May 16, 2001 05:42 PM
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Nothing compares to you ..Dear alma mater, Attention all ye students who want to have a helluva time doing your studies and broadening your horizons at the same time.
BITS pilani was founded way back in time when the British wanted good Mechanical and Civil Engineers during World War-II. Along the years this institution has grown in eminence and is truly a preferred destination for all those seeking a career in Technology and Sciences.(Discounting the usual allegations that accompany any rankings ,latest India Today edition ranks BITS as number three along with IIT(B,M,D)).
Much has been written about the admission process (very unique and quite efficient) thanks to (“Qualitymonster” in a previous review )for making that task easy.
Let me use the narrative of a travelogue to describe BITS as BITS is a journey through the sands of time and not merely some years spent in an Institute of learning.
Once the academic toppers of every state (predominantly Tamilnadu amd Andhra , thanks to the ridiculous reservation systems depriving all eligible students for admission in their home states) get their calls , they land up in late July at Pilani. Pilani , in Rajasthan is the hometown of the BIRLA’S and hence was a chosen place for the family to set up a gurukul of sorts far from the maddening crowd. To this day it is quite untouched from the influence of cities (not even linked by rail).
The institute offers all the Engineering streams and the unique Dual Degree scheme whereby students with lower cutoffs opt for a five year (MSc +Engg) programme. A caveat is that in such cases your first year academic performance dictates your eligibility to a particular Engineering stream. These academic structures have been adopted from the reputed MIT way back in the seventies.
The other courses are M.M.S (quasi engg cum mgt stream which was way ahead of its time when introduced in India), pharmacy courses , MA finance , MSc info systems and some MS courses.
Let me spend some extra time on what separates this institute and its outputs from the rest???
A BITSIAN has immense pride in his alma mater and is a product churned out of intermingling influences of various communities of students from virtually every corner of India. Well that could be said of RECs as well but then at BITS , from the day one the onus of responsibility lies with the student himself and he has tremendous freedom right from selecting the professors out of a basket and then tailor-making his timetable to suit his sleeping, eating preferences:-)
He can opt for any wide variety of electives from Shakespeare to microprocessors to a language course as his interests are,further providing a multi dimension to his personality.
The BITSian has oodles of confidence in his organizational skills which means that he has a great EQ (sorry for the jargon) when compared to his peers from other eminent Engineering colleges and he is keen on seeking a career which will not restrict him down to the Engg sciences later on life ( An examination of BITSians who have entered the IIMs year after year will reveal that they have excelled wonderfully in those management oriented environments). The reason for the above is that he has chances to literally be part of most of the institute's functioning be it the Library , the administration of various facilities to teaching assistant ships or the various clubs and finally the OASIS the Mother of all Festivals) This famous event is held every year and is organized with great passion and zeal overcoming the difficulties of being cut off from the cities and corporates for sponsorships).
At the same time , he is kept on his toes by a relentless stream of analytical and probing tests and quizzes(sometimes they do get unbearable with their relentless frequency).
The teaching used to be good with old time profs around but of late it has been very difficult to attract good teaching talent to this cut –off place. The emphasis is on learning by own initiative.
What do I miss most?
The lovely changing of seasons from the autumn to winter.
I used to hate the scorching summers.
The campus is without doubt the most beautiful in the country. Hats off to the maali for maintaining those beautiful gardens (in full bloom in the spring).
The numerous redis(mobile eateries) where we would have spent most part of our waking hours discussing non-males to philosophy to cricket over endless cups of chais.
Some of the great trips we had undertaken (white water rafting to trips all over Rajasthan).
The dinners at Cnot (local Connaught Place) , our trips to the pristine Birla Mandir, the lively daru sessions in stealth.
The journeys back and forth home with the jingbang , the list is endless.
The four year spent were an investment of a lifetime for sure and I would love to relive every moment but his time I vow to explore more and if I were to do it all again I would be more of a tripper.
Finally coming to the most critical issue placements : It offers you a great launching pad into the world of IT and allied streams plus a great reputation which will aid all along your career.
The reason I have gone at length painting the time spent there is for every potential applicant to know, that amidst the difficulties of being in a place far from home and with great peer pressure from a very talented bunch of youngsters, you still take away many gifts which will hold you in good stead in your life ahead.
Finally if anybody has any further queries please do let me know……….
