Comparing School of Engineering CUSAT and Jamia Millia Islamia is not suitable as both the colleges are well established and are holding their culture and curriculum really very well. So, choosing either of them would not be easy.
But, as far as I know, Jamia Millia Islamia was established 100 years ago and is better than SOE CUSAT.
Jamia Millia Islamia will offer you a productive and competitive environment. You will also get to do lots of extracurricular activities and will get to learn from highly efficient teaching staff in JMI.
In CUSAT, you might be taught by recently graduated teachers. This will not only affect the teaching methodology but a good exposure as well.
CUSAT is nicely harnessed and handled by various Political parties for their own benefit. You can see a few strikes now and then among students and parties. But it should not be your concern as you are going to study there and grow productively.
CUSAT has a very strict and necessary rule when it comes to placements. It doesn’t matter which branch you are in, you have to follow the rule irrespective of your subjects, stream, or branch.
The basic rule in CUSAT, in SOE, or CUCEK is that for placements, you must have an 8 GPA or a minimum percentage of 75 percentile. The GPA, however, does not guarantee you a placement from any company but it allows you to apply to any of the companies visiting the campus.
7.5 GPA or near about 70 percentile is also a good percentile. However, it’s not wise to approach your studies with a grade-oriented attitude. Try to secure good grades, but learn along the way too.
I know a little about these courses as a few of my friends are currently pursuing them. Here are some of the information regarding SOE and CUCEK in CUSAT.
If you have a better option than CUSAT then you should look for that option but if this is the only good option, then go for it.
You should choose NIT Jamshedpur for Mechanical Engineering. It has an impeccable Mechanical faculty. The professors have years of experience in the field. The placements are more competitive at NITs. NIT Jamshedpur placement highlights for 2021 show around 96% of Mechanical students got placed with an average CTC of INR 7.3 LPA. Vedanta Ltd, Tata Steel, Royal Enfield, etc. are some of the major recruiters for the branch.
One of my friends is from CUSAT SOE. I can provide his experience during his first year at the CUSAT hostel.
In case you do not get a hostel then you can try outside hostels which are located nearby to the college.
Your chances are pretty slim of getting to the main campus. But then you can always take a shot and go sit for the spot rounds that take place. Make sure you don’t miss that.
My friend get into the Mechanical branch even when he had a rank of 8000. It was even before the NRI quota was introduced. But as you may understand, this was just an exception in the odds. The competition gets tougher and tougher each year and with your rank, I am really worried you may not end up getting it.
But yes, a silver lining for you would be that you may stand a chance at their second campus and that too, for the IT branch. You have certain possibilities here.
GEC and NSS Palakkad come under KTU whereas CUSAT SOE is a university. NSS is a government-aided college and GEC is a government college, the facilities and the faculty are at similar levels.
As KTU is a newly established university, here are some insights you need to have a look at.
Now, in comparison to CUSAT SOE, here are some differences you must know.
Categories | CUSAT SOE | GCE Kannur | NSS Palakkad |
Course Fee | 3.53 lakh | 1.26 lakh | 25.23 K |
Highest CTC | 22 LPA | 6-8 LPA | 10 LPA |
Average CTC | 10-12 LPA | 3.5-5 LPA | 7 LPA |
Recruiting Companies | Microsoft, Wipro, etc. | TCS, ZS Associates, etc. | Infosys, BHEL, etc. |
Overall, CUSAT SOE has an upper hand over the other two colleges of KTU. As KTU faces various instabilities due to unestablished ordinances, it hinders the performance of students. If you need to choose between GEC and NSS, NSS Palakkad is better with well-qualified teachers.
The School of Engineering at CUSAT is a difficult entry. If you're an excellent student, it will be easy to get through with only a little difficulty. But if you're an average one then it will be straining indeed.
My friend was a topper in his branch and did quite well in the CUSAT SOE exam. His timetable included studying only for one hour a day. When you're enrolled there, you'd have much time to prepare because of the holidays and strikes. You'll be able to sail smoothly if you've scored more than 60% marks in each subject through good attendance and timely submission of assignments.
Here are other notable points-
It also depends on your performance in studies, the faculty assessing your work, and your interest in the field you've chosen. If you do not get many strikes then you'd be able to excel easily.
SOE CUSAT doesn’t have major drawbacks. In past, there have been strikes and complaints about hygiene-related issues. Students face problems because of political activities at times. In terms of academics, it's difficult to get good marks in internals.
These are the common problems for CUSAT. These problems don’t create any major issues and the institute trying to overcome these drawbacks.
A few of my friends are studying in both colleges and there is absolutely no difference – not even a minute one between the two colleges. Placements are the same and in fact, more students are also getting placed from CUCEK as per what recent surveys have concluded. Additionally, the placement cell for both these colleges is the same and is situated on the main campus.
Probably the only thing that might cause a little bit of hindrance is travel. You might have to travel to the SOE campus every time a company is visiting for hiring or placing students. You will have to go to Ernakulam from Alleppy which is a good 2-hour drive by road. This might pose as a minor set back but the college arranges for this transport so eventually, you will not have any issues.
Coming to placements at CUSAT, about 60 different companies visit the campus for the recruitment drive. So, you will have a number of options to look forward to when you begin applying. As of 2020, about 300 offers were made in the college with the highest CTC of INR 15 LPA and an average CTC of INR 4.7 LPA. The number of placements being offered has increased over the past three years.
Some of the major companies that recruit students include Cisco, TCS, L&T, Tata Steel, and Vedanta.
If placement is your primary concern at CUCEK or CUSAT, you do not need to be worried. You will be a student of a really good university so your future will definitely be bright.