Criteria for college and course selection for engineering colleges

When choosing an engineering college, it is very important to know the process well in advance. Here, we provide a detailed procedure for the selection of colleges:

For engineering colleges in Maharashtra (B. Engineering, Pharmacy, etc) the criteria are as follows:

1. The applicant must be a citizen of India
2. The applicants must have passed HSC with Mathematics and Physics as mandatory subjects. Apart from these two subjects, the candidates must have studied Chemistry or Biotechnology or Biology in Class 12.
3. The applicants must have 50% of marks in HSC examination (45% for reserved and PH categories).
4. For Maharashtra state candidates, the candidates must have passed SSC and HSC from a recognized school in the state of Maharashtra
5. For All India Candidates and Jammu and Kashmir candidates, the candidates must have passed SSC and HSC from a recognized school outside the state of Maharashtra
6. The candidate should have a non-zero score in MHT CET

The process of counselling and course selection is as follows:

1. Assignment of merit list number: The candidates who have registered for the Common Admission Process(CAP) will be assigned a merit number. This number is based on the candidate's performance in competitive exams such as MHT CET, JEE MAIN, etc.
2. Submission of the online application form: The candidates will have to submit the online application form on the official website of DTE Maharashtra.
3. Payment of CAP fee/counselling fee: After the online form is successfully submitted, the candidates will have to pay the CAP counselling fee. This fee can differ from the General category, reserved candidates, and NRI candidates.
4. Document verification at facilitation centres(FC): The next step is for the candidate to visit the nearest facilitation centre. The list of available centres is available on the DTE website. The applicants should show up at the FC with the required documents and the print out of the application form. Then the concerned person will verify the documents and provide an acknowledgement to the candidate.
5. Display of provisional merit list and final merit list: DTE will release the provisional merit list on their website. This will give candidates a tentative idea of where they stand in the list. After this list, DTE will release the final merit list.
6. Filling of online option form: The candidates will choose colleges of their choice by filling the online option form. They can fill up to a maximum of 300 colleges in the form. Candidates should choose wisely so that they can get the college and branch of their choice. Once filled, this form cannot be changed.
7. CAP round I, II, and III: The cap rounds are conducted and a provisional and final merit list.
8. Accepting or rejecting allotment: The candidates will have to accept the college if it is according to the first preference in their option form. If not, the candidates can take part in additional rounds in the admission process.
9. Reporting to the institute: After accepting allotment, the candidate must report to the institute with the required documents. The process finally gets completed when the candidate pays the fees to the institute.

Selection of courses:

Students should consider the following when selecting courses:

1. The students should take into consideration their interest. Some students may have an inclination towards computer science, while others may prefer mechanical engineering. Students should have an understanding of their likes and dislikes so that they can make an informed decision.
2. Students should think about future job prospects and scope of job opportunities. They should do some basic market research to explore the various opportunities available after graduation.
3. Students should research the campus placements of various colleges. Tier 1 colleges generally have a very high placement rate as compared to other colleges.
4. Students should consider the possibility of higher education after completing such courses as well. Some courses have better scope for pursuing masters and PHD after completion of bachelors.

Why are students attracted to metro cities for higher education?

There are many reasons why more and more students are migrating to metro cities for higher education. The quality of education is much better in metropolitan cities as compared to colleges in rural areas. Also, metropolitan cities are home to many Tier 1 colleges such as IIT’s, NIT’s, COEP, VJTI, etc so the students who attend these colleges are all well-deserving students. The companies which visit such colleges also look for such students, hence the possibility of landing a good job right after graduation is high. Also, metro cities have a better quality of life and so the educational experience is enhanced.

Article written by:                           

Aditi Deshpande

B Tech. Information Technology (COEP)

M.S Business Analytics (The University of Texas at Dallas)