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Who are some of the most famous IIT Kanpur alumni?
IIT Kanpur has produced many accomplished alumni, some of whom have gained significant fame in various fields. Here are a few examples in specific fields.
Notable Professors and Researchers
- Rajeev Motwani, computer scientist, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University.
- Jitendra Malik, Arthur J. Chick Professor of EECS University of California at Berkeley.
- Manindra Agrawal, Nitin Saxena, and Neeraj Kayal Clay Research Award, 2002, Godel Prize, 2006. Manindra Agrawal is currently a Professor at IIT Kanpur.
- Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Padma Shri and Professor, Dept of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras
- Abhay Bhushan, author of File Transfer Protocol
- Ashoke Sen, FRS, and Padma Shri, string theorist.
- Chandra Kintala, Professor and Director of Software Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology; Director(Retd.), Bell Labs, USA
- Mriganka Sur, neuroscientist, Sherman Fairchild Professor of Neuroscience, Head, Dept of Brain and Cognitive Science MIT, Fellow of Royal Society
Entrepreneurs/Global Leaders
- N.R. Narayana Murthy, founder of software corporation Infosys.
- Pradeep Sindhu, founder of Juniper Networks
Entertainment
- Rahul Ram, Indian bass guitarist, social activist, and music composer, Indian Ocean (band).
Social Activists/ Politicians/ IAS/ IPS and other notable positions
- Amitabh Thakur, an officer of the Indian Police Service, social activist, writer
- Duvvuri Subbarao, 22nd Governor of Reserve Bank of India
- Prem Das Rai, the first IIT and IIM-educated member of Parliament Lok Sabha.
- Ved Arya, Chief Executive Officer of Srijan (Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action)
How do I get 9+ CPI/CGPA in 1st year at IIT Kanpur?
Achieving a 9+ CPI/CGPA in your first year at IIT Kanpur is definitely a challenging goal, but it is not completely impossible. All you need is a lot of determination and excellent time management skills. Here are a few tips that may help you achieve this:
- Prioritize your time and manage it effectively. You will find a lot of activities going around you. Participate in them but not at the expense of your academics.
- Attend all classes and lectures, and actively participate in discussions.
- Follow an organized routine and keep track of all important deadlines and assignments.
- Study consistently throughout the
- semester, rather than cramming right before exams. Remember, consistency is the key.
- Don’t hesitate from approaching your professors in case of any doubts
- Rather than wasting time on useless activities, form study groups among your peers.
- Make the most out of the resources and facilities made available to you
Lastly, and most importantly, take care of your health both physically and mentally.
How are the boys’ hostel at IIT Kanpur?
There are a total of 4 boys’ hostels namely, Hall 2,3,5, and 12. The oldest halls are 2,3 and 5.
Halls 2 and 3: These halls provide a three-seater room. Initially, you might feel congested but soon you will adapt yourself to the limited space. I’m the 2nd and 3rd year, one boy will be removed and only the 2 of you will be left.
Hall 5: Although you will be sharing the room with just one student, you will realize that the size of the room is smaller than 2 and 3. Again in the 2nd and 3 rd years, you will get the entire room to yourself.
Hall 12: This hostel has the best rooms that are well furnished and with great facilities. The luckiest people get to stay here.
It’s important to bear in mind the fact that the above details were limited to BTech students only.
Is IIT Kanpur the best
IIT Kanpur is considered one of the premier engineering institutions in India. It is ranked among the top engineering institutes in the country and is known for its strong academic programs and excellent faculty. It is also known for its research contributions in various fields. It has several unique features that make it one of the best IITs in India.
- It is one of the largest IITs spread across 1055 acres.
- Its research infrastructure is exceptionally good with top-notch laboratories, a well-structured curriculum enabling students to learn in a dynamic environment.
- The labs of IIT Kanpur have gained an international appreciation, the lecture halls are decked with modern technologies
- IIT Kanpur enjoys the best placement scenario amongst all the IITs, with a placement percentage of 100%.
- Students Gymkhana promotes extracurricular activities through five councils, more than 50 clubs, 15 hobby groups, 3 cells, and over 20 wings.
- IIT Kanpur organizes 3 national-level festivals namely, Antaragni (Cultural), Techkriti (Science and Technology), and Udghosh (games and sports). The festivals are funded entirely by the institute and students don’t have to spend a penny.
- IIT Kanpur has top-notch sports facilities and is rightly the Overall Champion of Inter-IIT continuously since 2013. A few major facilities include 2 sports complexes and arrangements for TT, Basketball, Badminton, Squash, and Pool. It also has football grounds, 2 cricket stadiums, three tennis courts, two volleyball grounds and a lot more.
- IIT Kanpur has 11 canteens in the Hostels, 3 in the Academic Area, and 4 fast food shops in the New SAC. These include the Dominos campus restaurant, CCD, and a Chowpatty area.
- IIT Kanpur has 12 hostels and more are underway. Inter-hostel general championships are held for fun.
- IIT Kanpur has one of the largest Alumni pools comprising over 30,000. Some of these founded Infosys produced huge research papers, run excellent startups, some are award winners and much more.
- IIT Kanpur has the best Internet facilities in the whole of India with 2 supercomputers. Other highlights include an open-air theater, one of the best libraries in the country, 4 Computer Centres, and many more.
