IIT JEE , AIEEE Forum - Articles Category , Community shelf - xtremly useful article fer jee counselling

ckmr

this is an xtrmly useful article i came across written by an iitk professor ....
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What to do after getting through JEE
Here I attempt to answer a few frequently asked questions by people who have passed JEE. Please note that these are purely my personal views, and based on my discussions with several of my friends and colleagues, I can confidently say that these are not even unofficial views of IITK.
Official view of JEE, to put it simply, is that all IITs are equal, all programs are equal, and all students are equal.
If you were to believe in the official views, you have got only two options.
First, you got to delve deep into your heart, and see if you have any innate preference for any program. (And by the way, in my humble opinion, you should follow your heart and not your mind in these matters.) But if you are an average JEE qualifier who has spent the last two years in a coaching center in Kota, Delhi, Hyderabad, or Kanpur, and who didn't have time to develop and explore one's own interests, the result of this exercise is likely to be one of the two possibilities:

I don't know enough about any program. (You are being honest.) Well, if you have to follow official words of wisdom, go for Step 2.
I love computers. My first toy as a baby was a computer. I am great at playing computer games, and this would make me a perfact computer scientist. Well, as I said, follow your heart. Fill up all CS and IT related programs as your first few options, and get ready for a shocking realization that Computer Science is not about ability to use google, or creating a wonderful powerpoint presentation, or playing games. But it will be too late by then. (But thankfully, less than 10 percent of JEE qualifiers are allowed this option.)

So what is Step 2. Since all programs and all IITs are equal, and you do not have any specific interest (except compooters, which you can't get based on your rank), the best way to choose is to draw lots. Write down codes for each program on a separate piece of paper. Put all such small pieces in a box. Take one slip out at a time, and write down the code in that slip on your preference sheet.
But unfortunately for us in IIT, JEE qualifiers do not trust our official wisdom. So they ask us all sorts of questions. In most cases, they know the answers, and we don't. But we pretend to provide answers, and they pretend to listen to those answers (which is good, one should respect one's potential teachers).
So here are some Frequently Asked Questions and their unofficial answers. (And another disclaimer: I know more about IIT Kanpur than any other IIT. I did my BTech in CSE from here, and now I am teaching here for more than a decade. Don't expect me to be fair and impartial.)

Should I be selecting an IIT or a Program.
Depends mostly on whether your inner voice has an opinion on this. If you are passionate about a particular career (because, for example, your role model in family or neighbourhood is in that career), then give the program a higher preference over an IIT. If you are not passionate about any program, then perhaps selecting an IIT is alright.
Most programs in most IITs are good. I am already deviating from the official line. But frankly, I don't see how a four year undergraduate program in one IIT be run as effectively by a core faculty of five as is run in another IIT by a core faculty of ten or more. A much larger faculty does not mean a much better program, but a faculty size in single digits should ring an alarm bell.
So your first home work after qualifying JEE. Go to the website of each IIT. Visit the websites of the departments that you are considering, and find the faculty strength. If it is less than 10 for a program, then try to get more information. (Like it may be a new program, and faculty is being hired now.) If in doubt, drop the priority of this particular IIT-program pair.
I have decided the Program. Which IIT should I chose.
I can't say which IIT to chose, but what I can suggest is that you shouldn't be afraid or ashamed of chossing an IIT for non-academic reasons.
Some of you may select an IIT because it is closer to home (and you want to be able to meet family every weekend). Some of you may select an IIT because you want to go far off from your home so that your parents can't visit you frequently, and certainly not without a warning. Both are valid ways of selecting an IIT. And I recommend former for those whose hometown is Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Jhansi, etc., and latter for everyone else :-)
By the way, metro IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras) are slowly becoming regional IITs. There are so many selections from their respective zones that most persons studying there would come from their own respective zones. But non-metro IITs have fewer selections in their resepctive zones, hence they attract students from all over the country. As a result you find more cosmopolitan environment in IITs in smaller cities, and more regional environment in IITs in bigger cities.
