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Latest News |
| 25th
Sep 2010 / Times of India / Delhi Edition |
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Electrical engg top choice for IITians
CHANGING PREFERENCES
Dislodges Computer Science As Most Sought After Subject
By Toppers
Mumbai: For years, computer science was a rage among those
who made it to the top of the selection list of the joint
entrance exam (JEE), which is the passport to the Indian
Institutes of Technology. Anumula Jithendar Reddy from
Hyderabad who topped the competitive entrance test, didnt
take that road much travelled. Instead, he decided to pursue
electrical engineering at IIT-Bombay.
There were many like Reddy, whose preferences have shifted
with the IT shimmer fading. Picture this: While electrical
engineering opened at all-India rank (AIR) 1 and closed
at rank 98, computer science, on the Powai campus, closed
at rank 116.
One will notice the same trend picking up in other IITs
next year. But telecommunication is on the top, at least
neck-and-neck with computer science. And electrical engineering
is as much a rage as computer science, at least in the
IITs. After that we have most students opting for mechanical
engineering, said an IIT faculty member.
While computer science still attracted a large chunk of
the JEE toppers, this year, however, of the top 100 JEE-2010
rankers, about 25% opted for electrical engineering, while
they could have got a seat in computer science. Interestingly, pure
sciences too seem to have attracted some top rankers. AIR
33 signed up for physics in IIT-Kanpur and engineering
physics, too, moved up the popularity charts and opened
at rank 48 in Bombay;last years opening rank for this
stream was 303. The trend was noticed in IIT-Madras too
where engineering physics opened admission at rank 494
(last years opening rank was 832).
Statistics on the opening and closing ranks of candidates
admitted into the IITs in August 2010 on the basis of
their scores in the JEE also revealed that mechanical
engineering has been steadily climbing the ratings. At
IITB, the opening rank in the general category is 56 against
last years 72 and 2008s AIR 171. On the other hand, chemical
engineering and civil engineering have descended in the
preference list.
At IIT-B, chemical engineering opened at rank 561, as against
last year, when rank 244 was the first one to opt for it. AIR
887 at IIT-B took up civil engineering, a stream which
opened admission at AIR 665 a year ago.
However, one should not interpret this as a sign of declining
preference for the course. You must take into account the
fact that some of the aspirants would have opted for other
courses at the new IITs as a result of which they would
have ranked civil or chemical slightly below in order
while exercising their options at the time of admission,
explained a dean at the IIT Madras.
Among the new IITs, Patna and Hyderabad were among the
first to admit students, most of who signed up for electrical
engineering and computer science.
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