While you might be stressed about cracking the entrance examination for engineering, you will be equally stressed about choosing the right engineering college. There is no dearth of engineering colleges in India and this makes it tough to choose the right college after you successfully pass your engineering entrance examination.
Rather than panicking while shortlisting colleges, sit down and use the following tips to make an informed choice:
Image of the College
Most candidates lay a lot of importance on the college’s brand image. It goes without saying that nearly every engineering aspirant wants to enrol in the best engineering college, but that may not always be the right choice.
You will be allocated colleges based on the merit list and the rank you get in the engineering entrance exams. So, it may not always be possible to get admission into the IITs or NITs. However, it is important that you select a college with a good reputation. This reputation comes from the quality of education, faculty, course curriculum, infrastructure, and placement records. Since you are opting for engineering, it is vital that the college you choose is well-known for imparting quality education in engineering. So, read reviews from ex-students and consult your teachers, guides, family, and friends, to help you narrow the list down.
Infrastructure
Engineering students require different infrastructure as compared to students pursuing other fields and disciplines. Hence, the college you choose should have the necessary infrastructure. It should have spacious classrooms with a low student to faculty ratio. In addition, the labs should be well-equipped and the college should offer you opportunities to enhance your knowledge through workshops, seminars, and interactions with industry experts.
When a college has superior infrastructure, it has the ability to ensure that it can offer quality education.
College Facilities
An engineering college that does not have good facilities will be unable to deliver quality education. Some of the facilities that the college should offer are high-speed internet connectivity, a library with a choice of resource materials, seminar halls, student clubs, dispensary, counsellors, intranet, hostels, canteen, and a gym.
Basically, the facilities in engineering colleges in India should be designed to ensure they improve your performance and also help you in your studies.
Faculty
It goes without saying that an engineering college will be as good as its professors. If the faculty are knowledgeable, it will ensure you enjoy a world-class learning experience. Hence, check out the faculty, their experience, fields of expertise, and proficiency in those fields. You can always get this information from the alumni, so you can make an informed decision.
You can also learn about your preferred college’s faculty through write-ups, educational magazines, and by speaking to current students in the college.
Placement Opportunities
While placement opportunities should not be the only criterion for selecting an engineering college, you should lay emphasis on it. Find out whether the college has a placement cell that will arrange placement events in the college. Learn about the companies that tend to come often to the college for recruitment and the kind of packages they offer to the candidates.
This will help you see whether the college will put you on the career path you desire. Usually, the rapport that the placement officer has with organizations determines the kind of companies that come to colleges during placement events.
Another important criterion for choosing an engineering college is the fees. If a college is too expensive for your parents to foot the bill, find out whether it offers scholarships and what the requirements for getting the scholarships are. Once you have this information, as well as the other details, it can make it easier for you to shortlist an engineering college.