If you love city life don't even think of IIT Kanpur. (Though one always wonders whether any IIT in a metro city would leave you with enough time to explore that city.) If you choose IIT Kanpur, you will love the campus so much that you will start hating the city life. In fact, you will become a misfit in the society, and will have difficult time when you go back home in vacation. The only career option for you will then be to be the leader and bring about change (or meekly accept a job in IIT Kanpur, as I have done).
And if you are still confused about which IIT to chose, then chose the one which is closest to Ganges :-) You will be able to at least wash your sins frequently.
Which Program should I chose.
A more direct question that I get asked every year is what are the job prospects of various programs. And it is a sad question to answer, because it reflects complete lack of self-confidence even amongst people who have qualified in one of the toughest exams in the world. If they won't have jobs, then who else will.
If you look at those students who are in the top 75 percent of their class, there is no problems at all in terms of finding a job. Most graduates in the lowest 25 percent will also find jobs, but there could be cases, who could not manage a job through the campus placement, but had to apply on one's own.
Frankly speaking, there can only be two reasons to prefer one program over the other: One, your own personal inclination and aptitude. If you knew that then obviously there is no problem in ranking the programs. The second reason is placement. But if placement is close to 100 percent for all programs, then what does one do.
And on top of that, most IITians end up doing things completely different from what they studied at IIT anyway. So why worry about placement of a particular program. This year's favorite all over the country were jobs in financial analytics, paying handsome salaries. And they just hired smart people from all the departments. The second most popular career path seems to be doing an MBA. Again, there is no distinction between various programs. In fact, if you are a smart cookie, and you chose a program which all other smarter cookies will avoid, then you can have an easy life in IIT, spend more time on extra-curricular, developing your personality and soft skills, prepare for CAT, and have a better chance at capturing financial analytics jobs or get admission to IIMs.
Since placement is no different, and one does not have special personal preference for a particular program, the only ranking that makes sense for most people is based on last years' closing rank. But what this means is that a new and exciting program will be missed by a large number of bright students. Do pay a close attention to programs that have been started in the last couple of years, and are being started this year. Most people will go by last years' closing ranks, and you may have an easy time getting admission into that program, even if you do not have a rank in 3 digits or less.
Since most people end up using last years' closing rank as a guide to fill up their preferences this year, it puts a lot of pressure on others who may actually have a personal preference for something else. The old illogic continues. For example, why don't people select Civil Engineering. Many people still believe that the only job that a civil engineer can have is that of supervising in hot summer afternoon the road construction work in the hinterland. Nothing could be farther from truth. While one should not demean the job of constructing a highway, there are so many exciting things happening in civil engineering, but people continue to join civil only if they don't get any other engineering program. They are disinclined towards civil engineering from day one, and they fail to notice the excitement in it.
Same thing happens in other programs. In Chemistry, for example, IIT Kanpur has such a strong faculty, that few departments even come close. There are Bhatnagar awardees, Silver Jubilee awardees, Fellows of various societies, and so on. It would be a wonderful experience to study Chemistry from such an illustrious faculty. But sadly, people follow last years' closing ranks for filling up this years' choices, and there is no way Chemistry can break this vicious cycle and start attracting a lot more good students.
The Bio-science and Bio-engineering program is another example, where the future is very bright. Four years from now, it is expected that Bio-related industries will be better placed in the market than even IT. But most people only look at what is considered hot today (which no doubt is IT and Electronics), and not think about what may be hot 4-5 years hence.
The five year MSc program in Economics is another wonderful program (though faculty size is an issue, which IITK is working on). I wish it was there in 1982, when I passed JEE. A combination of engineering basics and economics is just too exciting for me. In fact, if you want to decide your future by looking at placement figures for the previous year (soemthing that I do not recommend, but I am sure many of you want to do this), then Economics should be very high up there on your list. The largest salaries this year were for jobs in financial sector, investment banks, and so on. And these were not even Economists. Just think of a combination of Engineering (analytical skills is what they are looking for) and Economics. It will be really potent. I hope some of you will opt for this program.
