Haridwar University B.Tech Review By Shalini Bahuguna

If you want a future in engineering, then RCE is the one. Many engineering students do MBA post-engineering, but RCE was the College that always taught us the value of engineers. The masters in engineering can do a hell lot as CSE has become one of the most preferred courses in the last 10 years or so. In CSE too, there are many sub-branches, and therefore our batch of 1200 was divided into 18 sections. At RCE, we always had to move up because the education for which we joined the College was always prioritized over other things. The education was lengthened, but the finishing was so good that final year was more into placements, internships, and going for industrial visits. All in all, I was the happiest at RCE after being topper in 10th during my school days. Small incidents always give you big insights and likewise, many small incidents happened at RCE. Internship provided by College was small as I was ready for a six months internship, but College said no, two months are enough. I wanted a one-month break after final semesters, but College said no; 20 days are more than enough. So, these incidents affected me, but if I had sat myself at the protest stations because of that, I wouldn't have been where I am today.

If there's a thing for which you can have a big laugh about, then that is the academics of RCE. Classes were many times comical, as the classes here didn't mean that portions had to be completed at all costs. Many times, even the management and HOD criticized the faculties for not being the kind of people who they should be. They meant being strict and not being over-friendly with the students. Luckily, they ignored all that and gave us enough liberty to study the way we wanted, and that is why academics made us excel at RCE.

Faculties were one of the people who know how to handle students and bring the best out of them. Studies are not instinctive as one has to plan and prepare, rather than say that oh, I should do it this way and then end up doing what is not required. Nature of the beast says some days will be yours and some days won't be yours, but studies are non on some days. Every day we were made to go under the pump as the faculties took lab sessions for at least three days a week. They had all the bombs in their arsenal, as love and care were the outer guard of those bombs, but inside it was an explosion. As long as we did things right, the box never opened and those who made them opened didn't ask what happened to them.

For all those who have done their homework on placements have easily got the placements from RCE. An optional training session for a month was organized for placements, and even though it was optional, 80 percent of the students did that. I mean, who doesn't need placements, so it was optional in a way, but compulsory for us who needed a good job badly. Infosys, TCS, Adobe, Coforge, and many other big names took a small interview and within a month we saw our names with the job offer on the notice board. Average placements were quite less, and that was one of the reasons many students indeed denied the placements. A trainee role with an offer of 3-4 lakhs per annum didn't look like any exciting prospect. Some students nailed it with packages worth 10 lakhs, 20 lakhs, but they were a few.

Just one girls hostel named 'P L Bhawan' was there inside the campus. They were next to two boy's hostels, as in all there were three hostels at the campus. Many students were outsiders and hostels were indeed not capable of giving seats to them all. So, hostel facilities need an expansion, as otherwise, the hostels were fine and also the meals provided were great.

The area which I used the most was the College library. There were two actually, as one small and one central library was there at the campus. Apart from books, the library has also added magazines and journals to its arsenal. There was a PNB bank ATM inside the campus and we used to stand in queues as in our days only cash was the way to make any purchases at the campus. There are two auditoriums, one open and one closed auditorium, which is fully air-conditioned. Then there were sports grounds which girls hardly used as boys had more of a say at the grounds at least.

Campus life here was like a football match where some days my formations will work while on some days it won't. One can't expect a bed of roses at RCE as education was tough and strict. Students who didn't have attendance were not allowed to participate in the College events. The uniform was compulsory and that looked a bit of a pain though. Life at RCE was up to scratch.