Deepak Rana's Review On IIT Madras - Indian Institute Of Technology - [IITM], Chennai

I took IIT JEE 2012 Marks: 238/408,Rank 1980 OBC 235. I opted for IIT Madras because it is one of the most reputed colleges in India. I also liked the campus because of its greenary and wildlife. I felt life will be interesting here.

For the first year we had courses from almost all the departments basic courses. In the second year we had cumpolsory department courses. Third year onwards almost all the courses are electives. There are various categories of courses like,Humanities Electives,Mathematics Electives,Department Electives,free Electives any department Minor any department except ours,Professional Ethics Self Study course and Labs.

There is an Internship office that organizes the internships of the pre final year students. A lot of companies come for selecting students. The stipend varies with the companies.

Placements are done in the month of December. In the even semester there will be a placement drive for all the final year students. Then students can register for the placements. Companies will come and conduct Pre Placement Talks. Later they conduct examinations. Shortlisted candidates will have interviews in December. Almost everyone will get placed. This year over 300 different companies came for placemnets. The packages vary from company to company. They vary from 4 lakhs p.a. to 41 lakhs p.a. in India. The average package will be around 8-10 lakhs.

Saarang Cultural Festival Among top 3 biggest cultural festivals in India. Boasts performers like AR Rehman,Sonu Nigam,Shankar Mahadevan etc It is a 5 day festival. Usually has a footfall of around 50,000. Usually happens on Jan 06 Jan 10.Shaastra (Technical Festival) - One of the biggest technical festival in India. Have a few Guinness Book records to its name. Also a 5 day festival. Usually happens on Jan 01 - Jan 05.Schroeter (Inter Hostels Sports Competition) You can call it a minute scale Olympics. The rivalries between the hostels is greater than that of the Nations. Happens in the even semester. Winner gets a throphy. Lit Soc and Tech Soc Inter hostel competitions for literary events and technical events respectively.

The fees per semester is Rs. 32,000 tution fees,Rs 18,000 hostel fees. The fees is highly feasible. Also the banks give educational loans for the students and there are scholarships for economically backward students.

If the family's annual income is less than Rs. 4,50,000 then there is a tution fee waiver of Rs. 25,000 per semester you have to pay just Rs. 7000. Additionally 25% students get a scholarship of Rs. 1,000 per month under Merit cum Means Scholarship.

The campus life is great. The best moments of every students' life will be from the campus. There are infinte activities that go on in the campus. Name an activity and it will be there. You just need to show enthusiasm. It is very likely that you find a person similar to you. There is diversity in every aspect. Most of the activities are organized by student bodies. The Gender ratio is a bit disappointing as is the case with all IITS. Apart from that there is no discrimination on any basis. The stay at the institute is full of fun and enjoyment.

The hostel facilities are good. The rooms are good. They are provided with basic facilities and proper ventillation. Each hostel has a Quadrangle Quadi where students play. The mess food is decent. There are a number of caterers for the student to choose from. Students can choose either South Indian or North Indian food.

There is an organization called International and Alumni Relations who take care of Alumni related activities. The Alumni help the students in various ways. Few of them come and conduct Mock Interviews for the students before the placemnets. They share their experiences and give feedback on the company they are working for.

Most common exam structure Quiz 1 20 marks,Quiz 2 20 marks assignments 10 marks.

The faculty is highly qualified. But there will be a gap between the students and the faculty unlike schools. You can interact with them upto certain level. But they are highly helpful most of them when we approach them for any help. They also assist us by giving us projects.