By the way, IIT Madras also has a program in Economics, but they conduct a separate entrance exam called, HSEE. They wish to open the program to everyone who has completed 12th class, not just those who have a science background. I think the Engineering based Economics program of Kanpur and Kharagpur are better, than a pure humanities based Economics program, but of course, you have to clear JEE for that. Anyway, since IIT Madras program is outside the JEE system, I do not wish to write too much about it here.
One program which excites me a lot is the dual-degree program in IIT Kharagpur, where you get a BTech and an MBA in five years. Of course, the selection for MBA is not now. Right now, you just choose BTech program, and if you perform well in their aptitude test, group discussion and personal interview, you might be given admission to this dual-degree program at the end of 1st year. If you are thinking of doing an MBA anyway, and you are confident of doing well in their admission process, this program may be a reason to prefer Kharagpur over other IITs.
Should I prefer a Dual-degree program or a BTech program.
Well the answer depends on whether you are talking about the two programs in the same department, or different departments. Let us take the two possibilities seperately.
If you are comparing Dual and BTech in the same department, say Dual (CSE) versus BTech (CSE), then the answer is very simple. Go for BTech. I think the dual-degree programs are fantastic, but the way IIT Kanpur policies have been designed, it is much easier to change one's program from BTech to Dual, and it is much more difficult to change the program from Dual to BTech. So why should one decide on Dual now. Take up BTech program now, and if you get excited about the Dual degree program after you join IIT, you can move to Dual-degree at that time. (Rules of IIT Kanpur permit a change of program from BTech to Dual-degree till the beginning of 7th semester.)
What I am suggesting above may not hold for other IITs. Another view I have on dual-degree program is that it is little too early to decide what your specialization should be in the MTech program. Hence I personally prefer only those dual-degree programs where MTech is in a broad discipline (allowing you to choose your specialisation in the fourth year typically), and not like those dual-degree programs where you have to decide now a narrow area of specialization, for which you know even less at this time.
Now coming to the more interesting question. I have a JEE rank of 200. I want to follow last years' closing ranks for choosing major departments, and hence I prefer CSE over EE. But I am not likely to get admission in BTech (CSE). Should I prefer Dual (CSE) or BTech (EE).
You could replace EE and CSE with any two departments, and the answer will be same. It depends on how strongly you prefer one department over the other (CSE over EE in this example). And to test how strongly you prefer one department over the other, I will ask a theoretical question. Be honest in answering it.
Your BTech (EE) program will finish in May 2011. Suppose I were to offer you admission in BTech (CSE) on the condition that your program will be delayed by three months, and you will actually graduate in August 2011. Would you then prefer BTech (CSE) or would you still prefer BTech (EE).
Basically, if you prefer EE in this hypothetical scenario, then it is clear that your preference for CSE is very minor, and you are not willing to pay even a small cost of three extra months to undertake a CSE program. Then you should prefer BTech (EE) over Dual (CSE).
But if you preferred CSE in this hypothetical situation, then we can continue this game a bit further. Now, I further suggest that you invest 9 more months in the discipline for which you have indicated a reasonably strong preference. In these nine months, we will most probably give you Rs. 60,000 in cash, we will give you a degree that normally takes two years to complete, and a degree that opens a lot more doors for you in industry. At least in CSE, several multinationals have setup advanced R&D labs in India, and they hire MTechs and PhDs only, giving a very good work environment as well as an excellent financial package. I am sure there are such labs in other disciplines as well.
To me the decision is a no-brainer (though your mileage may vary). The future certainly belongs to more specialisation, and having an MTech degree will be an asset for everyone. Spending a few extra months now in the same environment where you have spent four years is the easiest way to get an MTech degree. (Talking about CSE at IITK, for getting a BTech degree, you will need to do 40 courses and a project. For Dual-degree the requirement is only 42 courses and a thesis. So it is really very small incremental work that gives you an additional degree.)
