Bhilai Institute of Technology B.Tech Review By Himanshu Uikey

Bhilai Institute of Technology, Durg was established in 1986 and it was the first self-financed engineering college of Madhya Pradesh (now Chhattisgarh). BIT is affiliated with Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University (CSVTU). BIT recently became an autonomous college which means that the college will make their syllabus unlike other engineering colleges of Chhattisgarh that follow the syllabus made by CSVTU.

To get into BIT, there are different examinations for different courses. For M. Tech, the admissions are taken based on the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) score. For MCA, the admissions are taken through Pre-MCA Test conducted by CG VYAPAM. For MBA, the method of admission is through the Management Aptitude Test (MAT). For B.Tech, the admissions are taken through Chhattisgarh pre-Engineering Test (CG PET) for students from Chhattisgarh and JEE Mains for students outside Chhattisgarh. BIT Durg is NBA accredited. It is also NAAC ‘A’ Grade accredited. It is also an ISO-certified institution. Talking about the University, Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University (CSVTU) was established in 2005. There are 44 engineering colleges affiliated with this university. The university does not have a high reputation in India. Outside Chhattisgarh, in many job interviews, it has happened that recruiters don’t know about CSVTU, but they know about BIT.

I joined the B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering. BIT Durg is the first preference of CG PET candidates as it is the best college that comes under CSVTU. That’s why the cutoff is high. Your CGPET rank should be under 1000, to get into BIT for the undergraduate program. For mechanical and computer science branches your rank should be under 600. I took mechanical engineering because I was interested in machines. The syllabus for mechanical engineering is well crafted. One can get core jobs off-campus with all the knowledge provided at the college.

There are more than enough faculties for every department of the college. In my mechanical engineering department, there are 26 faculties. Their average year of teaching experience is 7-8 years. The faculties of BIT are highly qualified. Everybody has done post-graduation and some are even Ph.D. The teachers have good knowledge about the subject and are always ready to clear any doubt. Their teaching methodology is very good and influential. Apart from this, the teachers don’t give good sessional marks (marks in the hand of teachers) as compared to other teachers of CSVTU colleges. These marks make a lot of difference in your overall percentage.

Students are asked to keep attendance of at least 75%. However, the college doesn't charge for low attendance like other colleges of Chhattisgarh. Also, the good thing about BIT is that the teachers don’t ask you to come in the 4th year, which is very helpful if you’re preparing for GATE or CAT.

Talking about the placements, no good company comes for core branches. For IT branches companies come, but they don’t give good packages. The packages are around Rs. 2.5 to Rs. 4.5 lacs. Most companies come to hire for sales-based positions with very low packages. Byju’s comes with around a package of Rs. 9 lacs to hire sales executives. But we all know how much torture Byju's do to their sales executives. BIT does not offer good placements.

Most students don't sit for placements because of the low packages. Usually, 50% of students get placed. Students here mostly prefer to give GATE exams and work in PSUs or do M.Tech from IITs or NITs. At last, we can say that if you want to join an engineering college to get a good package like above Rs. 7-8 lacs, BIT is not an option. But if you want to study in Chhattisgarh and you can’t get into IIT, NIT, or IIIT, BIT is the best to choose from other CSVTU colleges.

BIT provides hostel accommodation for both boys and girls. It can accommodate 350 boys and 190 girls. The boys' hostel is inside the college and every place is easily accessible from there. The girls' hostel of BIT is not inside the campus. It is 1 km away from the campus. Girls from the hostel usually take auto rickshaws to reach college. There are no bus facilities in the college. The per semester hostel fee is Rs. 27000 inclusive of mess. The quality of food at the mess is good. Security guards are present at hostels for safety reasons.

BIT has a beautiful campus in the area of 150 acres. It is filled with greeneries. The buildings and classrooms are perfectly constructed. It has 2 canteens, 1 cafe, a bank and a student store inside it. It also has a cricket ground, football ground, volleyball ground, basketball court, and badminton court. BIT is a paradise for sports enthusiastic students. Various sports competitions take place between different colleges of CSVTU. Indoor games like chess, carom, table tennis, etc. are also promoted very much. One can also enjoy adventure sports during college fest. For cultural activities, it has a 500 seater auditorium and an open-air theatre.

The campus is very clean and the atmosphere inside it is soothing. The whole campus has free Wi-Fi. The college also has a fully functional gym. The labs in BIT are good and super functional. Knowledgeable lab assistants are present in the lab. A proper record is maintained in the lab. If you need any lab instruments during your final project or in case of any need, it is easily accessible. In the college, clinical consultation and the first-aid facility are available for the students. BIT has a separately appointed medical officer for the boys and girls hostel.

The campus life of BIT is great. There are very positive and intellectual students around you. One of the best things about BIT is that the syllabus of 1st year (2 semesters) is the same for all the B.Tech students, so students from all the branches study in the same classroom for the first year, which is very good for engaging with students from different branches. The students then study separately, branch-wise from the 2nd year. In BIT you won't see many students bunking their classes and roaming around. The college has the National Cadet Corps (NCC) which is a plus point if you want to get into defense. It also has National Service Scheme (NSS) if you want to engage in social services. All of these add points to your resume. BIT also has various clubs like Astro Club for astronomical science, Clicks Club for photography and videography, Techno Club, which is sponsored by MHRD, for innovations and robotics, Developer Student Club for programming skills, and Vista Club for dramatics. Students can be a part of any of these clubs which interests them.

The college fest of BIT Durg is called OJAS. It is Central India's Biggest Techno-Cultural Fest according to the college, but in reality, it is not. Shankaracharya and Rungta College have better college fest. They call bigger celebrities at college fests in comparison to BIT. Also, their events happen on a much bigger scale. Student politics is pretty basic in this college. Not much can be done at the college level by the elected representatives. Mostly they try to bring change at the university level. Students have to cast their vote once a year.

Boys have to wear shirts, pants, and shoes. They can wear t-shirts and jeans after the first year. Girls have to wear salwar kameez. There are two weird rules of the college. The first one that the 1st-year students can’t bring mobile phones to the college. Many times cell phones have been collected from 1st-year students. However, teachers give it back after a few hours. Restricting cell phones in college premises for 1st-year students is very weird because the college name has ‘technology’ in it. The second one is that Girls and boys can’t sit together in the college library. There’s no logic behind this rule.

BIT has an anti-ragging committee. I have never experienced any form of ragging. However, a very small form of ragging, like seniors asking for an introduction, can take place. BIT also has a women's security cell.