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Litmus test for right college

Choosing an engineering college is indeed a daunting task for students as well as their parents.

Litmus test for right college


B.S. Satyanarayana

Choosing an engineering college is indeed a daunting task for students as well as their parents. The mushrooming of private engineering colleges across the length and breadth of the country makes it all the more difficult to pick the college that is most suited for students. Here are some factors that BTech/ BE aspirants should keep in mind while deciding on an engineering institute.

Quality of faculty members

Learning engineering concepts can be very tedious and boring for students; thus, the key responsibility of faculty members  is to instil a love for learning and fire the interest of students in engineering courses. Teaching engineering subjects is not limited to lecturing on theories but about motivating the students to love the subjects and encouraging their efforts by making the classroom interactive and exciting. 

Prior to enrolling in an engineering institute make sure that you find out the total number of faculty members in the institute, including the number of full-time and part-time faculty members. The most crucial parameter is the faculty-student ratio. At the same time, you should also find out about their educational qualifications and years of teaching experience.

Research environment

This is yet another factor that you should take into consideration for understanding the quality of faculty in an engineering institute. If the faculty members of an engineering institute are involved in research, it proves that the management of the institute is serious about the quality of education imparted in the institute. 

Conducting regular research work keeps a teacher up to date on the developments happening in a particular field of study, besides enhancing his/ her knowledge about the subject; consequently, this helps in improving the quality of teaching. 

You can assess the research environment of an institution by considering the following points:

  • Quality of research published by faculty members of the institute. Industry and government sponsored research projects from departments like Department of Information Technology, Department of Science &Technology and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 
  • The frequency and scale of  national as well as international conferences and workshops organised at the institute.

Labs and infrastructure

As an applied science, the study of engineering calls for intense hands-on learning experience. It is imperative that the institute is able to provide for adequate number of quality laboratories which allows students to experiment and master as many important concepts as possible. Additionally, in the rapidly changing world, it is imperative that the institute is able to also continuously upgrade its laboratory infrastructure. This helps students learn the latest tools and techniques and keep their skills relevant to the changing demands of the industry outside. Some reputed institutions, have actively involved leading technology companies to augment the laboratories in a way that it also helps the faculty and students in taking on consulting assignments. 

Centre for Excellence

Quality engineering colleges enter into partnership with multinational companies for setting up Centres of Excellence. These Centres provide for industry grade equipments, latest technology and software and access to R&D experts of the companies. The end goal is to help the student deep dive in specific areas of their interest and further their industry readiness. These Centres also create new opportunities for faculty and students to work collaboratively on advanced research projects and complex problems that the industry may be grappling with.

Mentor Programmes

The landscape of opportunities is shifting rapidly and what one is preparing for today may not be relevant tomorrow. Students need to have a view of the future trends and what is going to be expected of them five years ahead. Young engineers can do a lot better if they are able to have a view of the future and what is coming up on the horizon of their field of interest. Well designed mentorship programme customised to the interest of the students can go a long way in shaping a successful career. 

Universities that appreciate the value of this go a long way in building a steady pool of domain experts which includes their own alumni who are passionate about coaching the next generation of professionals. They also put into place mechanisms and processes to ensure that the mentorship programme is highly effective and becomes an integral part of the students learning experience during and beyond the college years.

Besides these, location, placement, infrastructure, and extra-curricular activities are the other factors that one should take into consideration.  Though one can get all relevant information on the website of the institute, it is advisable to visit the college campus personally and consult your seniors before taking the final plunge.

— The writer is Vice-Chancellor, BMU Munjal University, Manesar

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