National Institute of Technology - [NIT], Papum Pare

My colleague did his B.Tech from NIT AP and here are the insights he shared with me about NIT Arunachal Pradesh

PROS:

Placement: In 2020, the placement rate of NIT Arunachal Pradesh was 38.53% placement as 42 out of 117 students got placed under different sectors of the industry. 

• The highest package offered was INR. 12 LPA. 
• The average package offered was INR. 6.2 LPA. 
• Some of the top recruiters who visited the campus were Capgemini, Infosys, L&T Constructions, Cognizant, Vedanta, CGI, KEC International, etc.

• Ragging: NIT has an anti-ragging environment. Seniors are in fact very helpful and friendly.
• Faculty: Professors at NIT are average as they lack knowledge and qualifications but they are very student-friendly and keen to help you.
• Internet connectivity: The campus is equipped with unlimited high-quality Wi-Fi.

CONS:

• Infrastructure: The campus is small and not at all student-friendly.
• Facilities: Labs and other facilities are not satisfactory.

So, if you just need a degree you can join NIT Arunachal Pradesh but if you are looking for a college with high facilities like campus, labs, etc then there are colleges better than NIT AP.

First of all, a special mention of the superb 24×7 LAN and Wi-Fi connection at the NIT Arunachal Pradesh campus. Considering the small campus of NIT Arunachal Pradesh overall has a great internet connection. 

The batch my friend had belonged to was the second batch of the institute. The internet connection was worked upon when he was in his second year. It was smooth up till his 7th semester. After that, the college had made certain rules which he or his batch-mates weren't accustomed to. 

The postgraduate students were given a 20GB pack every month. On the other hand, a pack of 10GB of the internet was given to undergraduates to utilize each month. Now every tv-series had to be downloaded one episode per day. 

Something else worth mentioning here is the learning curve. Technical and cultural festivals took place once in a Blue Moon here, simply because it was a new institute- but, my friend's batch introduced ADDOVEDI 2012, which was a technical festival along with ATULYAM 2013 which was the first-ever cultural festival of NIT Arunachal Pradesh. 

The major festival events that took place was under my friend who happened to be the head coordinator of most of them. He still mentions how he had learnt so many things from the fest. Four competitions were included in THEATRIX, which was one of the events my friends took part in. Several interesting activities followed one after another. 

To sum it up - it was Brilliant. My friend's batch also carried out the first-ever party for the seniors. It was a farewell party which was, of course, co-hosted by my friend.

If you have a decent rank, you should prefer another college than NIT Arunachal Pradesh. At NIT AP, you will be studying with 6–7 lacs students as well with Home state and reservation quota students which can feel partial at times. 

Highlights of NIT Arunachal Pradesh:

• Average curriculum: The faculty member at NIT Arunachal Pradesh lacks knowledge and qualifications. The course curriculum is average. There is also a lot of bias.
• Best Department: Computer Science and Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering
• Worse Department: Electrical Engineering in NIT Arunachal, no quality
• Infrastructure: The infrastructure of NIT Arunachal Pradesh is not so good.
• Job Security: The placement cell of NIT Arunachal Pradesh is the only good thing about this college. If you have opted for on-campus placement, the probability that you will get a job offer is close to 100%.

The placement record of NIT AP is exceptionally good and you can rely on their placements. So if job security is something you aim for, go for NIT AP.

If you've decided to study at NIT Arunachal Pradesh, then you must know that it's a remote institute functioning in its temporary campus at Yupia. 

You can reach the Naharlagun railway station in Andhra Pradesh in the following ways-

• A direct train departs from New Delhi to Arunachal Pradesh; number- 22412. It travels through Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Chapra, Muzaffarpur, New Jalpaiguri, NewBongaigaon and Rangia. It'll be convenient.
• Another option of travel will be to take any train to Guwahati and interchange with the Donyi Polo Express, number- 15617. It'll go to Naharlagun.
• The next step could be to find a taxi, which you'd easily get at Naharlagun railway station. Although it'll be a costly affair; however, if the cabbie asks for around INR 150-200 then it's a great deal.
• The better option could be to hop onto the NIT AP free buses, which take students to campus as well.
• You can also try your luck on the main road where either you can make use of ITBP's buses because it is located in close proximity to NIT.

