IIST-An Unexplored Space

The department of Aerospace Engineering is quite attractive in many ways. it is the best way to learn rocket science, outer atmosphere, satellite systems , radars etc. The faculties coming from prestigious organisations like ISRO, DRDO, HAL etc. add cherry on the cake. Improvement areas could be - more aerospace related subjects hands-on approach Exam level is quite up to the mark and appreciable.

Internships are mostly provided in prestigious institutes like ISRO establishments, DRDO, IITs (bombay, delhi , madras), IISc Bangalore and abroad such as California Institute of Tchnology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NTU Singapore, EPFL ,ANU etc. A letter of recommendation (LOR) from an IIST professor holds much importance to secure an internship and is valued in top institutions all over the country.

Placements happen in last semester of college. All students as of the current 2020 batch have a mandatory bond of 3 years to serve in ISRO organisations. From 2021 batch onwards, all companies are allowed to recruit from campus and there is no mandatory bond. companies visited include: ISRO DRDO HAL Mercedes benz Intel HP Skyroot Aerospace Garuda Aerospace etc. I plan to join DRDO as Scientist-C after completion of my degree

Total fees including tuition fees , hostel fees , mess and gym,sports etc. is Rs. 91700. Breakdown of this is as follows: Tuition fee: 62500 caution fee:5000 lab and internet fee: 1000 medical insurance fee: 2000 hostel fee: 8750 mess fee:15000 Tuition fee for income>5LPA= 62500 for income <5LPA= 20850 for income <1 LPA= NIL For SC/ST/PD= NIL

Campus has overall a very light atmosphere, healthy bonds among communities and an innovative mindset flowing through the air. IIST organises 2 annual fests: Dhanak (cultural fest) and Conscientia (technical fest) Library facilities are commendable with all related research journals, books and study material available on rent and borrowing. ALL the classes are equipped with smart classroom facilites, projectors, air conditioners and quiet atmosphere. Sports facilites are average with most of the sports like Basketball, football, cricket , badminton courts available. A students activity centre with excellent facilities is also in place. many student led clubs are active for holistic development of students like: Drama club (prahasna), dance club(astouns), music club along with technical clubs - physics club, aero club , robotics club etc.

Hostel rooms are commendable with spacious and airy rooms. Rooms are on a double sharing basis with roommate choice being on a self choice basis. rooms provide with almirah , study table, beds and shoe rack with drying areas as well. mess food quality is very good as compared to other places with hygeine taken care of especially. Menu includes a combination of all indian cuisines with balanced nutrition and good taste. Special dinner is also organised on several occassions. mess food is provided on an advanced booking basis on college mess portal. (iist food booking )

IIST is asia's first institute dedicated solely to space science and technology. It comes under Department of Space and not Ministry of Education which makes it one of its kind in India. I chose IIST over IIT(BHU) varansi , BITS Pilani (Electronics branch) and VIT Vellore (CS branch) because of IIST's ties with ISRO and various space relarted organisations. I got a confirmed seat in all the above 3 institutes but preferred IIST over them. Admission process at IIST opens after JEE-Advanced results declaration. Only JEE Advanced qualified candidates are eligible to apply here. It conducts its seperate counselling on its website. Last cutoff for all 3 branches is around 15000 CRL. Number of seats is 174 (75 Aerospace,75 ECE, 24 Dual degree(engineering physics))

The faculties are excellent in their respective field of expertise and all of them have a Doctorate degree(Ph.D) and even a post doctoral degree. The faculty student ratio is quite healthy , the numbers being 1:9. Faculties are open to discussions and explanations at all times and maintain a healthy student teacher bond. There is a mid-term exam and an end semester exam of quite good level and also requiring practical skills. Almost 70% students are able to clear the exams in a single attempt.