BITS Pilani - It was magical

Honestly, BITS was the second choice after IITs, was not getting admission into the Top IITs, so yeah BITS was the second-best option. BITS is one of the most esteemed private institutions in India. The college boasts of an excellent Alumni base, backed by a prestigious faculty group. The conflux of excellent academic, as well as extra-curricular exposure at BITS, was an added advantage. The admission to BITS happened through the BITSAT examination, conducted in the month of May-June. One of the cons of this college is the campus is in a remote location and cut-off from the outside world. But still, it has its own perks

I choose B.E.(Hons.) in Mechanical engineering owing to my interests in applied physics. The course had an extremely sound and accomplished faculty base with a faculty: student ratio of 1:40. The faculty were mostly PHDs and had completed numerous research-based projects and subsequently published papers. Exams were timely, and very even fairly easy to pass, but owing to the tough competition, scoring well was a lot tough.

Yes, internships were offered. IT field had lots of offers from MNCs and start-ups alike. Facebook, NVDIA, Oracle, Samsung, Reliance Jio, Swiggy, and many more. In fact, all the students have to mandatorily opt for an internship, the performance of which is then graded and scored. Roles -all roles imaginable (compare with JOBS)

BITS boasts of some of the best placements in the country and it was justified. The mean annual salary was 10-12 LPA. Campus placements started from the 4th year or 7th semester. Companies included - Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Intel, BCG, McKinsey, EY, PwC, and many more. Placement percentage - 90% +.

Fee hike was the issue, they had mandated a 5-10% fee hike each semester. Financial assistance was awarded based upon merit as well as some scholarships were given to the economically weaker sections. Campus job opportunities were next to nothing for the undergraduates, but graduates had an option to opt for a teaching assistantship.

The festival life at BITS was surreal. The cultural fest of BITS, "The Oasis" was the third-best ranked cultural festival of all the colleges in India. It had a rich history of celebrities ranging from Farhan Akhtar, Vir Das, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, and many more. The Library was the best in the Country and the biggest in Asia. Amenities were all decent. The sports festival was a bit subpar owing to the lack of a competitive college base nearby. The plethora of club activities and rich culture promoting the same made the experience worth living

Hostels were decent, there was no provision of AC/coolers which sometimes made the summers unbearable, but you get used to it eventually. Hostels and accommodation were affordable. registration was smooth as well.