Be Investigative not Intuitive: Make the Right Decision

HER Team
There are around 3400 engineering colleges in India with a capacity of about 15 lakh seats across 36 courses approved by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). By glancing at the number of engineering colleges in India and the number of engineers coming out of these colleges every year, the question that forms in everyone's mind is, "does India need so many engineers?" The negativism brought forth by such questions has brought doubts in many of the to-be innovators in the country. Thankfully, the answer is a big, "yes." The scope of industrialization in this developing country has created a huge demand for engineers. It is being followed by the advent of new technologies which have made space for some unconventional courses to bring a revolution to the way things are done. However, even after a student makes up his mind, he is faced with the daunting task of choosing an institute from an ocean full of names.

During the admission season every student is flooded with suggestions and options which are sometimes contrary and ambiguous. So they need to make a well informed decision. In this age of information one needs to know about the current technological trends. There is a new technology being invented every now and then and those who are not aware of such changes lag behind. The scope of growth in the particular domain is an important factor which most students look for. There are many new branches which are available only in a few selected institutions but those have a bright future prospect. So, there is a need to know where the advancement of technology is going to take the industry in, say four to five years.

Following the Rules of the Thumb

There are a lot of factors which need to be considered before selecting the college. For example a college which has good infrastructure may not have experienced faculty or a college with faculty full of expertise may not have the necessary infrastructure. So, every aspirant should consider all the aspects before making up his/her mind. There are a lot of aspects in which a college needs to be good to appear on the wish list of the students. A few of them are campus life, infrastructure, faculty, interface with industry, internships, and placement assistance.

The college must have a campus life which is complete in every respect. The students should get opportunities to meet and socialize with new people and they should learn the skills of team building. A good infrastructure is required for the students to be tech-savvy and also to perform the experiments and nurture their thought process. Industry exposure is another very important component to be looked at while making a decision.

The faculty of the college should consist of people who, in addition to having a deep knowledge of the subject, also have a firm grasp over the technological trends. The teaching process should include unconventional methods to provide the students with a closer view of the elements of engineering. You need to collect as much information as you can from different sources. So, a lot of research work is required before you take your pick.

The gap between academia and industry should be bridged by the college by inviting industry insiders to the campus and allowing the students to interact with them. The students need to know about the skills which are required for getting a job and they should opt for those colleges which are helping students acquire those skills. So, the college which provides the right combination of technical skills and soft skills is the best option.

Although choosing a college depends on the options you have on the basis of your performance in entrance examinations, there is no reason for losing hope if you could not make it to the top institution. Going for the college which emphasizes on building industry specific skills is the right way of choosing. The college of your choice should be regular on providing internships and placement assistance. Such colleges have a good reputation in the corporate world and the top companies visit such colleges during the placement season.

The deluge of options for engineering college needs a thorough comparison considering each and every aspect which can play a pivotal role in helping the students in the long run to be leaders in technology.

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