St. Thomas College Of Engineering & Technology Kolkata

An Experience worth having.

Remarks

When I first searched for a college, I was very impressed by the promises of discipline and study-environment that it supposedly provided. While it wasn't a deciding factor, it definitely helped. It was also said to have a really good Computer Science department, something that would be essential for me since I wanted to pursue a career in research or video game technology development. It had all the right things to help me achieve my goal and make a higher education further down the line possible. I would recommend it to students who wish to join the industry straight out if college, or are looking for conventional higher education. For students who are unique, have ideas that different from the norm, fairly driven and/or have interests that doesn't align with the Indian engineering study culture, they can do better by opting for other colleges.

Entrance Exam

Based on the rank one secures in WBJEE, the counseling assigns seats according to the students' choices. There is also an entry scheme using the rank they've secured in JEE-Mains, but the no. of seats are very small in that scheme and probably isn't the best way to approach the admission criteria of the college. I had initially wanted to serve in the Navy. Indian Naval Academy accepted cadets after they've cleared the NDA UPSC Exam and the subsequent SSB interview. Due to a clash in the dates, I couldn't sit for WBJEE and only sat for JEE other than the NDA exam. Despite having qualified for the interview in the top fifth percentile, my parents refused to allow me to attend the interview since they didn't want to let me go and attend the Academy at Ezhimala. Therefore, I had to depend on my JEE Mains score/rank to get into an Engineering College. I wanted to study Computer Science. According to my choices, my JEE Mains rank secured me a seat in IT at St. Thomas' College Of Engineering and Technology. In the second round of counseling, my rank secured a seat in the CSE at St. Thomas' College and wasted no time in applying straight away. There was no extra exams or interview, we had to visit the college, fill up the required forms and pay the fees - and, I was admitted to the college, ready for a new and unique experience.

Fees

The course fee varies between 42000 INR to 45000 INR per semester. The exact numbers vary due to added or subtracted costs for files, student equipment and essentials and other facilities. It is generally affordable, with provision for easy loans and some scholarships to assist. Provided the job opportunities, the fee is well justified and the college never makes it an issue in case you're unable to pay on time, and even offers extension in extreme cases.

Placements

There is no exclusive placement cell that the students are informed about. There could be, and then I have to conclude it is only reserved knowledge for the seniors. There are zero internship opportunities before third year. The professors who are assigned to the task help the students by training them specifically for the interviews and provide morale boost by giving pep-talks. Cognizant always recruits from our college. TCS and Infosys visit campus as well. The last few years have seen other companies visiting as well - including Nomura Tech. and ITC. There's nearly complete recruitment, since our college encourages job-oriented education.

Hostel and Facilities

There is no hostel facility, but a thriving network of PGs, and homestays make up for their absence. The rooms are of good quality, and the food is typically Bengali cuisine. There's quite a few choices when it comes to luxuries and amenities. The proximity of these residential options is a definite plus point.

Alumni

The Alumni network is a thriving community on Facebook, and some of the seniors have actually completed their higher studies and returned as professors, so they are always close and ready to help.

Faculty

Depending on whether you're looking for a degree and education that would get you a job straight out of college in any IT or similar company, you'd find it either a great experience or a harrowing time. If it's what I said, you won't find a better place to prepare. If you're looking for creative freedom and an environment that promotes learning in any form, encourages personal effort, etc. you'd be sorely disappointed. The professors are okay, though the teaching methods are antiquated, ineffective, and very good at stomping our your inquisitiveness. The college is a perfect example of engineers being manufactured and despite what it claims to have achieved through it's students in terms of higher education and experience abroad; it's actually not that great and the fact that all of the professors are extremely boring, work on the same topic, actually discourages your own work makes the time very difficult if you have different interests, are already working on personal projects, etc.

Campus Life

The classrooms are bare-bones, labs are well-equipped but equipment quality varies greatly. There is no workstation grade machine or infrastructure to conduct heavy operations. The tech fest is inadequate with less than innovative ideas dominating the scene. There are common rooms, but they are very low-tech for an engineering college as well. The library is equipped, but the process to access anything is very difficult and awkward. Extra-curricular activities include photography, writing, art through a unique effort called Wall Magazine, projects and once every two semester tech-fest. There are a few professors who encourage such activities and actively include students in them. The sports opportunities are wide, with badminton, table-tennis, cricket and football being the passionate choices of most of the students and mostly available.

Academics

There are two class tests and two internal exams before the semester exam. There is also occasional lab exams. The exams are mostly fair and present small challenges, while not being extremely difficult. The lab exams ensure the students are in top of their work and up to date wthe experiments being done.

Internships

The college doesn't provide exclusive, in-house or dedicated internship opportunities. The college does arrange for internship in third year. The professors also encourage them and trainings if they find you interested, and it aligns with their idea of a good education and it will allow better chances of getting a job.

Loans and Scholarships

Bank Loans are very easily availed due to the willingness of the authorities to complete paperwork very fast. Scholarships are the ones that are generally available for any MAKAUT college but they are almost never essentially required due to the affordable tution fees and other costs.