Inside Look: My University Journey - the Good, the Bad, and Everything In Between

The aspect of the curriculum that influenced me to choose the course was coding. Each semester includes a basic introduction to popular programming languages such as Python,c++,Java. Additionaly, web development is part of the curriculum. However, there is lack of coding culture in the university. The curriculum does not prepare me for real-world applications. It is heavily theory-based, which I have never heard from my seniors to have any use in the industry. However, the university conducts rigorous placement training. There, we learn quantitative and logical reasoning as well as verbal reasoning, which are needed for the placement rounds in most companies that visit the campus. They conduct separate classes for coding and DSA. They provide guidance about the projects, resume building and industry demands. I would rank faculty from incomprehensible to good dedicated teachers. Exams are easy, usually repeated from previous year. I suggest that improve teaching standard of the faculty.

Companies also come to recruit interns starting from the 5th semester. Whether students recieve a stipend during these internship depends on the company. There are third-party organizations such as IEEE which provide internship, but they don't provide any stipend. Additionally, students have th option to do internship under the guidance of faculty members. These internhsip do not come with a stipend either. The availability of internship depends on the field of expertise of the faculty, such as machine learning, cloud computing and web development. However, faculty memebrs do not take on many students for these internships. Projects such as ecommerce website in web development are made during internship.

A student becomes eligible for placement starting from the 7th semester and there are on-campus internship opportunities available from the 6th semester onward. In 2023, various companies visited the campus, ranging from the startups like ZScalar to big Indian companies such as TCS, Tech Mahindra and Infosys.MNCs like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte also participated in the recruitment drive.This year, Accenture is the only mass recruiter while other companies hired only a few students, typically in two-digit numbers. The highest package offered, rumored to be from Hill University, was 63lac at AtLassia. The previous year's highest package was also from Atlassia and it mostly went to female candidates. The placement rate this year is low due to the recession in the US and Europe, with rumors suggesting around 40-45% student have been placed.However, with TCS participating in the placement drive, it is expected to increase significantly. After getting the degree,I will apply for off-campus job.

The first semester fee starts at around 150000, and it increases with each subsequent semester. Having a scholarship can reduce the fee, depending on the types of scholarship, and scholarships can be added together with the fee. The fees inlcude tuition, online services, sport facilities, library access, student welfare,examination fees, and semester-specific charges such as admission, alumini, degree fee,etc. A late fee of 200rs per day is charged from the last day of the fee submission until the total late fee reaches 5000, after which it remains consistent. Installment payment options are also available, and make students have taken loans to cover their fees. Scholarships available in the university include domicile-based, army-related, sports-based, SC/ST category and those based on performance in JEE Mains/Advanced.There are other organizations that scholarship to the students. They are other fees as well. The university representative mentioned campus employment opportunities.

The clubs in the university are a combination of Hill and deemed students, which create a very populous environment.There is only one club for universities, even though they are different entities with separate campuses.Only 2 or 3 clubs seem active in the university, while others are only visible during competitions, activities, or seminars. The books available in the library mostly cover the curriculum and are accessible based on the current semester. Students borrow these books for studing. There is also an online library available. Classrooms are equipped with projectors, digital screens for teaching. Regarding sports, there are limitations as the timetable doesn't allow day scholars or PG students to play during college hours. The university ground is also used by school students as they are attached and have same owners. The college has organized Grafest twice during my time there, and other festival events also occur. Sports tournaments take place, but include Hill Students .

Elgibility criteria for the computer science were 85% in 10th grade and 75% in 12th grade. My 12th boards exams finished at the the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Immediately after the exams, a lockdown was announced. Normally, university admissions start in June, but due to the pandemic, admissions were delayed until the latter half of August. We first applied online for admission, paying a pre-fee of 50,000. I wanted to opt for computer science course, but it has a high cut-off. They said they have limited seats. Later, they admitted me to the 2+2 B.Tech Computer Science program, where I will study for 2 years at Hill University and 2 Years at Deemed University. The admission process was smooth. There weren't any problems with the entire admission, except that we paid a pre-fee to opt for computer science, but when we arrived at the university, they refused to let me choose computer science. The Classes started in October in online mode.