1

HOWTOMAKETHEMOSTOUTOFTHENEWCURRICULUMATIITROPAR

JitendraPrasadCopyright©2017JitendraPrasadAllrightsreserved.

2

TableofContents

Preface,DisclaimerandAcknowledgements..........................................................................3Chapter1.YourSuccessHasAMusic................................................................................4Chapter2.WeHaveADreamForYou..............................................................................5Chapter3.YourInspirationAndMotivation..................................................................7Chapter4.CreativityAndLearningInnovation.............................................................9Chapter5.IntroductionToManagerialSkills.............................................................11Chapter6.DevelopingCommunicationSkills.............................................................13Chapter7.MasteringTechnicalSkills............................................................................15Chapter8.YourFour-YearPlan.......................................................................................16Chapter9.YourWeeklyScheduleAndDailyRoutine..............................................18Chapter10.YourHostelOrSocialLife...........................................................................20Chapter11.DoingProjects................................................................................................21Chapter12.ChoosingInternships...................................................................................22Chapter13.YourJobInterviews......................................................................................24

3

Preface,DisclaimerandAcknowledgements

ThenewUGcurriculumthatcameintoeffectwith2017entrybatchatIITRopar,hasbeendevelopedwithcertainobjectivesanduniquefeatures,aslaidoutintheoriginalreport,whichisavailableonlineatIITRoparwebsite(http://www.iitrpr.ac.in/new-curriculum).Kindlyrefertothereportforthecurriculumtheories,viz.philosophy,psychologyandsociologyofeducation,accreditationbenchmarks(WashingtonAccord)andsubjectspecialists’opinionsbasedonwhichthisnewcurriculumhasbeendesigned.Thisminie-bookisaninformalandunofficialguideforthestudents,justtoenablethemtomakemostofthenewcurriculum.Althoughthise-bookisbasedonmypersonalinterpretation,thenewcurriculumittalksabout,isaresultofhundredsofman-hoursofthecurriculumtaskforcecommittee,whichconsistedofDr.AvijitGoswami,Dr.BrijeshKumbhani(January2017onwards),Dr.ChittaranjanMishra,Dr.HimanshuTyagi,Dr.JungHyunJun(Peter),Dr.KamalKumarChoudhary,Dr.MukeshKumar,Dr.NaveenJames(August2016onwards),Dr.RaviShankarR.V.(tillDecember2016),Dr.SatwinderJitSinghandmyselffromIITRopar;Prof.DeepakKashyap(whileatIITRoorkee,beforejoiningIITRopar),Prof.MilindSohoni(IITBombay),Prof.NanditaDasGupta(IITMadras),Prof.SamirSaha(Retd.Professor,JadavpurUniversity),Prof.SanjayMittal(IITKanpur)andProf.SumanChakraborty(IITKharagpur).Thenewcurriculumincorporatedfeedbackfromthefacultymembers,HODs,students,alumni,training&placementfaculty-in-charge(Dr.RaviMohanPrasad),andtheindustriesassociatedwithIITRopar.Thecurriculumcommitteeormyselfasthecommittee’schairmanalsohadseveralmeetingswiththeDirector(Prof.SaritK.Das),theDeansCommittee,ACUGSandtheSenate,whichgavethefinalshapeofthenewcurriculum.Notethatthise-bookdoesnotreplacetheoriginalnewcurriculumreportandtheHandbookofInformation,butrathercomplementsjustasaninformalandunofficialreinterpretationofthenewcurriculumfromastudent’spointofview.Incaseofanyconfusionordiscrepancy,thenewcurriculumreportandtheHandbookofInformationsupersedetheviewsexpressedhere.JitendraPrasad,Ph.D.AssistantProfessor,IITRopar.Date:17August2017.

