A Master's degree without pressure

I cleared GATE in the year 2009 with a percentile of 87.5. I had always wanted to study Biotechnology and Anna University is the forerunner in Tamil Nadu. The admission process was pretty easy involving single window counselling. They publish a rank list based on our marks and seats are allocated accordingly. TANCET and JNU exams are also eligible for admission.

Course curriculum was pretty neat. Even though we did not have much electives per se, the curriculum made non engineering graduates like us more attuned to engineering concepts.

We received a stipend of Rs.8000 pm from the DBT. Being post graduates we did not go for any internships. How ever some of my class mates did their projects in institutes like Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune etc.

Core companies for Biotechnology did not come for placements. However IT companies like CTS, TCS, Wipro, IBM, Accenture which had some projects in life sciences did come for placements. The average initial salary back then was Rs. 18000-20000 pm.

The college has many events like Kurshetra, Techofes and many othe technical and non technical events. They are usually done big time with cine artists, play back singers, directors being the chief guests.

The fee structure is very feasible. I had to pay only Rs. 20000 for the entire course of two years. Out of the money we pay, we get Rs. 2000 as a deposit for buying stationery inside the campus. We can buy notebooks, scientific calculators, books, stationery, some refreshments like tetra packed juices, snacks, buckets.

The Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) gives a stipend of Rs. 8000 to all the candidates who have joined via the GATE score and JNU score. Since the fee was very nominal and sice all of us had the scholarship none of our classmates availed loans.

The extracurricular activities are very extensive. The competitions organized during kurushetra are very popular for computer coders, robotics enthusiasts etc.

The hostel facilities I think is very minimal in the sense only for Under graduates. However the canteen facilities are very very good. There are two canteens inside the campus. The canteens are neat and clean. The prices are very nominal. We can get a meal for Rs. 20 back then.

The alumni network is usually by the students themselves. The current students are usually in contact with their immediate seniors in the college. They usually guide the juniors for higher studies or job opportunities.

The exam structure is very comprehensive and the schedule was very chilled out. We had three internal assessment exams and one end semester exam for all the subjects. The syllabus is very comprehensive and the test dates are also flexible according to the classes. The labs are located in a separate research facility. The lab classes are usually a day long giving the students enough time to learn the technique.

The faculty at the Centre for Biotechnology is very competent and highly experienced. They are involved in multi crore DBT projects. They are very updated in their respective fields and are always available to the students to clarify doubts and guide them in projects.