Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology - [VNIT], Nagpur

VNIT Nagpur is registering continuous growth over the years. However, a few annoying aspects of VNIT need proper attention from students and authorities alike.

These are-

1. Hypocrisy and Bureaucracy within college Administration- This is the condition of not just VNIT, but most government colleges in India.
2. Strict hostel timings for girls- In practice, boys do not face strict curfew timings like girls. Post 9 pm girls are restricted to hostels, and can’t even move within the VNIT campus. 
3. Student Body- Lack of a proper student body has resulted in a communication gap between students and college authorities. Sadly, the administration is not doing anything to solve this problem.
4. Narrow Vision- The students and authorities mainly focus on grades and placements. Learning, personality development, and research aptitude are completely sidelined because of this attitude. 

VNIT has immense potential as a national level engineering college. The authorities should work on these negative aspects to accelerate this institution’s growth.

There are several good things about VNIT Nagpur, but the ones I find most attractive are-

1. The main attraction for freshers is the Vintage Fighter Plane at the entrance of VNIT. 
2. Nagpur is accessible to the entire country because of its central location. Due to this reason, students from all over India come to VNIT Nagpur. Consequently, the hostel mess offers a variety of food items, ranging from Chole Bhature of the North to Idli Sambar of the South. 
3. The college campus is covered in greenery. There are plenty of trees in VNIT, and because of this, its campus remains comparatively cooler than the rest of Nagpur, during hot summers. 

These are the things I like the most about my alma mater. 

As a resident of Boys hostel at VNIT Nagpur, I can shed some light on the facilities available for us-

As a fresher, one has to live with three other people. Mostly, though not always, one gets a room with those who complete the registration at the same time as us. One gets a cupboard, table and bed for oneself. The rooms are three seaters, but due to lack of accommodation, four students share a single room. The rooms are non AC. The mess food is bearable, though everyone dislikes it. The freshers have an in-time of 8 pm. The rooms are crammed, but one starts to enjoy the hostel life after a while. As a fresher, one has to abide by the rules set by senior students. 

The second years get a different hostel. A single room is shared by three students, but the living conditions are pretty much the same as before. But one gets to choose one’s roommates. After the first year, boys don’t have to follow any in-time. 

In the third year, one gets a room for oneself, or a double sharing room. The rooms have a small balcony. The hostel for third years is much better and cleaner, and the rooms are better as well. 

Thus, VNIT Nagpur offers decent hostel facilities for its students.

As a student you should check the following areas and take them into consideration while choosing a particular institution. 

Research- VNIT, and COEP beats VJTI in these criteria. Students can do research here under college professors on winter vacations.

Placements-

• VNIT provides unpaid internships to students through the alumni association.
• IT companies offer job opportunities to people from computer science, electronics, electrical with a CGPA of 7. The same scenario is present in VJTI and COEP. They may provide better opportunities than VNIT.
• However, there are decent placements for mechanical engineering both in VJTI and VNIT.

Campus Life-

• VNIT is best in terms of campus life. There are ample hostel facilities for the students.
• Students can interact and socialize with people not only from Maharashtra but from all over India.
• There are almost eight batches for the department with 60-90 students.

Student Activities- VNIT excels in expectations than COEP & VJTI with myriad festivals, clubs, and extra-curricular.

Research after Bachelors’- Lots of VNIT students get themselves into research work after their graduation. However, there is no available information for VJTI and COEP.

Considering all the aspects listed above, VNIT seems a better choice for mechanical engineering than COEP Pune and VJTI Mumbai.

VNIT Nagpur is a well known engineering college of India, with good infrastructure and placements. The Computer Science department is one of the best in the college.

The placements are good, but it mostly depends on your skillset. The highest package goes beyond 16 LPA. Most of the faculty members are Phd. holders, and have studied from prestigious institutes like University of Baltimore and University of Missouri. Having had a rich academic background, the teachers will offer you with valuable insights on this field. The average package touches 7 LPA and beyond, and companies like Morgan Stanley and Ittiam Systems hire students from the CSE department. 

Overall, CSE in VNIT Nagpur is a good option. 

Some well known and successful alumni of VNIT Nagpur are-

• Ramesh Jain- He is a scientist and entrepreneur in the field of Information and Computer Science. 

He is a Bren Professor in Information & Computer Sciences, at Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine. 

Previously, he has served as a professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan and the University of California.

He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of IEEE MultiMedia magazine and the Machine Vision and Applications journal. 

• Dinesh Keskar (Mechanical Engineering)- He is the President of Boeing India, and VP of Boeing International Trading.

• Jayarama Chalasani- He is the Chief Executive at Reliance Power Limited. He was previously a full-time Director of Reliance Infrastructure Limited.

• M.S. Unnikrishnan (Mechanical Engineering)-He is the Managing Director of Thermax Ltd. Additionally, he serves as its Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Council.

• Dr. Nemkumar Banthia (UBC Civil Engineering)- He is the Professor of Civil Engineering, Distinguished University Scholar, and a Canada Research Chair at the University of British Columbia. 

He is credited for his contributions to the fundamental understanding of sprayed concrete including particle and fiber kinematics, rebound modeling, in-situ quality control and performance characterization.

• Shashikant Chaudhary - He is the India Managing Director at GlobalLogic. He is the CEO, President and Co-founder, Lambent Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

• Rajdeep Endow (Computer Science Engineering)- He is the Managing Director, India and Global Delivery Lead, SapientNitro. 

These are just a few of the many alumni of VNIT Nagpur who have a remarkable contribution in various fields.

Your possibilities of a switch mainly depend on the number of vacant seats in the desired branch, and the merit of all those aiming for that same branch. 

But roughly, for Mechanical you need a score of 9.3 CGPA+ during your first year. On the other hand, for Chemical, you need 8.5 CGPA+. 

If you pay attention in the classroom, solve class assignments on time, and your concepts are clear, you can easily score well in your first year. The student notice board on the official college website releases the cutoffs for branch switch each year. 

This is the basic information regarding branch switch to Chemical/ Mechanical at VNIT. Branch switch at VNIT Nagpur isn’t difficult given that you work hard, and things work in your favor.