The financial assistance in the final year is based on your good performance in the first four years, and is based on current Institute assistantship rates. These may be enhanced in the next four years. You could also be working on sponsored projects for your thesis, and get much higher assistanship. (For example, many MTech students working with me have been getting Rs. 10,000 per month.)
And, if you are one of those who always want to look at placement figures before taking a decision, well, the second batch of dual-degree students in IIT Kanpur graduated this year. And the salary package offered to them was better than the corresponding package offered to the BTech students in the same branch, by the same company. So you do get compensation for that one extra year (besides, as I said, opening more doors in research labs, and other such places, where BTechs are not even considered). And future growth is likely to be faster for people with two degrees from IITs.
If Dual-degree programs are so good, why is it that many people are not opting for it.
Nothing is perfact in life, and there are shortcomings with Dual-degree programs as well. But more importantly it does not fit into the career plans of many students.
First, many students think that they might like to get a US degree after IIT. (This used to be the only ticket to US a decade or more ago. Most people who go to US today, go with business visa, but still old thinking die hard.) And the easiest US degree to get is a Masters degree. People feel shy of joining another master's degree after completing one.
I can only say to such students that the number of people going to US for MS degree is reducing rapidly as other avenues to go abroad have opened, and also opportunities within India have become enormous. So the chances are that you won't find yourself in a situation where you would have to do another Master's degree after a Master's degree from IITs.
Second, if the student has already decided that one is not going to be in the area of undergraduate discipline. For example, one may be interested in MBA after BTech. Then spending an extra year is wasteful.
My response is that unless you are absolutely sure of your career plans, a few extra months in an IIT are not going to hurt you too much, and in all likelihood it will help your career significantly.
A clear shortcoming of Dual-degree program is the way it is implemented at IITK. (Other IITs may or may not have this problem. Or they may have other problems.) If you happen to be a weak student, who has failed a couple of courses, and is getting D grades in some more, then there are problems in dual-degree. If you are a BTech student, then a few failures may mean that you spend an extra semester to graduate. But if you are a dual-degree student, and cannot cope up with even the marginally higher requirements of an MTech degree, you will get a BTech degree after two extra semesters (a total of 5 years or 10 semesters). And if you are a weak student, you may not get financial assistanship.
My response is to think positive, and not consider a situation where you will be failing courses. If you get into those situations, then you will have a lot more to think about than spending an extra semester.
Which IIT has the most liberal branch change rules.
Frankly, I do not know all the nuances of the branch change rules of all IITs. Also, there are some traditions, which are not codified as rules. My information is primarily from the JEE brochure. You could read yourself, but anyway, let me summarize. (But before I do that, a statutory warning. Do not count on branch change. In any IIT, it is given to very few students, and you must assume that everyone else in the IIT will be at least as smart as you are.)
Many IITs allow top one percent students to choose their branch without any restrictions. IIT Kanpur does not have such a rule, but traditionally it has allowed anyone with a CPI of 10.0 to choose their branch. (And the number of students with a CPI of 10.0 at the end of 2nd semester is more than one percent of the batch.)
All IITs have a lower limit of strength in a branch, and the number of students in that particular branch cannot go below that level. IIT Bombay says 85 percent of existing strength. IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati have set the limit at 90 percent of existing strength. IIT Kanpur has set the limit at 60 percent of the sanctioned strength. So, IITs at Delhi, Roorkee, and Guwahati allow very few people to get out of an unpopular branch, while IIT Bombay allows a few more. IIT Kanpur allows lots of people to get out of any branch, except a few exceptionally unpopular branches. (Actually, the only branch in IITK from where students could not get out of because they had only as many students as the 60 percent of sanctioned strength would imply was MSc Chemistry last year. So please join MSc Chemistry at IITK only if you are interested in Chemistry, or you just want an IIT degree. Don't join MSc Chemistry with the hope that you will get a branch change. But of course, that was last year. Next year may be different.)
