Sayan Chatterjee's Review On Sikkim Manipal Institute Of Technology - [SMIT], East Sikkim

Overall - SMIT, with its foundation built in its efficient college management, is a good private Engineering college, which offers students a solid technical education, as well as honing their creative selves and personalities, and offering them plentiful exposure to the outside world, all while maintaining a sense of discipline as well as fun and enthusiasm within its grounds amidst the mountains of Sikkim.

Among the list of colleges that I was eligible for admission to, SMIT stood out for a number of reasons. Factors of influence were positive word of mouth from friends and relatives, the locale, the availability of my desired branch, and getting my B.Tech degree under the Manipal group of education.

SMIT follows an AICTE approved course curriculum, so subjects and courses are pretty much standard in what one would find throughout most standard Engineering colleges in India. It's a decent workload throughout both semesters for the students, and course progression is continually assessed through the conducting of internal exams, quizzes, reviews, etc. One also has a wide array of electives to choose from in their respective branch in the higher semesters.

The academic year is interspersed with a huge number of fests and events happening continually. It is followed by the annual 3-day cultural mega festival - Kaalrav - the biggest fest in North East India. During that, the entire college becomes a spectacle, filled with diverse events, competitions, fashion shows and nightly mega-events. Students are seen sporting their fanciest attire and brightest smiles during Kaalrav. Additionally, there is also the annual Entrepreneur's Meet, which takes place during April, where big names in the form of successful entrepreneurs come, share their stories, and listen to pitches from the students themselves.

Being a private college under the Manipal group, the cost of studying here is expensive. During 2018 admission, the total cost, including mess and hostel fees is around Rs. 3,70,000 per annum. Additional expenses would set you back at least a total of Rs. 16-18 lakh during the course of your 4-year degree in SMIT.

Students are awarded full or partial scholarships on the basis of their MU-OET ranks, as well as JEE Main ranks, and also if they have secured above 80% or 90% in their Class 12 exams. There is also a Sikkim Quota for students from the state, upon whom a significantly lower tuition fee is charged. Additionally, education loan can be availed from the banks as per your requirement.

SMIT has 4 hostels in total for the students, 2 for boys and 2 for girls respectively. Accommodation is pretty nice, with rooms boasting splendid views of the mountains all around, and of the beautiful campus itself. They are also equipped with 24×7 high-speed open WiFi, backup power generators in case of load shedding, weekly room cleaning staff, etc. The rooms itself are double sharing, having attached bathrooms with a supply of both hot and cold water, tiled flooring, separate study tables, almirahs, lights, and racks. Pretty much all amenities are available when it comes to accommodation on campus. The quality of mess food is also decent, which is saying quite a lot when it comes to Engineering colleges in India. Separate mess for Juniors and Seniors are there, where good food is available. Non-veg is cooked thrice a week, and there are also the occasional special menus during festivities.

SMIT boasts a proud and very active alumni network which also helps in bringing more companies to the college for recruitment. The college adheres to its strict Anti-Ragging measures, and seniors are mostly very friendly and helpful towards their juniors, organizing and conducting events, socializing with them, and helping keep a friendly atmosphere maintained.

The academic year is comprised of an odd and an even semester. Students in each semester have to appear for 2 quizzes of 5 marks each, 2 sessional exams of 50 marks each which are subsequently converted to 15 marks each, whereas 5 marks are reserved for assignments given out in class towards the end of the semester and 5 marks are awarded as per one's attendance percentage in class for the semester. These 50 marks in total comprise of what is known as the Internal marks, and the rest of the 50 marks is converted to form the full 100 mark end semester examinations. Additionally, there are 3 labs per semester. Every subject including the labs have their respective credit points, and one has to score a minimum of 30 credits in order to pass the academic year.

Admission to all the campuses under the Manipal group is centralised under the MU-OET exam. Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology (SMIT) especially also admits students through a separate exam known as SMU-offline. If one clears either of these exams and manages to secure a score/rank eligible for counselling, then they are called for the same. I attempted the MU-OET and went for counselling to the SMIT campus in the month of June, and selected Computer Science and Engineering as my branch.

Faculties include some of the North-East origins, while many hail from in and around Kolkata, West Bengal. With most carrying a Ph.D. degree in their respective subjects, or at least an M.Tech alumni, or even from reputed national institutes like IIT's and NIT's, it is redundant to say that faculties know their stuff. Moreover, if you establish a close academic bond with them outside the classroom then they will never hesitate in guiding you through your course load keeping you motivated. Additionally, providing you with abundant notes, handouts and extra material in class is not uncommon too.