4

Chapter1.YourSuccessHasAMusic

CongratulationsfirstofallonjoiningIITRoparasastudent.Itmustbeadreamcomingtrue.Youunderstandnowwhatittakestoturnadreamintorealities.Mostlikelyitstartedwithyourparentswhofirstdreamtofmakingyouanengineersomeday.Thentheyworkedoutwhatwasneededforthat,namelyagoodschooling,personalguidance,privatetuitionandcoaching.And,youdidnotdisappointthem.Youworkedhardandfollowedtheplansofyourparentsandyourteachers.Ifyouseeclosely,youdidnotachieveyoursuccessallalone.Therewereactuallythreetypesofpeoplewhomadeadifferenceinyourlife.First,therewerepeoplewhodreamedonyourbehalf.Theycouldbeyourparents,yourguardians,yourteachers,yourfriends,yoursiblings,yourrelatives,yourwell-wishersorsimplyyourself,whowantedtoseeyouinanIIToneday.Second,therewerepeoplewhoplannedyourwaytothisIIT.Theyscheduledthingssuchawaythatyourdreamsweresequentiallytranslatedintorealities.Youhadatimetableatyourhome,atyourschool,atyourcoachingclasses.Therewerecurriculumandsyllabus.Therewereprescribedtextbooks.Therewerepracticeproblems.Therewereplannedassignmentstobesolved.Somebodyhadtoplaneachoftheseforyou.Andthird,therewerepeoplewhoworkedaspertheplan.Teacherscametoteachyouasperthetimetable.Theygaveyouassignmentsandexamsasscheduled.Youcompletedthehomeworkbeforethedeadline.Youpreparedfortheexams.YoutooktheJEEonascheduleddate.And,youareheretodayatIITRopar.Yoursuccessisnotlessthanmusicorasong.Youwerelikeafinepoetry.Somebodydreamedmusicoverit.Somebodycomposedthemusic.And,somebodyplayedmusicalinstrumentsandsangthesong.Assuch,everysuccesshasthreeequallyimportantcomponents–conception,planningandexecution.Forexample,asuccessfulcompanyisfoundedbyanentrepreneurwhoconceivestheveryideaaboutthecompanyanditsproducts.Managersinthecompanyplanthewaytotranslatetheentrepreneur’sdreamintoreality.Thenthereareengineersortechnicianstocreateproductsaspertheplans.Notethatanentrepreneur,amanagersandanengineerneednotbethreedifferentpeople.Infact,everypersonhasanentrepreneur,amanagerandatechnicianwithin,asperMichaelE.Gerber,theauthorof“TheE-MythRevisited:WhyMostSmallBusinessesDon'tWorkandWhattoDoAbout”.Accordingtothisbook,asuccessfulbusinessmanhasentrepreneur,managerandtechnicianpartsoralteregosequallyactive.Similarly,auniversityhasadreamaboutitsgraduateoutcomes,hasadministrationtoaccordinglyplanandmanageitscurriculumandinstruction,andhasinstructorstoteachstudentsaccordingtotheplan.

