SAL College of Engineering B.Tech Review By Nik Tandel

SAL was challenging and safe for students. For me, the college was maybe not big enough to dream big, but one that can stimulate and excite you like the college has a diverse crowd and is one of the best in the city to gain some fundamental knowledge. L.D. College of Engineering and Nirma University rank higher than SAL, but I can proudly say that SAL is way above them in terms of infrastructure and education, curriculum, and global outlook. Engineering is an art that needs honing skills. So, books were just a medium as the management always appreciated our efforts at the technical fests and college events. All-round development of the student is what SAL believed in and has made sure that students of the college go on and make something big. Placements-wise, Nirma and LD are better as they have earned a niche for themselves and have tie-ups with many big industries. SAL has failed in that department so far, but you can go wherever you want; SAL is amazing, and you will not regret it after doing engineering from here.

It will take a semester or two to settle things down. Once you go past the first year, your ideologies and ideas, you will be able to share in the class as we used to have one session every semester where we were asked why we have chosen to become engineers and how we are going to bring a change. Engineering is all about changing lives, and therefore as engineers, we should make our lives more instrumental than just giving all that we have to a company we will be working in. Thus, engineering values were also taught at SAL along with the real subjects of engineering.

They were cool as a cucumber. Students who used to miss lectures were also greeted with a smile, and those who were regular had the same treatment. Apparently, they never set on the laurels they had behind. When I talk about their laurels, you might not believe, but all of them were Ph.D. holders. At that point in time, I didn't realize that it's not that a big thing, but after M. Tech, if I had been at gunpoint, I would have still fought that I couldn't study anymore. So, their dedication and willingness to give it back to society through the medium of teaching needs a thousand salutes.

SAL is quite poor in this department because the placements were poor. Mphasis and CMC are IT companies that have partnered with college. However, they were handed the list of students who have done well and are capable of serving their organizations. So, each company took 20 odd students, and the rest were stranded. Some other companies small in stature have come who offered jobs as if we are in dire need of them. Most students didn't have a choice but to go for higher studies as finding a job off-campus is not just tough but impossible in the ways that they will question why you haven't been placed through campus. So, in a way, not getting a job from campus is indeed a black spot that can only be removed by doing higher studies from institutes with 100% placement records.

SAL doesn't have its own hostel at campus. Although Ahmedabad has many private hostels, and even though so many outsiders come here, no one will ever complain of finding a safe and pleasant stay. The college though is a little far from the city's central suburbs and traveling, therefore, can be an issue.

SAL Education campus is quite big as seven to eight colleges are inside the campus. I will start off with the spacious library that has taken care of so many departments. Whether you are doing engineering or pharmacy, you will find all your research material and books at the library. One drawback was that it used to get close by 5.30 and the classes lasted till 4. So, we hardly had any time to use the library fully. The college's auditorium was small, but the huge seminar hall made it up for it. The seminar hall has been grazed by almost all top business people of India like Sanjay Bajaj, Neeta Ambani, Akash Ambani, Gautam Adani, etc. The cafeteria at the campus was big, but you are not allowed to occupy a seat unless and until you ordered something. This was a harsh rule as the canteen is a place where ideas are exchanged, and it's not compulsory that we had to grab something to use it. The sporting facilities are as superb as anything, and the college takes complete care of its sporting facilities because all the students are urged to play the sport they love at least once or twice a week.

Life at SAL could have been amazing if the pathetic rule of leaving the campus before 5.30. The class timings were 10 to 4 and just 30 minutes break. The campus had so many facilities, but we were left with just one to one and a half hours to use them. I wish college changed this rule, and life would be excellent at the SAL campus then. The culture fest PANACHE was absolute carnage, though, as, during Garba Nights and PANACHE, the campus remained open till 11 pm.