The world of Biotech in KSBT

The course curriculum is very updated with the global standards and really gives an overview of whatever subject you want to study or make a career out of in the future. Real world applications are made very easy because of how the course curriculum is structured. The specific aspects that led me to choose a Biotechnology degree here is the availability of Food Technology as an elective which I have always been fascinated by. The areas of improvement are the gaps in between examinations and talking more about particular case studies approaching a scientific problem, although some professors do take that initiative and talk about case studies. Exams are conducted every two months and marking is evenly distributed in assignments, projects, seminars and examinations. Class tests are of course more regular and helps to stay in touch with the material.

Students in and after the 9th semester are eligible to sit for campus placements. The companies visiting are numerous to name a few, Nutaste Group, Himalaya, BVG life sciences, Enzene biosciences, Promea therapeutics, GSK, Nestle, Zifo, Virchow Biotech, Larkai Healthcare, Pristyncare, Cryoviva Biotech, Actylis India, Elvikon, Bogmalo Foods, Intas Pharmaceuticals, 4basecare and many more. Offers were also made to more than 95% of the students opting for placements. The highest placement package I am aware of is 15 LPA and on an average everyone gets an offer of 4-5 LPA. At least 95+% students are placed from our department every year. My plans after the degree are to pursue my PhD outside of India.

Tuition fees paid by students in my batch amount to 176000 per semester and their has been increments of 20000 every 2 years for every new admission batch. The complete cost of my education stands at Rs. 1770000, including exam fees for every semester which is 1000/semester. Scholarship is given to the top ranker of the batch every semester at Rs. 60,000 for 6 months in the semester. It is completely a merit-based scholarship. Campus employment opportunities are minimal where you can get paid but professors do allow to work in their laboratories to gain some exposure and learn advanced techniques in research. I personally have worked under two professors and in the process of writing a paper for a scientific journal currently.

KIIT is known for it's cultural and social involvement of students in their festivals. KIIT-FEST is one of the biggest college festivals in the entire country and arguably the biggest in the eastern zone. It is usually held between February and March. Biotechnology also has it's own technical festival which is termed as Kinesis. It is held annually, mostly in the winters as sports are an integral part of that festival. Besides all of this, every department hosts their own cultural, technical and sports fest which everyone is allowed to participate in. Libraries are present in every campus and there is a central library which has all the books and resources required by any student. The classrooms are also very new age and have projectors as well as Desktop systems on the touchscreen for better understanding. Sport facilities are huge in our college and every sport is given an importance. KSAC is a student run organization consisting of multiple societies for recreation.

The rooms are available in 3 sharing AC/non AC, two sharing AC/non AC and single room AC. The facilities provided are water cooler in every floor, common toilets in every floor, they provide the beds, mattresses, dustbin and tables to each student, curtains of the room and two sets of bed and pillow covers. The rooms are quite spacious and arrangements are pretty good. The meal quality is above average and veg and non veg days are taken care of. The registration for hostel can be done during admission, and the affordability of AC and non AC rooms makes it easier for students.

You are eligible for the course if you have had biology in your 12th examination and you have cleared them successfully. The application form can be found on KIIT's website and the fees were around Rs. 1000 when I took the exam and the application dates are usually right after the end of board examinations. The frequency and timing of the exams were one exam in the morning during our time but now it might have increased to two entrance exams and the one you perform better in is considered for admission. The admission process can be made a bit more transparent where they reveal what are the cutoffs in the entrance to secure a particular course or department.

The faculty-to-student ratio is very practical and has not negatively affected the learning process at all. There are nearly 50 faculties who are all PhDs from the best universities throughout the world. Some faculties are really friendly and what they teach in class will get embedded into you for a long time if you are cooperative. While all of the professors encourage talking to them about career or life advice, or even asking doubts after hours. Most are available to talk any time in their working hour and some even beyond that. Their experience in the world-stage has been truly beneficial in getting an idea of what a career in their particular fields may behold.