5

Chapter2.WeHaveADreamForYou

SowhatisIITRopar’sdreamaboutyou?Atleastasachairmanofthenewcurriculumtaskforcecommittee,Icantellthatwewantyoutobefullyindependentataiming,planningandexecutingeverythingthatleadstoasuccessfulcareer,whatsoeveryoumeanbyasuccessfulcareer,notlimitedtoengineeringalone.Thisbeinganengineeringcollege,however,wewilltakeengineeringasanexampletobuildadreamaroundit.Evenifyourobjectivesaredifferent,youwillatleastlearnhowtothink,planandexecutewhatyouwant.Justpracticetheengineeringexampleandyouaregoodtogo.Thenewcurriculumisdesignedfornurturinganentrepreneur,amanagerandanengineerortechnicianinsideyou.Youwillbeconnectedtothesocietytocloselystudyitsproblemsthatcanbesolvedbyapplyingengineeringprinciples.Youwillgetaninspirationoradreamtomakeadifferenceinsociety.Inaddition,youmaygetanentrepreneurialideatobuildafinanciallyrewardingbusinessaround.Accordingly,emphasisofthenewcurriculumiscreativity,innovationandconnectiontothesociety.Evenifyoudonothaveanentrepreneurialdream,youwilleventuallyactasamanager,asyouprogressthroughyourcareer.Yourdesignationneednotbea“Manager”toworkasamanager.Forexample,aProfessorisamanager,ashehasmanyadministrativetaskstodo.Hehastomanagealaboranoffice,teaching,research,fundingetc.Thenewcurriculumwillnotonlyteachbasicsofmanagement,butalsogiveyouopportunitytopracticeandhoneyourmanagementskillswhileworkingonvariousprojects,whereyouwillgothroughthefullcycleofconceivinganidea,planningtherelatedactivitiesandexecutingthedetails.Needlesstosay,youcannotbecalledanEngineerwithouttechnicalskills.Besides,atthecoreofmostofthebigcompaniesisengineering.Letustakeexamplesoftop10globalFortune500companiesofyear2017.Therearefourpetroleum/petrochemicalcompanies–SinopecGroup(no.3),ChinaNationalPetroleum(no.4),RoyalDutchShell(no.7)andExxonMobil(no.10)thatdealwithexploration,productionanddistributionofpetroleumproducts.Therearetwoautomobilecompaniesonthelist–ToyotaMotor(no.5)andVolkswagen(no.6).StateGrid(no.2)isinvolvedwithproductionanddistributionofelectricity.Apple(no.9)hascreatedinnovativeelectronicproductssuchasiPhoneandiPadamongothers.OnlyWalmart(no.1)andBerkshireHathaway(no.8)arenon-technicalcompanies.Walmartisachainofdepartmentstores,whileBerkshireHathawayisaninvestmentcompany.Nevertheless,Walmartnotonlysellsengineeringproductsorthingsmadebymachineries,butalsodependsonengineeringproducts(computers,communicationtechnologies,softwareengineeringetc.).Similarly,BerkshireHathawayinvestsinengineeringcompaniessuchasAppleandIBM.Thebottom-lineisthatengineeringisatthecoreofnationalprogressandwealthgeneration.

6

Masteringengineeringfundamentalsdefinitelybroadensyourhorizonandgivesyouanupperhandinwhateveryouwanttodo.Ifyoucanpracticallyapplytheengineeringfundamentalsyouhavelearnt,youwillbeassetforanentrepreneurandamanagerwithinyou,oroutside.Thenewcurriculumaccordinglyemphasizescorecompetencyandhands-onlearning.Tosumup,wewantyoutobefundamentallystrong,creative,innovativeandpracticalenoughtoidentifyandsolvesocietalproblems.

7

Chapter3.YourInspirationAndMotivation

YoufirstneedtounderstandMaslow’sHierarchyofNeeds,accordingtowhichtherearefivelevelsofneeds,namely,physiological,safety,loveandbelonging,self-esteemandself-actualizationneeds,intheorderoflowerhierarchytohigher.Alowerhierarchyneedmustbesatisfiedbeforeahigherone.Thephysiologicalneeds,suchasfood,wateretc.,arethemostbasicneeds,whichmusttobesatisfiedbeforeotherneeds.Securityorsafetyneedsincludingshelter,health,physicalsafety,financialsecurityetc.,arethenextlevelofneeds.Oncewehavephysiologicalandsecurityneedssatisfied,welookforloveandsocialbelongingness.Butitisstillnotenough.Wethenstartlookingforself-esteemorself-respect,otherwiseyoufallpreytoinferioritycomplex.Onceyouhaveallfourlowerlevelneedssatisfied,youwantself-actualization.Inotherwords,youwanttoliveuptoyourpotentials,youwanttohelpothersandmakeadifferenceinsociety.Accordingtothegivensocialandculturalnormsforastudentofyourage,yourhostellifefulfillsmostofyourphysiologicalandsafetyneeds.Whatyouneedtoworryaboutnowaresocialbelongingness,esteemandself-actualization.SocialbelongingnesswillcomethroughmakingfriendsandparticipationinextracurricularactivitiessuchasNCC,NSS,NSO,generalsportsandculturalevents.Youmayreadtheclassic“HowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople”byDaleCarnegietogettipsoneasilymakingfriendships.Yourhobbieswillboostyouresteem.Dosomethingyouaregoodat,e.g.painting,creativewriting,debate,playingamusicalinstrument,singing,playingsomesportsetc.andkeeponimprovingyourskills.Demonstrateyourtalentwheneveryougetopportunities.Youmaynotfeelaneedforself-actualizationatyourage,butthisistheultimateneedofyourlife.Allgreatpeopleareresultofself-actualizationthatmadethemdosomethingextraordinarytohelpothersortoliveuptotheirpotentials.ThomasEdisoninventedphonograph,motionpicturecameras,practicallightbulbetc.andfoundedmanycompaniessuchasGeneralElectric(GE).Hedidnotstopwithoneinventionoronlyonecompany,becausehehadpotentialformore.Hewouldnotbehappyifhedidnotdowhathewascapableof.And,heknewhiscapabilities.Hehimselfsaid,“Ifwedidallthethingswewerecapableof,wewouldliterallyastoundourselves.”Takethecourses“HistoryofTechnology”and“TechnologyMuseumLab”seriouslyastheywilldirectlyorindirectlyintroduceyoutothosegreatself-actualizedinventorsortechnologistswhochangedtheworld.Wheneveryougetopportunities,readaboutthemfromothersourcestoo.Forexample,readaboutSushruta’sinventionsofsurgicalinstrumentswaybackinsixthcenturyBC.Hisinventions

