IITM-The best Place to BE

The institute administration is very student friendly. Student bodies which comprise of the elected students work in close tandem with the institute administration to make the stay of students more comfortable at the campus and resolve any problem they might be having. Any student can book an appointment with any of the deans at any point of time. Counselling is also provided to those who might need it. Administration takes each and every step to solve all the problems and improve the quality of life at the campus.

I gave IIT-JEE entrance exam. During that time, there used to be only one exam, unlike now. The exam itself however had 2 written papers, each of 3 hours.After the result came, my score (around 250 if i am not wrong) was pretty decent. However i wanted to take up an old IIT only, and not the new ones. So i opted for IIT Madras. And since it was my life long dream to take up either civil or mechanical engineering, i ended up taking Civil Engineering.

The course starts with common courses for the first two semesters. Courses with basic Maths, Chemistry and Physics have to be compulsorily taken. Workshops which give hands on practical experience start along with these common courses. 2ns year onwards, different courses start pertaining to individual branch. For civil, there are a number of courses and labs to choose from, and some are compulsory. Electives from Humanities department like German, French Languages or Indian National Movement etc can also be taken up. Electives can also be taken up in other departments. For example i took a course in Naval Department, known as Port and Harbour Structures.

At the end of the third year, one has to do a compulsory internship of 2 minimum 2 months. Various companies come to campus during this time, and all the students get internship through campus. The companies that came during my time for civil engineering students included Honeywell, L&T, Shapoorji Pallonji, Gammon, Schlumberger, GMR, Lafarge, Shimizu and many more.The stipend range varies between 15000-20000 per month.

The campus has a reputation of good placements. Almost 100% of the students who apply for placements are placed during the two rounds of placements that happen in the campus each year in the penultimate semester of a student.Every student has an option of opting to apply for a core or a non-core company or both. There are a number of companies in both core and non-core sector. Consultancies like BCG, McK, Delloite, PwC, KPMG etc visit the campus. Banks like DB, HDCF, SCB, RBS too visit the campus. Startups like Flipkart, Snapdeal, Urban Ladder and many more attend the placement sessions. Analytics firms too attend. Core companies like Google, Facebook, Samsung, L&T, SPCL, Tata Motors, TVS, Qualcolmm, Intel, Adobe and many more attend the placements too.The salary provided by these companies is an internal confidential matter which cannot be disclosed by exact numbers. The average salary at the campus ranges from 8-10 lpa.

The two main fests of the college are Shaastra (Technical Fest) and Saarang (Cultural Fest). These are celebrated at a vast scale. The footfall is 2000-3000 plus every year. In saarang, there are a number of cultural workshops, dance workshops, painting and art workshops and professional shows by stars like KK, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal, Vishal and Shekhar. Shaastra has a number of technical events involving robotics, aerobotics etc.Apart from these every year Inter IIT sports fest is held covering all sports. Internally a number of competitions are held all round the year, like Lit Fest, Soc Fest, and inter hostel sports fest.

The fee during my time was pretty low. However now it has increased by almost 2 times. The total hostel and institute fees comes to around Rs 95, 000 per semester.This includes fees for all the facilities available at the campus.

For economically weak students, a scholarship known as MCM, is available.It wavers off the tution fees, and the hostel fees too is reduced.

The number of boys hugely shadow the number of girls on campus. In branches like civil and mechanical, the ratio can be as bad as 1 girl to 100 boys. However both boys and girls are given equal rights and preference at he campus. Everyone has the freedom to follow any religion they wish to.There are a number of curricular and co-curricular activities that go on throughout the year. Facilities like sports complex, swimming pool, gym etc are open to all. Literary, cultural and technical fests go all round the year in the category of inter and intra hostel.And the annual fests of shaastra and saarang are celebrated with great zeal.An individual has an option to play all kinds of sports. Cricket, football, TT, Lawn Tennis, Squash, basketball, rugby, hokey, cycling all are available with standard grounds and equipment. Apart from these there are other special clubs like the aero club, dance club, robotics club, debate club, photography club etc which train people in some special field as per personal interest.

The hostels of IITM are one of the best hostels one can find in any institute throughout the country. The hostels and rooms are spacious and well lit. Natural light and air are ample in the rooms.2nd year onwards, students get single rooms. Hostels are supplied with 24x7 supply of water and electricity.Mess food is something one will have to bear with. For south indians, the mess food would be reasonable. However it is not for North Indian students. One would find hard to adjust to the food at campus. However now the institute is taking immense steps to make the stay of north indian students comfortable too. Various stalls and cafes have been set up which make the stay at the campus very comfortable.Also the great and unique location of the campus means there are a number of restaurants around the campus.

Ragging in the institute cannot be find at all. All the seniors are very sensitive over this issue, and so is the institute. Any first year can go and discuss his issues with any senior, be it a 4th or a 5th year senior. No discrimination happens on the institute grounds whatsoever. The institute has an Alumni cell, which keeps regular contacts with alumni. Several events are organized too for the alumni and this gives a chance for the studying students to get some knowledge about the real world from these alumni.

For each course, the semester could be divided into two parts. A) 2 Quizzes and 1 End sem.B) 1 Mid sem and 1 End sem Whichever be the case, the exams are spaced at an adequate time space with each other. You have ample time to prepare for exams, and once they are over, you have ample time to relax before the next set of exams begin. Lab examinations generally happen only once a semester. Such examinations are generally completed before the end semester examinations start.

The faculty is the best faculty that one can get anywhere in the country. All the professors have a minimum qualification of a PhD. All the professors are also involved in extensive research work, and they are always willing to include students in their team. The professors easily accessible, well beyond the class timings. They are always ready to give extra attention to anyone who requires it. They even give summer projects to any student who may want it, irrespective of their CGPA.