Overview of G H Patel College of Engineering and Technology

The course curriculum is very relevant to the selected course. There is enough learning and practicality in the course contents to make he student ready for real world applications. But no matter how much academic knowledge a student has, the real challenges will only come forth when the student steps out in the industrial or corporate market. The course curriculum was good, however there are areas for improvement where the student should be given the option to choose the subjects all he/she wanted to opt for consider their interests. There should be a major minor system where the main field related subjects and the minor subjects both are aligning with the students' areas of interest. The courses were detailed enough for the students to dive deep into the topics and make the most out of them. The practicals along with the theory section also helped with the basic understanding of how certain phenomenon and methods work in the real world. The timings and frequency of examinations is fine as it is and there is ample time for students to get a breather in between the exam and assignments.

There is a dedicated Training and Placement Cell (TPC) for the students that help with the placements and carry out all the necessary formalities for the placements. The Training and Placement Cell is formed of student members and the faculties, forming a collaborative cell for the betterment of the enrolled students. The students are given a choice in the 5th semester whether if they want to opt for the campus placement or are they going for higher studies. The students enrolled in the campus placements are given regular updates on the companies arriving and their external examinations (if any) to shortlist and assist the placement process. The companies like L&T, Jyoti CNC, MG Motors, Wipro, Acite Solutions, Leons' Integrations', and other companies offered placements to the students of the college. The average compensation and benefits offered was around 5 to 6 lakh per annum. There were also students who got offers of up to 12 to 15 lakh per annum considering their qualifications and skills showcased during the interview processes.

The fee structure is very simple. The student has to pay INR 1,20,000 per academic year which included most of the expenses except the hostel fees and the industrial visit (if organised) charges. There were also a few financial aid and scholarship schemes available for the students to opt based on merit. MSME and a few other scholarships that benefitted the female candidates. The amounts of financial aid that each scholarship covered differed from student to student. There was also a scheme where all the students were provided with a tablet under the government scheme for just INR 1000.

Many clubs were going on in the college which provided the students with a chance to learn about the teamwork and leadership qualities. Some of the clubs are Rotoract Club, Robotics Club, IEEE Student Cell and other clubs. These clubs were mostly membership based which the student had to renew every year by paying a certain amount of fees. There were regular events organized by the clubs which included academic, extra curricular - sports, indoor events, treasure hunts, etc., practical showcase events as well as the college fest which was coined 'IMAZE' which was held once in an academic year. The students had ample chances to reach new heights in the club as a leader in various events.

The hostel facilities are decent enough for the students to survive. There are separate hostels for both male and female and there is curfew in the hostels after 8:30 pm so no mischief is carried out by the students. The food in the hostel mess is decent. They provided with different breakfast, lunch and dinner every day with rotation in the dishes throughout the week. There are also many rental, PG and other hostel options in the Vallabh Vidyanagar area apart from the college hostel. However the first year students are insisted to live in the college hostel itself for safety reasons as they are new to the area. The hostel facilities both college and outside are affordable with an average rate of around 50-80 thousand INR per year including food and other facilities.

I did not apply to any other colleges as I wanted to go for Mechatronics engineering and not many colleges in Gujarat provided that course during my admission time. The other option was Parul University which I did not want to go to because of the negative academic reviews of the said university. G H Patel College of Engineering and Technology however, had a good reputation based on their academic and hi-tech practicality which made me surely want to choose this college for my education. The admission process was very easy as I went through the final round of the admission process of ACPC. I was immediately accepted and the paper work and the formalities were carried out by the administration department very smoothly. There were no said external entrance exams for the said course and the result for the 12th board was the only thing that was required. The orientation and campus tour was also provided on the day of admission itself which made it easier for me to understand the layout of the campus and also meeting the few faculty members was very insightful on the first day itself.

The faculty members are very helpful and assist the students with projects and help bring the other ideas to life. The course structures are in a way that the students have 4-5 mandatory subjects with 1-2 optional subjects that they can opt from. On an average each semester has 5-6 subjects for each department. The exam system is also very straight forward. There are two mid term examinations and one final examination per semester. The mid term is of 30 marks each where in the best of the two mid terms is considered for the final grading. The mid term is conducted by the college only. The final examination is of 70 marks where there are objective as well as subjective questions. The final examination is conducted by the university under which the college is affiliated with. The course curriculum for the exams is provided to the students early on which helps the students prepare in advance. The paper checking and marking schemes for the mid terms was liberal as it was conducted by the college itself. The final examination papers were checked by the board faculties from all over Gujarat state and there the marking schemes depended entirely on the faculty member checking your paper. All the faculties were good at what they did in their own particular ways. No negative comments for the faculties on my part.

All the public spaces were closed after 6 pm including the library and the cafeteria. The hostel mess was open till 9.30 pm. However, the college campus was open for students working late on projects and to just go in for a leisurely stroll at night. There were a lot of food options for the students around the college and in nearby areas which were mostly walking distance. The famous hangout places near the college was Mota bazaar and the Shashtri maidan where most of the students spent their time after the working hours ended.