8

werenomuchdifferentfromthemodernstainlesssteelsurgicalinstruments.Thesetwocourses(“HistoryofTechnology”and“TechnologyMuseumLab”)wereincludedinthecurriculumwithveryaimtomakeyouunderstandtheconstraintsthegreatinventorsortechnologistshadandhowtheyfoundsolutionsdespitethedifficulties.Forexample,despitebeingbroke,CharlesGoodyearsucceededinvulcanizationofrubberafterfiveyearsofdiligenceandmeticulouswork.Asyoumayknow,withoutvulcanization,naturalrubberistooweaktofindapplicationinimportantproductssuchastires.Onceyouareinspiredtomakeadifferenceinsociety,youmustgotothesocietytounderstandtheirneeds.Asapartofthecourse“HumanGeographyandSocietalNeeds”,visitvillages,towns,hospitals,schoolsetc.toidentifyaproblemtoworkon.Then,asapartof“DevelopmentEngineeringProject”,developaproductthatsolvestheidentifiedproblem.Beforethat,however,youwillhavetolearnallthebasicinnovationtoolsneededtodeveloptheproduct.

9

Chapter4.CreativityAndLearningInnovation

Scientificandtechnologicalprogresshasbeencontinuouslypushingthelimits.Theconstraintsthatearlierinventorshadarenomore,butthereareotherlimitationsnow.Theproblemsthatthesocietyfacedacenturyagomayhavebeenalreadysolvedfullyorpartly,buttherearenumerousotherproblemsyettobesolved.Besides,oldsolutionsmayhavesomescopeforimprovement.Inanycase,beforeyoufindasolution,youshouldbeawareoftheproblemitself.Sowhatwillyoudotofindthepresentdayproblemsoursocietyisfacing?Toknowtheanswer,youhavetogotothesociety,interactwiththepeople,carefullyobservetheirenvironmentandassociatedproblems,andkeepalogoftheproblemsyousee.Youwilldothisasapartofthecourse“HumanGeographyandSocietalNeeds”,asmentionedearlier.Youwillalsochooseoneproblemtosolveasapartthecourse“DevelopmentEngineeringProject.”Thereareafewcoursesthatwillprepareyoutosolvesuchproblemusingmoderntools.Asapartofthecourse“IntroductiontoEngineeringProducts”,whenyoudisassemblecontemporaryproductssuchasmotorcycle,refrigerator,washingmachine,printeretc.youwillnoticethatmostofthemwillhaveacombinationofmechanical,electricalandelectronicscomponents.Thisshowsthestateoftheartoftoolswehavenow,ascomparedtostone,bronzeandirontoolswehadinancienttimes.Someofthebasictoolsweusetodaytobuildasmartproductareelectricalpowersupply,electricalmotors,programmableelectroniccomponentssuchasmicroprocessorsandmicrocontrollers,computeraideddesign,mechanicalkinematiccomponentssuchaslinkages,camsandfollowers,gearsetc.and3Dprinters,amongothers.Thelaboratorycourse“TinkeringLab”willteachyouaboutthesemoderntools.Withthesetoolsyouwillbeabletoapplyyourcreativitytodesignandbuildinterestingproductssuchasquadcopters,remote-controlledcars,robotsetc.Acoursein“EngineeringDrawing”willenableyoutodrawthemachineanditscomponentsyouhavedesigned.Anothercourse“WorkshopPractice”willteachyoutobuildmetalcomponentsbyusingmachining,casting,welding,sheet-metalworking,carpentry,fittingetc.Innovationcomesbycreativity.Onceyouhaveidentifiedaproblemtosolveandyouknowworkingwiththemoderntools,youhavetocreativelyapplythescienceandengineeringfundamentalsyouhavelearnedtosolvetheproblem.Youwillneedtoapplyyourimaginationandthinkaboutvariouspossibilities.Thenyouhavetoselectoneviabledesignwithuniqueorinnovativefeatures,minimumpossiblecostandmaximumsocietalvalue.Youshouldnevercopyfromanexistingdesign,becauseitisagainstethicsandalso,yourdesignwillnotbeinnovativethen.Moreover,youwillthenbeworkingonaproblemthathasbeensolvedalreadyandthusnorealcontributiontothesociety.Applyyourcreativitytominimizethecost.Thefinalproductshouldbecurve-jumpingorpath-breakingintermsofitsvaluefor

