NIT Rourkela : Is it really worth it?

I chose this course, ofcourse, because that was what I got in the counseling process. I decided to choose college over branch. The civil engineering faculty in NIT Rourkela are good as compared to other branches. We have around 80 in our batch and one faculty for each course (usually 5 theory courses in one semester). Each faculty (especially the new ones) have qualifications not less than a PhD from only the top IITs. Their teaching methods are new and they try to bond with students in contrast to the old professors. However they are stricter in marking and setting the question paper. The exam papers set by new professors are definitely harder to pass and poorly marked.

Software companies such as Microsoft offer a stipend of 125k per month for two months. Other software companies offer stipends ranging from 50k - 90k. There are Analytics and core companies like Fractal Analytics, TSL, that offer a minimum stipend of around 30k. These are summer internships that you'll apply for in the months of June-November of your pre-final year and work in the summer break after your 6th semester.

Final year students are eligible for campus placements. Most students aim for Software companies, but you'll have a very scarce chance of getting into the big ones if you belong to a non-circuital branch. However, some big companies like Microsoft (50 LPA CTC) let you sir for the OT and sometimes hire you in the name of inclusivity. Other companies like American Express, VISA, Wells Fargo also visit on campus and offer around 30 LPA CTC. Now, these companies have an eligibility criteria of only circuital branches. There are other Software and mostly Analytics companies that offer on average 20 LPA, and allow mosy branches to sit for the OT.

The cost to study is around 96000 for one semester for a student belonging to General category. It takes into account, various costs like Hostel rent, Infrastructure fees, Medical fees, Tuition fee, etc. The tuition fees have stayed the same, however, there was a hike in mess fees recently and the mess food quality is poor. Definitely not worth the money you're about to pay. Now, the internship drive starts at around June of pre-final year and lasts till October (most companies will have gone by then). The stipends can vary from as high as 1,25,000/month for 2 month of internship (offered by Microsoft), to 30,000 per month offered by TSL and A LOT of other good companies. The placement drives also starts around the same time for final year students.

We have multiple fests conducted around the year, such as Innovision (the tech fest) in November, Nitrutsav (the Literary and Cultural fest) in March, Cosmopolitan (the ethnic fest) in January. They are joined by thousands of students all around the nation, but mostly by students from colleges around Odisha. The fests are fun but poor management by the student body conducting these fests. Talking of the student body, the student media body of NIT Rourkela is called Monday Morning; they talk about problems of students but mostly cover major college events. There are multiple clubs inducting students, dedicated to different extra-curricular activities. We have a huge library comprising books mostly related to the curriculum. You'll have fun in the huge campus but girls have an in-time of 12 AM, and the guards shame you for staying outside for too late.

There are only two Girl's hostels in NIT Rourkela. In my first year I used share a room with 4 other people (in a room that was meant for 3 people). We had 5 beds stuffed in one tiny room, barely had any place to walk around. The worst part is there was only enough space to accomodate 4 tables and only had 3 shelves. Then I shifted to a bigger hostel. Here we live with one roommate in a very very tiny room. The hostel condition is bad but manageable. The mess food is bad and unmanageable. Unlike other colleges, you cannot choose to not live in a hostel. You can commute from your home, that's your choice, but you'll still have to pay the hostel and mess fees. There are no exceptions.

To get my admission into NIT Rourkela, I had to give the JEE exam. To get admission here you need to have a good percentile score of atleast above 95 in JEE Mains. Additionally, NIT Rourkela has offers a 50% Home State Quota which is a benefit for students belonging to Odisha (i.e. having given their 12th board exams in Odisha). The admission process was quite smooth yet stressful. After the 6 rounds of JoSAA counselling, I waited for the 2 CSAB rounds and finally got Civil Engineering in NIT Rourkela in the last round.