How to choose a branch and institute for admission to engineering?

This question is misplaced as it does not have a unique answer that satisfies all. With the exception of a few thousand top rank holders, the vast majority have limited options. The popularity of a branch in India is driven to a large extent by social beliefs, peer pressure, legacy issues, and perceived notions about the value of a graduate in that branch as compared to the native interest and competence of the prospective student. The value may be complex function of salary, perks, extra earnings, social respect, authority, etc. The popularity of the IAS examination among engineering and medical graduates, including those from IIT and AIIMS, is an evidence to this effect. We recommend the following process.

While all institutes may not be at the same level, it is a fact that all branches of engineering are equally challenging and intellectually rewarding, just as “ beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. The parameters that are usually considered for arriving at a decision are a) list of possible choices of (branch, institute) pair based on performance in board and entrance tests, b) affinity, aptitude and interest in science stream(s) from P, C, M and B, c) a subset of branches that match with the streams of interest, d) logical thinking and programming skills, e) residential or non-residential campus, f) total program cost, g) batch strength – smaller the better, h) profile of faculty – number of Ph Ds from reputed institutions, i) profile of admitted candidates, j) student to faculty ratio – preferably not exceeding 15 to 1, k) academic infrastructure – specially laboratory and equipment, l) extracurricular facilities for sports and other activities, m) social, cultural and technical events conducted by students, n) internship and placement record, o) profile of alumni and their involvement and finally the p) the academic culture and ambiance of the branch and institute. A solution that maximizes the parameters of highest priority for the concerned individual should be acceptable.


Dr. Supratim Biswas

Professor, Dept of CSE, IIT Bombay (EX),

Techno India University,West Bengal

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