Welcome, freshers! You have worked hard and long to arrive here at NITK Surathkal. During these times, with an online mode of education, we are sure you have many questions looming in your head. Do not worry that you have no one to reach out to, Pulse has compiled a set of Frequently Asked Questions on academics, co-curricular and everything else to make your transition into college life much easier. If you want to know more about NITK Surathkal; life in the hostel, places to visit and anything else, make sure to visit the NITK Weebly website: https://thenitklife.weebly.com/. For all other academic or administrative information, you can visit the official NITK website: https://www.nitk.ac.in/. Also, do check out the Pulse website/app for events that happened in college, perspectives and experiences of seniors and much more.
- What is the examination pattern of NIT Surathkal? Please describe the marks distribution pattern. Will the exam pattern change for the first year as it is online?
Ans. At the start of the semester, students are provided with a detailed course plan. This course plan consists of a breakdown of everything which will be taught, the books you need to buy and an evaluation scheme. Usually your evaluation is broken down into 3 parts – in semester, mid semester and end semester. In the offline scenario, the weights of each were in the ratio 30%:20% and 50%. However in the online mode, this has been modified to 50%, 20% and 30% respectively. Note that these values are not constant and vary from subject to subject by small amounts. Insemester involves quizzes, surprise tests and assignments. Mid Semester is an hour long subjective exam(hour and a half in offline) and End semester is a one and a half hour subjective exam(three hours in offline).
- How can we access previous year question papers of mid and end semester exams?
Ans. Most of the previous year question papers are uploaded on a drive link or can be obtained from seniors. You can ask your Class Representative for the same. Most of the exam papers present in these drive links are well documented, neat and legible.
- How can a student know which book to follow for respective subjects? Is it fully compulsory to buy all books like in school?
Ans. The books needed for courses are recommended by the respective professors. Usually, softcopies of most of the books can be found easily or the NITK library can be used. Most resources can be found here for first-year courses (Link here: https://library.nitk.ac.in/joomla/). Always try to reach out to seniors for acquiring resources and tips.
- What are the various clubs and societies of NITK Surathkal? How to join these clubs? Is it compulsory to join a club in NITK Surathkal?
Ans. NITK Surathkal has two types of clubs – Exclusive and Non-exclusive clubs. There are 6 exclusive clubs namely IEEE, ACM, Rotaract, ISTE, IE, IET. First years aren’t allowed to join the exclusive clubs. Recruitments will be held for enrolling into these clubs from second year onwards. There are a variety of technical and non-technical clubs which are open for first years like Literary, Stage and Debate society (LSD), Web Club, Music club, NCC, and Dance, Dramatics and fashion Club (DDFC) to name a few. For more details on these clubs, visit the NITK Weebly website: https://thenitklife.weebly.com/clubs.html . Although it isn’t compulsory to join any club, it’s a great way to interact with seniors and peers as you try to accomplish a certain goal. These clubs enable holistic development and growth while also building on your social and soft skills.
- Can a person be part of more than 2 clubs at a time?
Ans. A student can try to join as many non-exclusive clubs as they want, however they can only join one exclusive club at a time. One important note to remember however is that all clubs – exclusive or not demand a certain level of commitment and focus to them. This means joining too many clubs can be very taxing and leave you with little to no time for yourself and may also hamper you from giving your best to those clubs which matter most to you. So think carefully before you join too many clubs and if you feel overburdened, you are allowed to leave the clubs following certain protocols or rules which are determined by the same.
- Is branch change allowed in NITK Surathkal and what are the criteria for changing branches in NITK Surathkal?
Ans. Yes, Branch change is certainly allowed in NITK Surathkal after the first year. The student has to get a GPA above 8 in each of the first two semesters and must have completed the common credits of the first semester in the first attempt. Branch CHange is highly competitive and is extremely sought after. If you wish to get a branch change be ready to give it your all from day one.
- How will laboratory classes take place online?
