In a city which has no fast food chains such as Pizza Hut or McDonald’s, US-based Epic offered $105,000 to two students of IIT Ropar’s class of 2012.
The institute, with close to 500 students, functions out of Ropar’s defunct women’s polytechnic, converted into a transit campus.
With students in B. Tech and Ph.D, the Ropar IIT offers courses in computer science and engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. The director, M K Surappa, says an interdisciplinary approach is encouraged.
"The institute has tied up with the PGIMER (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) to pursue research in mechanism of bone fraction and healing and to develop prosthetic devices,” he said.
A new set-up
The new institutes have an advantage of flexible minds as the young faculty has quick adaptability, and the small scale makes decision-making easy. But there are hiccups like limited senior faculty to mentor research. The administrative staff needs to learn the functioning of IITs.
The IIT campus would come up in an area of 500 acres in Ropar and should be ready in two years. Student strength could go up by four times to 2000 with a faculty of 200. The faculty numbers 48 now with 12 more to join shortly.
Training and Placement Officer Prabh Sharan Singh says compared to last year, placement this year has been a little easier and better (in terms of salary package offered and more students getting placed). It is mainly because the recruiters’ size this year has been more compared to last year. Last year, when the first batch graduated from IIT Ropar (classes commenced in 2008), the placement stood at 87 per cent.
The number of companies has increased with new ones coming to the campus. Of 100 students studying in IIT Ropar in the final year, 12 have pre-placement job offers.
Students
Siddarth, an electrical engineering student, recruited by Flipkart, says he chose IIT Ropar over BITS Pilani.
Shashank and Navneet, waiting to be interviewed by recruiters, say choosing a new IIT works as an average student has a chance of proving himself since the pressure is less.
"Studying in an established IIT doesn’t let an average student make a mark but new IITs give an average student a chance to make a identity for himself.”
