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How is life at IISER?
I have a few friends from IISER, and according to theM, life at IISER is quite interesting.
- The academics at IISER is great. You can pursue anything that you are interested in.
- The environment at the campus is great. It’s useful for research and other activities.
- You will find many like-minded people on campus. You should not pick one but be a part of many and work together as a team player. At some point in your life, these skills would be required.
- There are also a plethora of extracurricular activities that you can take part in.
You may face problems at the beginning that are quite common and will be a part of your learning curve.
What is the SCB in IISER?
There are three ways of being admitted to an IISER.
- You can either give a KVPY SA or SB or SX.
- You can give JEE Advance and clear it.
- You can be a part of the SCB stream.
SCB criteria are applicable for only the top 1% of students of each of the boards across India. To simply word it, those who have secured 99 percentile are a part of SCB. If you secure marks that are above the cut-off, you will get INSPIRE scholarship as well.
The top 1% of students from across India and all boards are invited to give the IISER test. After this, a rank list/merit list is prepared about the marks scored in the exam. And the top students are admitted to the six branches of IISERs.
Is IISER worth it?
If you wish to get the most out of your college life, you will have to carry on with a very busy lifestyle. There will be classes, loads of lab work, studies, extracurricular activities, going out with friends, for dinner, ordering pizza, playing video games, movies, and a lot more things. You will be independent and decide what is good for you and what is not.
You get a lot of freedom in allotting your time to various activities. The teachers that usually teach you, make the most of the time and are experts for this. The labs are well built. The hostels are equipped with all kinds of amenities. The college has good sports facilities. But in the end, IISER is for those students whose major goal is to do research. For others, it is quite difficult then.
How is IISER Pune better than IISER Kolkata?
There is no clear winner between IISER Pune and IISER Kolkata. IISER Pune and Kolkata are quite old and equally reputed. IISER Kolkata is more known for its Physics degree. While IISER Pune is reputed for Biology.
Comparably IISER Pune has a better location. So, students receive better employment opportunities.
How is the hostel facility at IISER Kolkata?
IISER Kolkata has three hostels. The hostel accommodations are quite good.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Hall (ICVS): It is an all-boys hostel for BS-MS students. This hostel is closest to the lecture halls and research labs. You can get to the lecture halls within 2 minutes from this hostel.
ICVS has great facilities including high-speed internet, wash-rooms with geysers, washing machines on each floor. The hostel is under CCTV surveillance. However, there are no strict entering and exiting times specified.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (NSCB): NSCB has the same facilities as ICVS. It was also built at the same time. There are 2 wings for girls and 1 wing for boys. The boy’s and girl’s wings are separated by doors.
The main canteen is situated between NSCB and ICVS. The canteen is run by students. Below the main canteen, there are two stationary shops, xerox shops, saloons, and two refreshment shops.
Nivedita Hall: This hostel was built most recently. It is for the junior year BS-MS students. It has 2 wings for boys and 1 wing for girls. The wings are well-separated. It has all the facilities as the other two hostels. But there is poor ventilation.
It is close to the cricket ground, gym, badminton court, volleyball court. This hostel has its own canteen.
In the hostel, there are separate wings for Ph.D. and BS-MS students. Ph.D. students are allotted single rooms and BS-MS students are allotted double sharing accommodation. There are no hostel facilities for post-doctoral students.
How is IISER Kolkata better than IISER Pune?
Here are some of the things that make IISER Kolkata stand out.
Course Choice: You can choose your course from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, even from Earth Sciences.
Peaceful Campus: The campus is secluded and hence ideal for studies.
Faculties: The faculties of IISER Kolkata are well-known worldwide for their research work.
Friendly Environment: The professors and the seniors are quite friendly. You can discuss any problem you may have with your faculties openly.
Alumni Network: IISER Kolkata has a vast alumni network. The alumni base of IISER K is better than that of IISER Pune.
All IISER have their own pros and cons, so there is no use in comparing one IISER to another. IISER Pune has better infrastructure and outreach but that doesn’t make it better than all the other IISER. All these IISERs are great options for pursuing your studies.
What are the minimum marks to get into IISER Kolkata?
You will need a score of around 95 or above to join IISER Kolkata if you are general category. The required cutoff for the OBC category is around 80-90, and for SC, ST category, it’s 70-80. You should note that these cutoff marks are approximate and vary every year according to the number of candidates that are applying that year.
How is IISER Kolkata in terms of academics, research and student life?
In terms of academics, research, and student life, IISER Kolkata is great. Reputed universities across the world such as Caltech, Cambridge, Oxford, Columbia, Cornell, UC, etc. have a few IISER Kolkata alumni in each batch.
The institute has an active research culture. The institute publishes many cited research papers. IISER Kolkata hosts Vijyoshi. The aim of this camp is to provide a forum for aspiring researchers to interact and share ideas.
The campus life offered is good. Although there had been some political problems in the past, the campus environment has improved a lot in recent years.
Should I give up my seat at IIEST Shibpur for IISER Kolkata?
The mathematics which the students study now at the undergraduate level is different from what they study for the JEE preparation. There are only a few courses of applied math where you will do the coding, IISER Kolkata offers one such course.
- If you want to find out more about coding, there are several MOOCs offered by several best universities across the planet online.
- The college environment also plays a crucial role in one's overall development, be it socially or academically, IISER Kolkata offers a good environment.
Lastly, if you would like to pursue research in Math then definitely join IISER Kolkata, or if you would like to only do applied mathematics (coding) and obtain a job then you ought not to choose IISER Kolkata.
Am I making a mistake by preferring IISER Kolkata over IIT Kharagpur MSc Integrated Physics?
No, it is not a mistake to prefer IISER Kolkata over IIT KGP for an MSc integrated course in Physics. You are going to get a pure science degree so it makes more sense to get the degree from an institute that focuses on that degree. IIT KGP is popular for its engineering degrees. So, you will be mostly surrounded by people who are pursuing engineering degrees. You won’t get to meet many like-minded students. The course structure of integrated MSc at IITs is also outdated.
At IISER Kolkata, you will get a decent course structure and better faculties for an integrated MSc.
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