'Kshitij' is an Annual International Techno Management Fest of IIT Kharagpur

After pondering upon different IITs during my counseling, I settled on Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and not just because it was closer to my hometown but also because of what it provides. Before joining, I looked at several videos of the lush green campus, the Classroom complexes, and various other buildings, which made me feel an attraction towards this particular Institute. If you have an affinity towards nature and natural surroundings, I think this is the Institute that you should opt for among the IITs.

I chose the B.Tech in Civil Engineering course. This choice was more centered on the fact that I liked the Institute, the facilities it provides and the rank range I fell into during counseling rather than my affinity towards the course. Entry into IIT Kharagpur is not that tough. You just need to get through JEE Main and secure an average rank in JEE Advanced to get into it. Although, if you want to get into the top branches, you would need to secure a good rank. The admission process is pretty smooth and digitalised for the most part. There are two main Exams - midsem and endsem, just like most other Institutions. Moreover, there are class tests and surprise quizzes. The Academics are pretty centered about what you would face as an Engineer in your core branch which helps a lot in the future.

The revised fee structure amounts to a total of around Rs 1,40,000/- for each semester. This includes Tuition, Hostel, Mess, and Hall Management fees. The admission fee is around Rs 30,000/- which you pay during counseling. The above-mentioned structure is for students from Non-Reserved categories. For Reserved categories, there are a lot of different scholarships, student loans, and a revised fee structure. There are also scholarships for B.S students offered by the Government of India.

The faculty for the Civil Engineering department at IIT Kharagpur is well-educated. Most of the faculty is pretty approachable and willing to help you with your problems. Their method of teaching varies from faculty to faculty. Some use Blackboards and others rely on PPTs and pointers to convey the lecture. The problem-solving ability that they possess is incredible as they are alumni of great Institutions themselves. Teacher-student ratio is great as this is the largest IIT, not just in terms of students but also faculty & Research Scholars.

Placements are where IITs actually shine when compared to other Institutions offering B.Tech courses. Packages offered by the companies are lucrative both for Software roles as well as core ones. The highest packages are generally around 2.5 Crore Per Annum, with the average being around 22 LPA across various departments. There are different placement drives and campaigns run by the societies in the Institute during the placement season. Top MAANG companies along with Big 3/Big 4 consulting groups visit the campus during the placements, offering varied opportunities across different domains.

There are more than 20 Residential Halls inside the campus. The facilities provided in the hostels are good with hygiene being taken care of to a great extent. The mess food is average. There are Night Canteens for almost every Hall alongwith several food outlets like Domino's, KFC, Calcutta64, etc. There are no stringent hostel timings. You can move in and out of the hostels at any time of the day. My personal experience has been great with minor disappointments here and there.

The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur infrastructure is great for the newer Halls, the Classroom Complex, and the Department buildings. It is exceptional for the newer departments like the AI department and the Chemical department. The campus size is 2100 acres, the largest among all the IITs. There is a Central Library, Seminar Halls, Auditoriums, Sports Complexes, Swimming Pools, Tennis Courts, Indoor Stadiums, Helipad, and much more. My favourite location inside the campus is the Nehru Museum which used to be the original main building. The British architecture with several old structures makes the atmosphere really interesting.

Campus life is pretty enjoyable. The crowd is significantly large which gives the Institute an opportunity to house several Clubs across different domains. There are some prominent Social/Cultural Clubs along with consulting, Data Analytics, literature, sports, and coding Clubs. I'm in the Data Analytics Club which has made me learn a lot about Machine Learning and has ignited a spark in me towards that domain. There are two main fests including ‘Kshitij’ which is the Techno Management Fest and the ‘Spring Fest’ which is the Annual Fest of this Institute. This makes the campus life more vibrant and enjoyable.