After the IIT-JEE results were published , students as well as their parents have been running searches over the internet over information on various IITs. However, in this myriad of info supported by stats and numbers claiming opening ranks, closing ranks and general preferences of the toppers, what misses the big picture is information on the new IITs that might decide the fates of thousands of aspirants who have managed to get a decent rank in IIT-JEE but are not confident if they could qualify for the top-notch IITs.

AdityaKhanna, a student at IIT Kanpur says: “Always remember, you are not making a career at your institute, it’s your branch that’ll be with you for the rest of your life! So, don’t ever prefer choosing institute over branch….. First, get some information about all the branches available to you, get anapprox. idea of your interests, then look for the institute that can offer you that branch at that rank!” Probably, that’s what is roping more and more students with good ranks to prefer the new IITs at Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, Ropar, Patna, Jodhpur, Bhubaneshwar, Mandi and Indore over some branches offered by IIT Kanpur, Kharagpur, Mumbai, Delhi, Madras, Guwahati or Roorkee.

Let us take a look at the opening and closing ranks for the new IITs in 2009  and 2010.

Opening and closing rank for newer IITs for 2010(Open Category)

If we take a look at the opening and closing ranks of these new IITs, what strikes out most is their growing acceptance side by side with IT-BHU and ISM Dhanbad and the promise to push them behind soon. It is quite clear that the IIT tag has helped these institutions attract bright students and to count them out while deciding on a campus to spend four valuable years of one’s life would be a big mistake.

So what parameters should one keep in mind while deciding on these new campuses? Have these institutions groomed enough facilities to match with the other IITs? What promise does a degree from these new IITs hold? Let us answer these questions one by one.

While deciding on the campus, please keep in mind that life at IIT is meant to be devoted to research and study. Although IITians are known to perform well in co-curriculars as well, academics form the backbone of the IIT framework and that is the primary criteria for selecting IITs. The new IITs, although lack the experience of the old IITs , are catching up fast through Inter-IIT competitions and the atmosphere of learning pervades the campus. The faculty in most campuses is young and hip and the average age is between 30 and 35 (compared to 40 and 50 at the old IITs). Hence, whereas the wisdom and experience is lacking, a fresh atmosphere of zeal pervades through the campus.

One important thing missing in a new IIT is the alumni support and reach, which is a significant contributing factor in the evolution of the institution. The new IITs do not have access to the counsel and guidance given by alumni. Also lacking are the supporting institutions such as the library, engineering services, technical staff etc. Being housed in temporary campuses, although the administration has given a lot of impetus to developing sports facilities, they may not be at par with the facilities at the old IITs. The new IITs draw support from their mentor institutes in these areas and will continue to do so while they build their own institutions and hence, one should not expect very high standards in these regards.

As far as the prospect of the degree is concerned, brand IIT would be sufficient to land a decent career if one is interested, and academic standards would be high. One needs to consider the pros as well as the cons of studying in a new IIT and compare them with the old IITs; a wise career would be one that keeps in mind the interests of the candidate above anything else.