10

thesocietyperunitcost.Youshouldalsopackageyourproductsuchthatitisaestheticallygoodlooking,elseitwillintimidateitscustomersorusers.Yourproductshouldbetestedthoroughlybeforeitisgiventocommonpeopleforuse.Also,yourproductmustaccompanyitsspecificationsandusers’manual.

11

Chapter5.IntroductionToManagerialSkills

Asmentionedearlier,youneedtobeaneffectivemanagertobesuccessfulinlife.And,youdonotneedtobeanMBAtobeefficientlymanagingyourdailylife.However,somecoursesonmanagementwilldefinitelyhelp.AtIITRopar,the“IndustrialManagement”coursewillwalkyouthroughoverviewofmanagement.Asapersonorprofessional,regardlessofnatureofyourjob,youwillbeprimarilydealingwithpeople,money,timeandyourself,ondailybasis.OrganizationalBehaviorisintegralpartofmanagementanditdealswitheffectivelymanagingpeoplethroughrapportbuilding.Andtobuildrapport,youhavetohaveempathyforothersandwintheirtrust.Theclassicbook“HowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeople”byDaleCarnegie,canbeappliedtoeffectivelymanageyourrelationswithpeople.Youmayread“TheE-MythRevisited:WhyMostSmallBusinessesDon'tWorkandWhattoDoAbout”byMichaelE.Gerberforbuildinganorganizationthatworks,includingitspeopleanditssystem.Youwillhavetoatleastdealwithyourpersonalfinance,ifnotcorporatefinanceasacompanyexecutive.Youshouldknowthatyoulosemoneyifyourhard-earnedmoneysitsidleinyoursavingbankaccount.Afixeddepositisbetterthanthesavingbankaccount,howevertheinterestratesmaystillbelowerthanthatofinflation.Askyour“Economics”instructoraboutinflationandwaystobeatit.TheaverageyearlyinflationrateinIndiainlastfiveyearshasgoneashighasabout11%inyear2013.In2010,itwasevenmorethan12%.Tobeatsuchinflation,youneedtotargetmorethan12%returnonyourinvestment,i.e.someschemethatatleastdoublesyourmoneyin6years.Investmentinmutualfundsordirectlyinstockmarketbearssomerisksdependingonyourchoice,buttheyhavepotentialtonotonlybeatinflationbutalsogeneratewealthforyou.Youmayreadthebook“TheIntelligentInvestor”byBenjaminGraham.TheconceptsofvalueinvestingdescribedinthisbookinspiredWarrenBuffett,whoistodayfourthwealthiestpersonintheworld.Needlesstosay,timeisprecious,wehaveonly24hourseverydayandwetypicallyhaveplentyoftaskstobecompletedondailybasis.Timemanagementskillswillgoalongwaytoefficientlyfinishjobsonyourplate.Inindustries,thereisaformalframeworkofprojectmanagementoroperationsmanagement,whichisfocusedonefficientworkflowthatultimatelyimprovesquality,savestimeandreducescost.Suchstrategiescanalsobeappliedtotime-managementofyourdailyroutine.Dealingwithyourselfmeansworkingonyourcorevaluesandbuildingyourimage.Lettingyourselfknowntoothersispartofthisgame.Onorganizationallevel,thistaskiscalledmarketingmanagementwhichmayalsobroadlyincludeadvertising,salesandpublicrelations.Onindividuallevel,youarelikea‘product’.Youwillbeableto‘sell’yourself(forajobofferetc.)ifyouaregoodandpeopleknowaboutyou.Tobehiredinagreatcompanyortogetfundingforyourstartup,youneedtobe