- On its 57th Foundation Day, IIT Kanpur was given s Research and Entrepreneurial Excellence Park which is said to provide incubation to over 100 startups.
All these unique aspects certainly make IIT Kanpur the best!
How was your IIT Kanpur's MBA interview experience?
One of my friends had a great MBA interview experience at IIT Kanpur. She had a completely different and exhilarating experience which was nothing like what was going on there. In fact, the students being interviewed before she had been evaluated on the basis of their knowledge of Engineering that too from the 1st year. Almost everyone had no idea because around 6 years had passed and everyone had forgotten even the basic concepts let alone the questions they were being asked.
Before entering the interview room she was very scared and clueless. She found herself in a small room with 2 male panelists.
- The first panelist asked her about her most exciting aspect to which she told them about the book she was writing. They sounded curious and ended up hearing the entire plot.
- Next, she was asked if she liked traveling to which she told them about her dream destination being Iceland and how she had already traveled throughout India.
- They further asked her about her family and why she did not prefer IIM Lucknow despite being close to her home.
The interview ended on a friendly note and she left the room with a light heart. Surprisingly enough, she was able to convert.
Do hostel rooms in IIT Kanpur have an attached washroom?
No, there are no attached washrooms in IIT Kanpur. There are 2 common washrooms meant to be used by the students on the entire floor. Additionally, there are 8 wash basins, 4 toilets, and 4 bathing areas. You also have a geyser and a washing machine to do your laundry.
The washrooms are cleaned regularly and hygienic conditions are maintained. Utmost hygiene is taken care of and it is cleaned and maintained regularly.
You will find no spacious rooms, or attached washrooms here. In fact, it’s the lack of such luxuries that makes hostel life extraordinary.
Is it true that IIT kanpur's curriculum is harder than other IITs?
My knowledge is limited to the Mechanical branch only as my brother was a student at IIT Kanpur. From what I heard about his experience, the curriculum is moderate, neither too heavy nor too light. He even saw many of his batchmates copying assignments and not doing one on their own throughout the 5 years.
The mid and end-semester exams are usually from the notes. The average of the class is very low with everyone performing poorly. up getting a B in that course. There are some exceptional professors who do tough grading, but that is rare and mostly CPI isn’t affected.
Projects and term papers are supposed to be done as a group and carry a lot of weightage. But they are quite easy as one of the studious members of the group ends up doing all the work.
In IIT Kanpur, one can easily score 7 CPI with average preparation done in 1 week for mid and end semesters while 1 or 2 days for projects/term papers. Hence I wouldn’t say the IIT Kanpur’s curriculum is harder than other IITs.
How difficult is to get a branch change at IIT Kanpur?
Branch change at IIT Kanpur can be a challenging process, as you have to meet specific academic and performance criteria.
The process usually involves filling out an application and meeting with a committee to review your request. The committee will consider factors such as your grades, extracurricular activities, research experience, and overall fit for the desired program.
Every branch has 2 vacant seats after the first year. Usually, there are more than 2 people who have a 10 CPI. To get a branch change into CS, one requires a perfect 10. While for other branches the situation is a bit flexible. If 3 students left a particular branch for another branch, then the seat availability for that branch will be 2+3, 5. This brings down the CPI cutoff.
It's important to keep in mind that the acceptance rate for branch change requests is typically quite low, so it's important to have a well-prepared application and be prepared for the possibility of not being granted a change.
What is IIT Kanpur doing wrong compared to other IITs?
To answer this question in a single line, IIT Kanpur’s relative grading system is the absolute nightmare of the Institute. While other institutes have a continuous grading system like 10.9,8,7,6,5 and so on, IIT Kanpur follows a relative grading system. Under this grading is done in this manner:
- A* = 10 Outstanding
- A = 10 Excellent
- B = 8 Good
- C = 6 Fair
- D = 4 Pass
- E = 2 Exposure/Repeat
- F = 0 Fail
The discontinuity in grade points becomes a major issue when applying for higher education or off-campus placements. When you will be evaluated among other IITians you will see students with a 9 which is the usual criterion for placements. But at IIT Kanpur you can either get a 10 or an 8. The same issue arises for applying for MS covert or IIMs.
Basically, someone with an 8+CGPA will be given a 10-grade score while someone with an 8 CGPA will get a 7 rating score thereby reducing the chances of getting a call from B schools.
What does it feel like to fail in a course at IIT Kanpur?
I know a friend who failed a first-semester course at IIT Kanpur. Although it was a minor subject, the entire process was very tiresome.
He had failed a wonderful Morning Exercise (PE101) course. This course is a very futile course wherein twice a week you are supposed to go for sports for an hour in the evening. The ones who are good at sports are selected for the institute sports team, while the rest are sent to NCC.
The worst part about this course is that although it carries no credits, you fail the course if you have less than 75% attendance. Many top rankers had to stay after graduation to complete the course.
My friends had taken leave to represent India at IOI 2007. She failed to maintain the attendance criteria and eventually failed in the course. It discouraged her a lot and she was worried about losing her KVPY scholarship.
She decided to resolve this issue and approached the dean of student affairs (DOSA), who was also the official instructor for this course. Prof. Prawal Sinha assured her that he will be resolving the issue for her. The procedure was indeed troublesome and she had to run from office to office for months. She even wrote to the directors and key meeting DOSA.
Finally, her efforts were fruitful and she managed to change her grades. She was relieved but the entire process tired her out.
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