Pick the right college

Updated on: Monday, June 14, 2010

Engineering college aspirants in the State will face the all-important admission round this week. Unlike medical college admissions, engineering aspirants have a more daunting task ahead of them given that there are more seats on offer, multiple courses or trades to choose from, no less than 145 colleges and yes, one option too many to wade through.

So, how do they go about this process? What is the best way — to wait till D-day and choose depending on what appears on your screen at the counselling centre or prepare a list of options so you know what you're in for?

Be prepared

Experts say that being prepared is key. The Hindu EducationPlus spoke to professors, officials at the Karnataka Examinations Authority where you will be selecting your seat, ex-students and counsellors to find out what you can do to be prepared.

The biggest mistake that students make is to come unprepared for counselling, or let's say ill-prepared, says a professor who did not wish to be named. But first of all, he cautions, do not fall for the advice or rankings meted out by various books or CDs that claim to have an understanding of the process.

“While some books are helpful, a lot of the information given there is either outdated or misleading. For instance, a very popular book claims that at least 30 colleges had 100 per cent placements in 2008. However, I cannot think of more than six colleges that might even had a chance at 100 per cent placements,” the professor says.

Raghupathy Bhat, a student of RVCE who opted for a CET seat last year, agrees. Nothing can prepare you for D-Day, he exclaims. However, he adds that it is imperative for you to have more than a few back-up lists. “Students usually have several lists i.e. option A, B and C. If you just follow what last year's cut-off ranks are and draw up a short-list, you will end up a nervous wreck. Sitting in front of that computer screen, the more research you have done, the better you feel,” he says. So, while looking up last year's cut-offs for individual colleges is a good way to size up your chances, do understand that each year is different.

Career counsellor and CEO of Cigma Technologies Ameen Mudassar feels that the first priority should be choosing a branch. “Students must be clear about their priorities. The key to the process of narrowing down your options is to pick an initial pool of 10 to 15 colleges that interest you, and focus your research efforts on these colleges. One of the best approaches is to start from scratch and systematically get to a short-list that fits your interests, as varied as they may be, and also is academically sound.” Proximity of the college is key here, as is evaluating your interests when it comes to choosing a stream of your choice.

There are several old and new streams to choose from, and the one you choose dictates your course content for the next four years, so you may want to do some good research before that. Talking to parents, college teachers or career counsellors helps.

What is good?

Once you know which stream you wish to pursue, the next is to verify how good a college is. If you are among the top rankers, then most of your college choices or options are likely to be good. But the higher your rank, the more tricky your options are. It must be noted that out of the 140 colleges, nearly half are new and many are known to be low on infrastructure, quality faculty and therefore career prospects. Check out their website first, says a senior official from NAAC, the accreditation body.

The official says that accreditations or recognitions are mandatory. “If your college is not recognised by AICTE, then it is a dummy course and your college will not be able to issue you a degree. A visit to the AICTE website (http://www.aicte-india.org/) is your very first step. Cross-check with the State-wise list to see if a college's claim of being AICTE recognised is indeed real. Most colleges in Karnataka are affiliated to VTU, so the VTU website is also a good place to check. Do monitor newspapers and websites to see if any colleges have been de-recognised recently.”

Apart from AICTE (which is a basic recognition requirement), also check the websites of each college to see what are the additional accreditations they have. “Many colleges claim to have tie-ups with some foreign partners. But these do not really count. What you must look for is accreditations by government bodies,” he says. The NAAC is an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. But students must not be misled by blanket statements regarding accreditation.

Often, there are courses that colleges start after receiving accreditation, or there are courses that are not rated in each college. It must be remembered that often, recognition or approval is granted for certain courses that are functioning well. This does not mean that all courses offered here are worth it. Infrastructure, quality faculty and placements are the three most important factors to keep in mind. Do a recce, if you can.

Talk to seniors

Talk to your seniors with these factors in mind. Ask them which branch in their college has the best teachers. “Are the labs good? Do students get enough chances to use all the equipment there? How easy is access to labs, libraries and other digital equipment? Are the professors open to offering help in the labs after class hours?” are a few questions you can ask your seniors, says the professor. However, nothing beats the personal experience of doing a recce of at least six or eight colleges.

Use the Internet, advises Mr. Mudassar. “To get the real picture, you must search on social networking sites such as Orkut and Facebook for students who are studying as well as those who have completed the course. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask any questions starting from how good is the college in reality to the inside story about how the labs are or the placements.”

Pick the right college

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