12

strongatyourfundaments;andtherelevantpeoplehavetoknowyouaregoodatwhatyouintendtodo.Knowledgeintheareaofintendedprofession,therefore,matters.Knowingpeoplealreadyinsuchprofessionalsomatters.Youshouldputyoureffortsinmeetingandnetworkingwithsuchpeople.Youcantakeadvantageofsocialmediaifneeded.Read“TheArtoftheStart2.0:TheTime-Tested,Battle-HardenedGuideforAnyoneStartingAnything”byGuyKawasakifortheartoflettingyourselfknownandallotherthingsimportantforanentrepreneur.ThisbookgivesanexampleofRichardBransonwhoshavedhislegs,dressedlikeanairhostessandactedasstewardessonanAirAsiaflightwhenhelostabettoAirAsia’sCEOTonyFernandes.ThisactratheradvertisedRichardBranson’sVirginGroupbrand.Youmaywanttoread“HowtobeaBillionaire:ProvenStrategiesfromtheTitansofWealth”byMartinS.Fridsontoknowoverallskillsthatmatteredforvarioussuccessfulentrepreneurs,includingSamWalton,JohnD.Rockefeller,BillGates,WarrenBuffett,andRichardBranson.Notethattheabovemanagerialskillsnotonlyapplytoabusiness,butalsotoanyorganizationandevenyourpersonallife.Beinganentrepreneurisafterallnotaboutchasingmoneybutratheranobjectivetodosomethinguniquethatotherscannot.Forentrepreneurs,moneyisjustabyproduct.Theprimaryproductisthejoyofself-realizationandgivingbacktothesociety.HenceyoumusthaveheardaboutfamousbillionairessuchasWarrenBuffett,BillGatesandMarkZuckerberggivingawaysignificantpartoftheirfortunestocharity.YoumusthavealsoheardaboutfrugallifestyleofWarrenBuffetwhocouldhaveratherlivedlavishlyifhisprimaryobjectiveweresimplyrunningaftermoney.

13

Chapter6.DevelopingCommunicationSkills

Managingpeopleornetworkingwiththemcannotbeimaginedwithouteffectivecommunication,whetheritisverbalornon-verbal.Acommandoveranofficiallanguageisanimportantpartofcommunicationskills.EnglishisnotonlylanguageofinstructionatIITs,butalsoofficiallanguageinmostofthecompaniesororganizationswhereIITgraduatesendupworking.Unfortunatelyformostofus,wehavetospendalotofextratimemasteringEnglishlanguage,asitisnotourmothertongue.Itisespeciallyunfairtothestudentswhowereeducatedinvernacularmediumofinstruction,astheynotonlyhavetospendmoretimethanothersonlearningEnglishbutalsohavetoinvariablyfacehumiliationfromfellowEnglish-educatedstudents.Giventhesystem,however,wehavenootherchoice.Ifyouwanttobeprofessionallysuccessful,youhavetomastercommunicationinEnglishanddealwithanysuchembarrassment.Firstofall,ifyouconsideryourselfgoodatcomfortablyspeakinginEnglish,pleasedonotlookdownuponthestudentswhochoosetoordidnothaveopportunitylikeyourstobeeducatedinanEnglish-mediumschool.Youshouldratheroffertohelpsuchstudents,forexamplebychattingwiththemfrequentlyinEnglish,withoutpointingoutanymistakes,withoutshowingyouaresuperiortohimsomeway.Theywillfindouttheirmistakesthemselves.Theywilllearnjustbylisteningtoyou.NotbeingabletocommunicateinEnglishproperlyshouldbetreatedbyyounotdifferentfromnotknowinghowtoplayguitarordanceproperlyetc.,whichyouyourselfmaynotknow.IfyouarefacingdifficultyincommunicatinginEnglish,firstworkonyourself-esteem.NotspeakingEnglishisnotendoftheworld;pleasedon’tloseconfidencebecauseofthat.Don’tconfineyourselfinacloset,butratheracceptthislimitationanddrawoutafour-yearplanonimprovingyourEnglishlanguageskills.Thecourse“EnglishLanguageSkills”isjustthebeginning.YouneedtofollowitupwithreadingEnglishbooksornewspapers,listeningtonewsinEnglish,writingarticlesinEnglishandgettingitcheckedbyafellowstudent,chattinginEnglishwithfellowstudents,recordingyourspeechandlisteningtoit,writingyouronlinebloginEnglish,etc.Youmayalsoconsiderforminga“group-discussion”group,whereyoucancomfortablyspeakinEnglishonvarioustopics.IfyouvowtobegoodatEnglishlanguageandgiveenoughtime,nobodycanstopyoufromthat.ForthosealreadycomfortablewithEnglish,speakingthislanguagealoneisnotenough.Communicationskillsaremorethanthat.The“ProfessionalEnglishCommunication”willintroduceyoutoelementsofverbalandnon-verbalcommunication,includingformalwritingandpresentationskills.Hereagain,thiscourseisjustanintroductorycourse.Youneedtopracticethelearntskillsasfrequentlyaspossible.Participateindebatesandgroupdiscussions.Takelaboratoryorprojectreportwritingseriously;writethemwellwithoutcopying

