Manipal Institute of Technology, a big yay!

I had applied to VIT, Vellore, but decided to not attend it as I was not sure of the surroundings outside the main campus. The town of Manipal had much more accessible enterprises like shops, restaurants, movie theatres etc. Apart from that, I felt that my course, Biotechnology had a much better curriculum at MIT. The minimum mark for getting admission was 50% in PCM/Biology/Computer Science The counseling day was quite straightforward. I had to submit a few documents such as ID card, marksheets etc. and opt for a branch of my choosing.

I have always been interested in biotechnology and the course at Manipal gave me a choice of multiple electives in the higher semesters. This gave rise to a flexible curriculum which I could select according to my interests. Considering the entirety of BTech Biotechnology (Year 1 to Year 4), the faculty: student ratio was approximately 1:12, which provided a great deal of mentorship and one on one guidance. The faculty at the department is highly qualified and pursues research as well. There are various fields being covered, ranging from drug delivery to fermentation. As for the evaluation, we had in-class assignments for 20 marks (4 assignments per subject, 5 marks each) and two 15 mark midterm examinations. For the end semester examination, there were written exams and practicals.

Students from circuit branches get the chance to intern at Samsung, SAP, Microsoft etc, which may turn into a Pre-Placement Offer after the internship is completed. As for research internships, it is possible to get fellowships with good LoRs and research experience from the department.

Students become eligible for placements in the 6th semester. Multiple companies like Amazon, Cisco, Amadeus, GSK etc visit the college for placements. The offers are made on the basis of written tests and interviews. Most of the students in circuit branches are placed by the time they graduate. Apart from tech roles, companies like Leadsquared, ZS Associates, KPMG visit the college for management roles. My plan is to pursue higher education.

The fee structure is quite simple. The first year fees are the same for every student. The fees change as per the branch in higher semester. A prospective student could pay anywhere from 14-16 lakhs for 4 years combined.

The tech fest of the college, Techtatva is conducted in October, whereas the cultural fest, revels is conducted in March. The library is a huge building with multiple sections for individual study, group discussions etc. The classrooms are fully equipped with a blackboard, a projector and a projection screen for presentations. Sports competitions and activities are regularly held as inter-class competitions or inter-club competitions. There are a variety of clubs students could join. There are student projects like Mars Rover Manipal, Formula Manipal etc. which provide greats hands-on experience with research. Apart from this, there are acting clubs, music clubs etc. If the student preferes intellectual clubs, there is a literary, debate and quiz club as well.

I stayed in a two-sharing AC room with an attached bathroom in the hostel. The room was pretty big and fully furnished with wardrobes, chairs, tables, beds, curtains etc. As for the meals, I ate from Food Court 1 which served nutritious food on a regular basis. The breakfast was the best meal of the day. A student can opt for the type of hostel room based on affordability. There are non-AC rooms with common bathroom available too. For higher semesters, room allocation is done on the basis of GPA.