Ashish Kumar's Review On Indian Institute Of Science Education And Research - [IISER], Mohali

IISER is one of the best places in India in terms of research atmosphere, facilities and infrastructure. It has a well rounded course structure and promotes hands on exposure to all the advanced reserach technologies and instrumentation.

The course structure is ever evolving and dynamic and captures the basic requirements for the advanced research and technology background. Personally i found that a student studying in IISER is more comfortable in handling of the scientific equipment and expermentation which is essential for someone looking for a career in R&D. Faculties are generally supportive and encourage freedom of expression in both academic and campus life. In terms of teaching, there could be some improvement though.

Mandatory summer intership is required for all BS-MS students with a basic stipend amount of 5000/month. The internship can be done in any lab of choice within the campus or country or abroad.

No on campus placement as of now. Most students go for PhD/Post doc research opportunities abroad. Industrial placement is usually pursued by students on their own. There is placement cell which mentors studnets about the opportunities.

The campus life is generally peaceful. Multiple studentclub organise events related to extra extracurricular activities like dance, sports, music, arts, debating, poetry etc yearlong in the auditorium. Annually IISER also hosts a cultural festival called INSOMNIA where many students from different parts of country participate in hundreds of activities like dance, music, arts, debating etc. Along with that IISER also hosts several scientific outreach and science day programs wherein the institute invites the school kids and gives them a tour of campus and its scientific facilities.

Based upon merit, students get Rs. 5000 per month INSPIRE scholarship during BS-MS and Rs. 31000/35000 during PhD. IISER has a in campus Canara bank branch that provides student loan schemes to needy.

The sports infrastructure is top class. IISER has a football-cum-cricket ground of its own with a stadium for the viewers and flood lights for any night matches. Along with that there are sepearte multiple courts for tennis, squash, badminton, volleyball and basketball. IISER has also hosted the inter-IISER sports meet wherein hundreds of students from different IISERs and NISER compete together in different sports events annually. IISER also has a well equipped gym of its own open to all students and faculties. IISER also boasts a world-class librabry facility which spans over multiple floors, with thousands of books all digitally catalouged too. The library provides multiple spots for casual reading too and facility of seminar/conference rooms. The labs in IISER are world-class level with all the basic and advanced facilities. Each student is encouraged hands on experience on multiple instruments and research techniques. The campus is equipped with good wifi network, although the speed can be frustrating sometimes at certain locations within the campus. The campus also has a few shops catering to daily needs and supplies, stationary, saloon, eating joints, CCD coffee booth and a canara bank branch.

Being a BS-MS almunus from IISER itself, I have been living in hostel inside the IISER campus for 10 years now. Ii have seperate room for myself which is sufficiently large for a person. However, the campus only has 4 hostels for now and new BS-MS and PhD students have to share room for inital 2-3 years of their stay. The girls and boys live in the same hostel in different wings. Shared bathroom and toilets are there in each floor. There is hardly ever any water or power outage. Hot water is also available yearlong via electric/solar geysers. Wifi connectivity is there on each floor of the hostel, however speeds can be limited depending upon the proximity of one's room to the router. Hostel also has big common rooms for studying, meetings or casual hangouts for students. Each hostel has its own mess and canteen. Food is generally decent. Food delivery is allowed inside the campus so one can always order food from outside and get it delivered near the hostel. TV with HD dish connection is also available in the canteen area and is accessible 24x7. There are no hassels of entery and exit in the hostel and hardly any inspections from wardens. Students live their lives in their own peace and harmony uniterrupted.