Ans. Some labs can be taken up online using the concept of virtual labs. An initiative by the MHRD, Virtual Labs is a platform which enables students sitting anywhere to access scientific equipment and perform experiments which are either simulated in real time or virtually rendered. NITK under the guidance of Dr KV Gangadharan and Dr Pruthviraj Umesh have made great leaps of progress in the field and NITKs virtual lab is one of the best in the country. It covers a wide array of experiments and labs for one to try out their theoretical knowledge in a practical scenario. The labs are very life-like and are as close as one can get to having a lab right at home.
- What is the use of the IRIS Portal?
Ans. Integrated Resource and Information Sharing (IRIS) is a portal that allows all academic, administrative and alumni related procedures to take place in a methodical manner. It is developed and maintained in-house. You will be able to access your grades, course information, Moodle etc. from IRIS. To know more about IRIS check out this link: https://iris.nitk.ac.in/hrms/pages/about.
- How are the placement opportunities for the students of NITK Surathkal? Can we get a good job after learning at NITK Surathkal?
Ans. As a college ranked 13th by the NIRF it comes as no surprise that NITK Surathkal boasts remarkable placements and job opportunities year after year. Reputed companies such as Uber, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Nvidia, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Exxon Mobil, Caterpillar and more offer both internship and placement opportunities to 3rd and 4th years respectively. Students get a great package with average CTC being north of 8LPA across all branches and is more than 12LPA for students in CS and IT. Placement information and statistics along with testimonials can be found on the gyan tab of your IRIS account. You can reach out to seniors via LinkedIn if you have doubts as well. All in all, you don’t need to worry – the perks of being in an established institution like NITK is that one tends to enjoy great placement statistics and as long as you work hard enough, you can achieve every single dream possible.
- What is the scope of higher education after passing out from NITK Surathkal?
Ans. Many students have written and cleared GATE, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS etc, and opted for continuing higher studies in India or Abroad. NITK students have procured seats in many prestigious universities around the world like Stanford, MIT, UIUC, TU Delft, Duke University and more. The superior quality of teaching and research coupled with the influence of professors in almost every domain of engineering ensures that students are at a great advantage of receiving good projects, internships and LORs. Various projects done under clubs also help build one’s profile and consolidate a focused application when applying for higher studies. Naturally, it is all easier said than done as it requires considerable effort – maintaining a great GPA, working on projects – both independently and under professors, building profile, skills and connections.
- Please describe the minimum requirements to continue at NITK Surathkal at the end of the first year.
Ans. A student must have completed a minimum of 15 credits at the end of the first year to continue in NITK Surathkal. Don’t worry, it is not hard to get good grades and clear the minimum number of credits. While competition is indeed fierce, a small amount of discipline and dedication can yield great results.
- What are the criteria to opt for a minor/honour degree at the end of the first year?
Ans.
- A student can opt for minors in the third semester and register for minor courses from third to eighth Semesters. Students who have cleared all the courses of the first and second semester in the first attempt and have obtained a CGPA ≥ 7 and GPA (of common courses in the first year) ≥ 7.0 are eligible to register for minor courses.
- A student can opt for honours in the third semester and register for honours Courses from fifth to eighth Semesters. Students who have cleared all the courses of the first and second semester in the first attempt and have obtained a CGPA of 8.0 and above are eligible to register for honours courses.
- How will online classes be taken and what is the mode of examination?
Ans. Online classes will be taken on Microsoft Team and students will receive timetables for the same. Online classes are usually 30minutes long with 15min breaks in between. There is also a lunch break from 12PM – 13:15PM. Exams will be held on moodle which is a platform integrated with IRIS. Exams and tests are either subjective with MCQs or fill in the blanks or subjective questions whose answers need to be typed out or written on A4 sheets and uploaded as a pdf.
College life can be intimidating initially, more so because of the online semester. However, the NITK community is very helpful and all you need to do is reach out. The learning experience in NITK can be great with good amounts of hardwork and discipline. Do make full use of all opportunities you get through the year and don’t forget to have fun with all the events that will be conducted soon.