NIT buses are the best option according to many I know, it arrives on the main road between 8:30–9:00 am. You can take a lift from the locals or better yet, if you see any ITBP personnel, go ahead and travel with them as its headquarter is nearby. I've heard that there's a weekly train from New Delhi to Naharlagun. You can take that.

The new permanent campus of NIT AP is in Jote and it rains there a lot. Moreover, it is far from the temporary campus location. Hence the construction work keeps getting obstructed. However, if you're a mechanical or civil student- then you're one of the fortunate ones to be studying at the new campus because classes have already begun.

The new campus was completed by 2018 and the newest batch of the BTech program will graduate this year in 2021. The problems at the new campus are related to internet connectivity and the weather. 

My sister's friend has enrolled in a program there and talks about how unpredictable the weather is. It is unfavorable because of the heavy rains and landslides which mar the living experience of the campus. Moreover, because of it the internet connection- which contributes as a major part of student life in academia- for study and recreational purposes- it's so bad that you'd want to rethink your decision of going there.

My brother studied at the NIT AP new campus which was recently constructed in 2018. He will graduate this year. When he joined the college in 2017, only the 1st year BTech students had been shifted to the new permanent campus for classes. My brother visited the department faculty to enquire about the shift to the new campus because students used to study at the new place only once a week on Friday.

Then finally BTech students were shifted to the new campus and GATE students were then given BTech students' lab charges. The shifting process was delayed repetitively because of the excessive rain in Arunachal Pradesh. It delayed the construction projects a lot.

One of my cousins recently graduated from NIT Arunachal Pradesh. He has shared his hostel experience with me:

• It all depends upon which hostel is assisted to you. If you are lucky you might get to live with 2-3 students or you will with at least 7 students in a single room. This is due to the unavailability of a permanent campus. 
• My cousin lived with 7 students who were allotted the same room. They were given 2 rooms, a hall with 2 bathrooms and a gallery. The distribution was such that 2 students in each room and the other 3 in the hall.
• By the 4th year, they were shifted to another building and 6 students were allocated the bigger room, and small rooms were allotted to 3 students.

You will get a better insight if you get in touch with any of the students currently studying in college.

Also, I don’t think rooms will be of any major concern. Once you get comfortable with your batch mates you will find a lot of empty beds to sleep in.

NIT Arunachal Pradesh is among the top 200 engineering colleges in the country according to the NIRF Ranking of 2020. Ujjain Engineering College is an AICTE approved autonomous institute. Listed below are a few aspects to analyze both institutes:

NIT Arunachal Pradesh, Biotechnology:

Admission-

• Students are accepted for admission based on the JEE Main score and the prerequisite for the program is at least 75% in 10+2 academics.

• The closing cut-off ranking for the biotechnology program at NIT Arunachal Pradesh was 44,563 in 2019.

• The first year fee of the course is 2.2 Lakhs. However, students can also avail scholarships and other fee waivers.

Placements-

• The highest and average salary of the students at this campus is 11.68 LPA and 4.2 LPA respectively.

• The companies visiting the campus for the placement drive are Wipro, Research laboratories, Pharmaceutical companies, Intel, Infosys, Hyundai, Havells, NOKIA, Polaris, Ashok Leyland, Yodlee, Asahi India Glass, and many more.

Ujjain Engineering College, Mechanical engineering:

Admission-

• Like NIT Arunachal Pradesh, Ujjain Engineering college also accepts students based on the intermediate and 10+2 marks.

• The final selection is based on the performance of the students in JEE Main.

• The closing cut-off ranking of the home state and other states for Mechanical Engineering in 2019 was 140822 and 123322 respectively.

• The fee for this course is 99,404.

Placements-

• The highest and average salaries received by the students are 10 LPA and 3.5 LPA respectively.

• The companies visiting the campus are Uttam Galva Steel, Wipro, Intel, Infosys, Lupin, Yash Technologies, BYJU’S, TCS, and many more.

Biotechnology and Mechanical Engineering are two completely different subjects. You should choose the subject you are more passionate about and the institute according to that.