas.If possible visit the probable college of choice.