My experience at Nirma

Nirma University is a leading private engineering college in the state of Gujarat. It has established its name among the best non-governmental technology colleges in the state. Admissions are done separately for all-India category (through JEE Mains), Gujarat students (via GUJCET marks, ACPC - GoG) and NRIs. I opted to join here after I was denied a chance to pursue the course I liked at IITs and NITs. It worked greatly for me in the long run.

Computer Science and Engineering is a highly sought-after degree, owing to the novelty of demands of the digital age. I was inclined to get into this course at the best institution possible. Lastly, I got a chance at NU's Institute of Technology.The faculty is well-qualified, with doctorates and masters from reputed institutions. Some of them teach really well and are conducting groundbreaking research. The faculty to student ratio is maintained at a healthy 1:16, which provided me with a room for personalized attention. A semester system is followed, wherein mid-terms and end-terms are conducted every term. Exams are typically easy to pass, provided attention is paid.

Internships are provided for by the placement committee in the third year. These included firms like Morgan Stanley, Microsoft, Amazon etc. Some of us, including I, went on to convert the offer into a PPO, which provided additional peace of mind going into the final year.The same cannot be said with surety for the core branch students, unfortunately, who have to suffer from the vagaries of economic recession and downturn.

Our department rules the roost, when it comes to campus placements. The highest offer made for our batch exceeded the amount of INR 26 LPA, while the lowest was a modest 3 LPA. Top recruiters included Deutsche Bank, Amazon, TCS, Infosys, Samsung, Cognizant, Crest Data System and many others. We got roles of junior developer, data analyst, mobile application development, web developer and software engineer.Placements are done in the final year. I was placed at a leading tech company, in part owing to my efforts during the internships earlier.

Being a private institution, the fee is naturally supposed to be greater than government institutions at the same level. However, scholarships, if one's eligible and chooses to avail, can mitigate these to an extent. These include the ones based on merit (on the basis of scores in each semester/year), merit-cum-means (depends on the yearly income of the family and has three slabs) and the "other" category, which includes interest-free scholarship. Also, there is a scheme called "Earn While U Earn" for those who want to salvage a part of their fees this way. There is also an NITAA scholarship by the college alumni for the needy students.

Vaudeville is the primary cultural event at the varsity. There are additional events like Nuzeal and Ramzat, which serve as major attractions. Praveg is the annual technological fest for the students, which sees enthusiastic participation. Personally, I was influenced a lot by landing a role in its administrative body, wherein I got a direct facility to communicate with external and internal stakeholders and oversee smooth conduct of the event.There are various student-run organizations, which typically focus on technology in Institute of Technology. ACES (Association of Computer Engineering Students) was run by us. I was a member too. We organized events for all those who were fascinated by technology.

In order to escape the sweltering summer heat of Gujarat, I had decided to stay at an AC room. The non-AC room is naturally cheaper, while the AC room with attached bathroom is the most expensive option. Six-seater dormitories turn out to be the cheapest. Common facilities were good and included laundry, common washroom, mess etc.Mess charge of INR 42,500 for 10 months is to be paid in advance. The food is healthy and nutritious, while it may get routine if it does not match with your taste's expectations.

Entering the college via JEE Mains needs the student to clear the said exam with a rank below 30,000 approximately (the exact figure is subject to change every year). Through the state category (for GUJCET), admission is accorded to the top rank holders of the exam.After getting the requisite score, we had to appear for counselling and get our documents verified, in order to finally join the college.