IIT Hyderabad Campus Experience (B.Tech CSE)

Studying at IIT is the dream of millions of Indian teenagers, and here I am, living that dream and about to share my experience. I am studying BTech final year in the computer science department at IIT Hyderabad.

First-year

I cleared IIT-JEE in October 2020, and classes started in online mode in November 2020. We all know it’s the peak time of covid, and my parents didn’t dare to choose older IITs that are very far from my home in that situation. Initially, I didn’t like that idea; I had no clue what my college looks like; I just saw some youtube videos and got convinced. My first year was entirely online with almost no friends. IIT Hyderabad follows fractal academics, which differs greatly from past years of JEE coaching and board exams. Continuous exams and assignments pushed me to leave my comfort zone and learn new things independently. The first CS group project in the second semester introduces software engineering basics.

Hostel life

I visited our campus for the first time in 4th semester for just two weeks of offline classes, but again the third wave started. So first two years are entirely online. After that stayed in the hostel for the third year completely. IIT Hyderabad got one of the best hostel facilities in the country. Everyone except the first-year students is given a single shared room. Cleanliness, Water, and Washing machines are properly maintained. Mess food also tastes well, especially dinners that are too yummy. Weekend biryani is the best. It was my first hostel experience, but I never got homesick. There is radiant cooling in hostel rooms for summer. You will feel cool here the whole year. Ground and sports facilities are there. A massive sports complex and library are under construction and about to complete. We can step out of hostels and campus at any time having an id-card. There is a lot of freedom; most midnights feel like days with people roaming everywhere.

Academics and Faculty

As I mentioned earlier, IIT Hyderabad follows fractal academics, so there will be continuous exams and assignments and fewer free weekends without deadlines. Faculty members are helpful while approaching doubts but should not expect one-on-one attention and care like in high school. Doing individual projects under Professors during vacations or as part of courses would offer an opportunity to learn and get close to research.

Fests and clubs

Elan &nVision, Milan(inter hostel), and Inter-departmental competitions are major fests at IIT Hyderabad. Sports, cultural and sci-fi competitions, Ice-cream and DJ Nights, Pro-shows and celebrity visits, food festivals, and many more are part of them. There are numerous clubs in IITH for coding, dance, music, anime, video games, TEDx, ACM, EBSB, mental health awareness, software development, robotics, etc. Take a chance to check out your passion in your first years. You can meet a lot of excellent people through these clubs.

Internships and placements

IIT Hyderabad has an average package of 20LPA and nearly 74% of students placed last year. We have very well-structured on-campus internship and placement drives. Huge MNCs like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, DE Shaw, and Goldman Sachs visited last year for campus recruitment. Highest package is around 65LPA and almost everyone(who sat for placements) got placed in CS. The highest paid summer internship was 2 Lakh per month.

Tips to survive

• Grades matter! Grades matter! When you first enter university, people around you might say grades doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean you should chill your life, it means you should focus on learning the subject so automatically you get a nice grade. Your grade plays a crucial role in internships and placements. Maintain above 8-8.5.
• Say no to relationships in first two years especially if you are looking for someone serious. Chances that you get broken is high. It’s just my opinion. If you are from CS, if you focus on second year subjects well, it’s easy to go through internships and placements.
• Looks doesn’t matter. Remember you are beautiful just the way you are and no one cares at all.
• Single rooms, more privacy, unlimited internet, be cautious and don’t fall into social media loop.
• Be open minded. You might not become topper like you were in school. Learn to accept failures and move on.