Sujin V's Review On TKM College Of Engineering - [TKMCE], Kollam

The college management was very supportive for most of the initiatives taken by the students. And of course there will be difference in opinions everywhere. But your voice will be heard.

I wrote Kerala Engineering Entrance Exam in 2007 and got a rank of 1864. I was particular about Mechanical Engineering and wanted to get into either CET, Trivandrum or TKM, Kollam. My rank got me allotted to TKM. But later I was happy that I joined TKM and not CET.

The course curriculum is good and provides good scope for research in final year projects. But I feel they could have included a bit more of practical activities. However the support for any extra curricular researches is available from all departments. You can use any lab in the college whenever required. Many people from my batch have joined IITs and continued with research courses.

During engineering it was compulsory to have at least one short term internship. For the final year project you can opt for one longer internship as well. From my batch (Mechanical) people attend internships in ICF Chennai, other manufacturing companies Pune, etc. The internships were not stipend oriented, but a few got upto 10k.

Placements are good in the college now, with major ones happening in IT industry. A lot of people are ready to leave the core and join IT companies. For others there are core companies like MRF, L&T, etc with 3-5LPA and few marine engineering placements also happen with high packages.

There will be college arts festival every year along with tech fests, Onam, Christmas and Ramzan celebrations. My batch was the last to conduct Wheelz, an auto expo at Ashramam ground, Kollam. That was one of the biggest expos in Kerala with over 10,000 vistors per day for 3 days. All these events and celebrations strengthen the managerial skills and unity of the students. TKM is the best place for learning team work and organising events.

The fee structure is very economic. The college, being a Govt aided one, has very minimal fees considering the base it gives for your career. For me it was just Rs 6200 per year. There are scholarships also available where you can get this amount reimbursed.

Yes, KPCR and minority scholarships are availed by a lot of students. Despite the fees being very low, these scholarships almost eliminate the cost of living and education.

TKM is a paradise when it comes to campus life. The campus is not very vast but have gotten just enough space for people to spend their time. There is a good football ground, tennis court, indoor badminton courts, basket ball court, squash court, etc. After 4 years you will be in love with the college and even boys cry during farewell. Except for mechanical branch all other branches are having almost 50:50 gender ratio. We got a 16 days all India tour in final year.

The college hostels are of decent quality and all the hostel mess are managed by students. So they can have full control over the budget and menu. For us, students in first year was separately in one hostel and that gave us a foundation to evolve as a good batch. Then the final year hostel was also common which led us to being together for the final blast.

The alumni network is not so strong enough. A batch would have contact within itself and their previous and next few batches but once they leave the college the interaction between on going batches (especially their placement cells) and their alumni needs to be improved.

The exam structure was quite manageable. We had two series tests and then the university exam in each semester. You get ample amount of time to prepare for exams. Vacations after exams were not long though. Most of them were 7-14 days. We used to go to hometown for study holidays and reach back a few days before exams for preparation.

The admission process is simple. You get allotted to the college based on the entrance rank and go and join the college on the specified date. Joining dates will be decided and communicated well in advance. There will be option for multiple allotments if you are not ready to pursue or settle with the allotted college/course. The procedure these days has gotten changed but it is more or less the same.

Majority of the faculty are highly qualified and experienced. Most of them have certificates from IITs. Except for a few new comers all others are very much knowledgeable. Most of the professors are very social and they get attached to the students quite easily.