All IITs put an upper limit on the batch size after the branch change. IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Kanpur set the upper limit as the sanctioned strength. So you can get into that branch only if there is a vacancy. IITs at Kharagpur and Roorkee allow the batch size to go up by 10 percent of existing strength. IIT Guwahati allows extra seats upto 10 percent of sanctioned strength. Now, normally, the most popular courses do not have any vacancies. So it will be impossible to get Computer Science in Kanpur and Bombay by way of branch change (unless you are one of the top few), while at other IITs they always create at least a few seats for branch change.
One thing you may note in these rules is that every IIT either controls exit from a branch or controls entry into a branch. IITs which are liberal in entry into a branch (by allowing student strength to go up beyond the existing or even sanctioned strength) are strict in terms of how many students can get out of a particular branch. Overall, you may not find any significant difference in the number of students getting branch changes in different IITs.
IIT Kharagpur and IIT Madras don't seem to allow branch change for dual-degree students.
Many IITs have a special provision for allowing BTech students to join the dual-degree program in the same department till later part of their program. IIT Bombay allows a BTech student to migrate to Dual-degree till 4th semester, and in some exceptional cases, even later. IIT Kanpur allows a BTech student to migrate to Dual-degree till the middle of 7th semester. So, if you are interested in Dual-degree but are a bit unsure, then take up the BTech program in IIT Kanpur. We clearly are the most liberal ones in allowing change from BTech to Dual-degree.
Another point to note is that some IITs allow a general category student to change to another branch where the vacancy is due to non-availability of a suitable reserved category student, while other IITs will not do so. And this will make a significant difference in terms of number of students who can get a change in their branch. (And I have no idea which IIT does what.)
IIT Kanpur is unique in the sense that it allows branch changes even after 3rd and 4th semester. Some times you may not know enough about branches to decide at the end of 2nd semester. Or a student may get ill and drop some course, and hence become ineligible for the 2nd semester branch change. We try to help all such students by allowing change after 3rd and 4th semester. Of course, you may not get a change to Computer Science, since there may not be any vacancies, but you can get other departments.
Interestingly, the data shows that this year in IITK, the only departments which had full quota of students was CSE. The only department which operated at below the minimum strength was Chemistry. Students from ALL other departments could go to any other department as a result of branch change after 4th semester. So, it does not matter which branch you take through JEE. If the same statistics hold for your batch (and I see no reason why it won't), then you would be able to change to any of these departments till the end of 4th semester. So join IITK, and don't worry too much about which branch you want to join.
Of course, a branch change after 3rd or 4th semester creates a bit of difficulty, since you have not done some courses of that department where you are going to. But our academic system is quite flexible and one is able to graduate in time.
Which IIT is best for CAT preparation.
Sorry, we do not provide coaching for CAT or any other MBA entrance test. There is private coaching available in every city and town. At IIT Kanpur, there are coaching centers just outside its boundary wall, and I am sure the same is true for other IITs as well.
If you are sure that you will like to go for MBA after your under-graduate program, select the program with the largest closing rank. Statistically speaking, it is likely to be least competitive. Since you are not interested in any program, and only want to be associated with IIT brand, chose a program with least number of years (4-years) and a program where very few top rankers are likely to be present.
How are programs on Mathematics and Computing.
In many IITs, there are programs on Mathematics and Computing. Please note that in all cases that I know of (but please check individual website), the program is offered by the Department of Mathematics and not the Department of Computer Science. It means that the major component of the program will be Mathematics, and the Computing component will be significantly less than what a pure Computer Science program would offer. But if you are very keen on anything related to computers, and you can't get the full-fledged program on Computer Science, then these programs are the next best things in life. You, of course can get into software industry, though you will find it difficult to get a job in Research Labs of IT companies. Also, these programs are getting popular wih financial firms. You know your mathematics, you hone your analytical skills, and you know the basics of Computer Science. These are enough to earn several lakhs a year.
And while they may be poor cousins of Computer Science programs within the IIT system, I would tend to favor them over a CS program outside IIT system, even for those who are sure that they really want to be in Computing as a career. First, most IITs give you opportunities to do elective courses from outside the department, and hence you may be able to do a couple of courses from Computer Science Department (other than those which are anyway been taught by the Maths department).
