Choosing between NITs can get tougher than clearing JEE Main!

So the wait is over for you! Finally the list of JEE Main 2014 is out. You hard work and perseverance of 2 years has been actualized. So now as the results are out, the ranks are confirmed and the scores are declared, what next? Time for party? Or would you wait till the JEE counselling? Counselling, of-course, isn’t it?

Many of you would face the problem as stated below. Imagine if your rank makes you eligible for not one or two, but may be 8 or say 10 NITs (National Institute of Technology) (of course it happens with a lot of rank holders), so what strategy would you devise to remove your confusion and go for the best available option? Of course you need a plan to help you choose amongst the NITs you have qualified for. Thus, in this article you would be learning about the factors to be considered while selecting the best NIT.

This is not just your concern area. As I wrote earlier, many students like you face this problem every year. “They all look the same to me” Students speak. But are they really the same everywhere? You actually need to be sure about that.

So where to start from? First and foremost, a student should be in a position to choose between NITs at first, or else brooding over this issue is a waste of time. So if you have got a rank under 5000, then you can think on these lines. As your rank goes on decreasing and nearer to the top, your available options keep on increasing. Hence once the results are published, you can access your score and make a list of the desirable institutes.

So what do you do once you make a list of the Desired NITs? Ask these few questions to yourself-

• What is the interest area which you want to pursue? Do you really want to do that for your entire life? Introspect on it, and take some time to find the answer.

• Have you done enough research to know which NIT has the best faculty and facilities for your desired branch? Don't just go for a branch because that is the current trend, or just because your friends are doing the same.

• Have you enough information about the respective colleges? Dig out the relevant information regarding the infrastructure, faculty, placement records,and research work by the students etc., of the colleges you have shortlisted for the desired course.

Going for the right branch doesn’t necessarily mean neglecting the institute name on the whole. There should be a fair balance between the branch and the institute. You might want to consider the geographical location and the locality in which the campus is located. For e.g., you may feel concerned about weather or security of a certain location. Think twice in such cases. There might also be the food factor. Adjusting to food habits or local language takes a long time indeed. Some of you might not wish to go far from home, so you would want hunt for the options which are nearest, but worthy as well. All these factors would together impact on your selection of the right NIT for admission.

There might be neutral students, who would get adjusted to all these well; so what should they do? Should they actually focus on the NIT in which their subject of preference ranks above the rest, or should they choose the NIT on its brand value? Some students apply the following strategies according to their respective ranks:

Topmost Ranks: Best NITs, best courses.

Average Ranks: Best NITs, other courses/Other NITs, best courses.

Lower Ranks: Other NITs, least preferred courses.

On an average, the 30 NITs in the country are considered to be good enough, so much so that after the IITs, it is the NITs that people look for. Thus in my opinion, don’t succumb to the limitations in case you get the best college and the best course. Also, if you are not the topmost rank holder, better go for NITs offering you the desired department, rather than choosing just any department in the best NITs. This is because, you would get placed in any which way, as an NIT is an NIT, but you would have to stick with the chosen discipline for life.

The same feeling is resonated by Zahid, an ex-NIT Srinagar student, as he chose his desired subject over the institute value-

“I got a call from 10-12 NITs. But, branches were not that good in some of them. I wanted a core branch and that too only Civil. Among the options I got, NIT Srinagar had the best faculty for the same and I was getting this branch in only 4-5 of the NITs and that too the third tier NITs. Thus, I chose NIT Srinagar for its faculty and now I definitely can vouch for it.

Thus be clear in mind as to what you want and what your preferences are. Thus, a clear goal with the below pointers would help you select the desired NIT while you are contemplating to the selection process-

• Faculty: The professors, or the faculty is one of the most important components that goes into the making of an institute. When visiting or researching for an institute, do look for these-

  • Number of full-time faculty members

  • Number of part-time or adjunct faculty members

  • Their qualifications

  • How many of them are PHDs?

  • How many of them are M. Techs?

  • What is their respective pedigree?

  • What is the students-faculty ratio? 

• Location or Locality: Opting for an NIT depending on its location is completely your choice. You may want to live near your hometown, or you may not want to live in a certain place. It’s entirely our choice. But make it wisely!

• Ranking of the NIT: As per what experts say, NIT Trichy leads the way amongst all the NITs. It’s followed by NITs of Warangal, Kurukshetra, Rourkela, Allahabad, Bhopal, Jaipur, Durgapur, Jamshedpur etc. respectively  So when you have to make a choice, always remember the ranking of these institutes along with its brand and the market value.

• Placements History: Placements play an important role while selecting the institute of your choice. Among the NITs you are eligible for, you that students should preferably opt for the one which has the best placement stats for the past years in that particular discipline.

• Stop following, and start exploring yourself: Do not follow the herd. Don’t just go for what your peers say or choose. But opt for the institute that you aim to go to, and not the one your friend is going to. Though, it’s your rank that will play a major role in deciding your fate.