Emphasising that a college’s reputation was an important consideration, experts at The Hindu EDGE Career Counselling advised candidates to opt for core courses rather than combinations offered by a few private institutions.
Keeping in view the job and higher education prospects while choosing various subjects, the experts, with academic, industry and administrative experience, advised the students and parents to not get carried away by advertisements. Instead, they recommended a systematic approach beginning with last year’s ranks to make an informed choice about the college.
“Try to align your interests with the branches, but do not go by the popular choice of a subject,” said Uma Maheswar Rao, placement officer, Osmania College of Engineering.
N.V. Ramana Rao, professor and rector of civil engineering, JNTU-Hyderabad, also the convenor in the past for EAMCET, outlined several parameters for college selection.
“Faculty that an institution boasts of is the most important parameter and next comes the infrastructure. Students should also speak with the current and former students to understand the quality of the institution,” Prof. Rao said, while pointing to the importance of NAAC institutions and NBA-accredited courses.
K.L. Chugh, dean (computer science), MLR Institute of Technology, explained to the aspirants that courses that were NBA accredited would help them secure admission in several countries for higher education, including the U.S. and Europe, which are signatories of the Washington Accord. He also advised them to check the college rankings published by the Ministry of Human Resources Development. “This ranking will benefit students who secure ranks less than 5,000 in the EAMCET,” he added.
Stressing on the reputation of the college, N.L.M. Reddy, professor of chemical engineering at Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology, remarked on the lack of communication skills among graduates and called for the need to develop the same.
He also highlighted the prospects of chemical engineering by mentioning that job opportunities exist in many industries, including the growing pharma industry in India.
The experts urged the students to consider the placement record of the institutions they shortlist, the number of students securing admission in premier institutions of higher education both in India and abroad, besides the scope for extracurricular development in the institution.
“As an engineer, one can also provide employment to others,” said Suresh Akula, principal of Sreyas Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Following the session, the students posed questions on various courses and the counselling process. The experts advised them to discover their interest while choosing a core course as they offer greater employment scope and prospects for higher education than inter-disciplinary courses. Kalasalingam University was the knowledge partner.