Also, if you are serious about a career in computing, then you should be planning to do an MTech later on, irrespective of whether you do a CS degree from a non-IIT, or a Maths and Computing degree from an IIT. And both will stand an equal chance for admission to most MTech programs. And of course, as I have repeatedly said here, don't forget the value of Brand IIT. (I am a totally biased person, strongly in favor of IIT system. Take everything I say with a pinch of salt.)
And, if you have something inherently against a five-year degree, or if you have something against an MSc degree, you can consider IIT Guwahati's offering, which is a BTech program in Mathematics and Computing, and is a regular 4-year program.
I have got a 1000+ rank in JEE. Should I study Computer Science in BHU or opt for some discipline in an IIT.
If you have strong preference/aptitude/inclination towards a any particular discipline, and you are getting admission into a decent quality college for that discipline, then go for it. BHU is not bad at all. It is better than just being decent. Some of my best friends are from BHU. But if your preference for the discipline is not very strong, stay within an IIT.
As I have said above, everyone in an IIT will get a job, and most persons would not be in their discipline soon after their graduation. So in a sense the discipline does not matter. What IITs give you is not just learning in a particular discipline, but train you for life-long learning. At IIT Kanpur, we proudly say that we don't train you for your first job, we train you for your last job. The kind of learning environment you will find in IITs is difficult to replicate elsewhere, including BHU.
You will progress in your career primarily based on your capabilities, but you will require help from others at times. IITs have a HUGE brand equity, and anywhere you go, doors will open for you on the basis of this brand-equity. There is a very concious program running in US (and to a smaller extent in India), called Pan-IIT movement, to promote IIT as a common brand of all IITs. And the old boys' network of IITs is very strong, and has a lot of attachment for other fellow IITians. These things help a lot in career.
I have got a 1500+ rank in JEE, and can get a good branch in IIT Roorkee. Is IIT Roorkee as good as original five IITs.
Obviously, IIT Roorkee, by its very name, is an IIT. And thanks to the Pan-IIT movement, the brand equity of IIT Roorkee is going to be equally good in the years to come. Some would argue that the brand equity of University of Roorkee was comparable to that of IITs, and currently a re-branding exercise is going on, and in the interim their brand value has taken a hit. (Wow! I should be teaching management students. What am I doing in Computer Science.)
They do have some weak spots. In Computer Science, for example, I would definitely rank IIIT Hyderabad higher than IIT Roorkee. In general, look at the website. Do they have enough faculty members in that discipline. They have their strengths too. And the original five IITs have their weaknesses as well.
I have got a 2000+ rank in JEE, and can get a good branch in IIT Guwahati. Is it safe to study in Guwahati? Why do many people not prefer IIT Guwahati.
To the best of my knowledge, it is absolutely safe to be in IIT Guwahati. Yes, it does have an image problem. There was a time when the geography knowledge of many a students in North India was such any person from south of Vindhyas was a Madrasi. I don't come across such species any more. But a lot of geography-challenged parents cannot differentiate between Guwahati and the rest of Assam. Even an occasional law and order problem in Assam is immediately linked to Guwahati in their mind. Please don't worry. It is a beautiful campus, right next to the mighty Brahmaputra. You will enjoy your stay there.
The problem with Guwahati is really its connectivity. The number of trains from Guwahati to the rest of the country is rather small, and you need reservations much in advance. Of course, thanks to Lalu, you can get seats in a hurry under Tatkal quota, if you are willing to pay a higher price. And, thanks to Capt. Gopinath, a common man can fly to/from Guwahati. As the air connectivity is improving over the years, you would notice that the closing ranks in Guwahati are also improving every year.
Of course, they do have less faculty in some disciplines than what they would like. But as I said elsewhere, look at their website to get exact data, and then make up your mind. In terms of infrastructure, I don't think they are anyway less endowed than others. It is cheap to build infrastructure.
I have got a 2500+ rank in JEE. Should I study abroad. I have an offer from NTU, Singapore.
If you have decided that your passion lies in Computer Science, then you have to look at your options and decide the best place to do Computer Science. How does it matter whether that place is in India or abroad. (Of course, you should be able to afford it.)
On the other hand, if this was a trick question (like the kind we ask in JEE), and you really intended to ask me to compare Computer Science in a foreign university with an unpopular discipline at an IIT, then it is complicated. IITs' brand value (and that helps in career, as I have said before) is much higher than most academic institutes in Asia for under-graduate studies. And the other is the cost issue. Can you afford to study abroad, and even if you can, is it worth that much investment. On the other hand, the advantages of studying abroad are that you are getting international exposure at an early age, which has some value. Also, you are getting to study that you prefer. These are the positives and negatives. Now you decide for yourself which factors you are going to give more weight.
Let me also add that compared to the best institutions in the world, IITs' quality of education is suspect. Our graduates do well because we take the best, and a small amount of value addition can turn them into gold. But if you consider the value addition that many good US universities provide to an average student, no Indian college can come anywhere close. You study in IIT because they provide the best education in India (and to a large extent in Asia), and they have the best brand name, but purely in terms of quality of education, lots of universities in US will be better. For almost a decade, we had kept open a channel of admission for NRIs through SAT scores. None of our illustrious alumni settled in USA thought about sending their sons and daughters to IITs. (I did my MS and PhD from University of Maryland, College Park. Quality of under-graduate education there was certainly better than at IITs.)
I have got a 3000+ rank in JEE in my first attempt. Should I go for a second chance next year, or should I join whatever I am getting this year.
It is a very personal decision, based on your own confidence level. (Aren't all decisions personal.) I am, by and large, a risk averse person, and I believe that success in JEE (and similarly other admission tests) requires that God be with you on that day. A slight headache, and a couple of questions wrong can set you back by a large number of ranks. Given that chance plays a significant role in JEE selection, I wouldn't advice anyone to take that chance again, if you can find anything remotely of your interest in an IIT. (And remember, if you join an IIT, you are not allowed to give JEE again.)
There are some science programs that often close between 3000 and 3500. Then there is Design program in IIT Guwahati, which is very good. You should study the counselling brochure carefully to find out the likelihood of getting a branch by looking at the last year's closing ranks. Please note that last year's closing ranks are just guidelines, and in some cases, the closing ranks can vary substantially from one year to the other.
On the other hand, if you are getting nothing in IIT, then trying for an improved rank makes some sense. If you were ranked 4000 in JEE, the chances are that with one year of exclusive preparing for the engineering admission tests, you will get a decent rank in at least one of the many such tests, and you won't be worse off next year, and you might just have better luck next time.
I have got a 3500+ rank in JEE. But I have a much better rank in AIEEE. Can you name a few good colleges, in case I don't get admission to any program in an IIT.
Please read my article on how to choose a college.
If I want to get additional information about a specific program, whom do I contact.
Certainly, not me. I know somethings about Computer Science and IT. I have some general knowledge about various other fields, but no detailed knowledge. If you want to know what do they teach in that program, or which companies came last year to hire, I would not know any of that stuff.
Please visit the website of the department who is offering that program. Find out email addresses of some faculty members or even students. Send your query to one or two persons only. DO NOT SPAM.
Can we contact you for more information
I will be glad to answer your further questions, if time permits. But I do not wish to discuss JEE Counselling on phone. Please do not call me. Please contact me only on email. You can send me email at: dheeraj[AT]iitk.ac.in.
(Remove [AT] and replace it by @.)
Even on email, I will not be able to answer all the queries. I prefer to respond to those emails, which are easily readable, and where the question is very clear, and not something that I have already answered in this page.
- Emails with SMS like language are not readable.
- Emails with all capital letters are not readable. (It amounts to shouting.)
- Use of Roman script for Hindi words is discouraged.
- Use proper puntuation marks, and capitalize the first letter of every sentence.

Best wishes, and do drop by in my office in July, if you read this page and decide to join IIT Kanpur

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