14

fromsomewhere,notonlybecauseyouwillgetgoodgrades,butalsobecauseyourwritingskillswillimprove.Similarly,practiceandimproveyourpresentationskills.Thiswillultimatelybeusefulwhenyoubecomeagraduatestudent,aprofessor,aCEOofacompanyoranentrepreneur.Read“TheArtoftheStart2.0:TheTime-Tested,Battle-HardenedGuideforAnyoneStartingAnything”byGuyKawasakiforhowtoprepareyourselfforapresentationandtoimpresspeople.Allstudentsmaygothrough“WordPowerMadeEasy”byNormalLewistobuildvocabulary.EvenifyouarenotinterestedinGREorTOEFL,justpreparingforthemwillimproveyourEnglishlanguageskills,intermsofvocabulary,grammar,readingandlisteningcomprehension.Barron’spreparationguideforGREandTOEFLmaythereforehelp.

15

Chapter7.MasteringTechnicalSkills

ThemainpurposetobeatanIITistomastertechnicalskills,withoutwhichyoucannotbecalledanengineer.Masteringtechnicalskillsgivesyouanupperhandintermsofgettingagoodjoborhighereducationoffer,orbuildingacurve-jumpingproductthatleadstoentrepreneurship.Forexample,FordMotor,GeneralElectric,Facebook,Microsoft,AppleandInfosyscouldnothaveexistedwithouttechnicalskillsoftheirfounders–HenryFord,ThomasEdison,MarkZuckerberg,BillGates,SteveWozniakandNarayanaMurthy,respectively.Engineeringisnothingbutmathematicsandsciencesappliedtosolvesocietalproblems.Astrongfoundationinmathematicsandsciencesis,therefore,amust.Youaccordinglyhaveanumberofsuchcourses,namely“PhysicsforEngineers”,“ChemistryforEngineers”,“BiologyforEngineers”,“Calculus”,and“LinearAlgebra,IntegralTransformsandSpecialFunctions”,amongothers.Then,therearesomebasictechnicalskillsthateveryengineershouldhave.Forexample,youshouldbeabletodrawaproductorprocesslayoutfollowingstandardconventions,sothatotherengineerscanreadilyunderstandit.Youshouldalsoknowbasicmanufacturingmethodssothatyoucanbuildaprototype.Youshouldbeabletodesignoranalyzebasicelectricalorelectroniccircuits.Youshouldknowatleastoneprogramminglanguageandbeawareofdatastructurestobeabletousecomputersforsolvingcomplexengineeringproblems.Youshouldalsobeawareofyourenvironmentanddoyourbesttosolveasocietalprobleminmostenvironment-friendlyway.Youaccordinglyhavegeneralengineeringcoursessuchas“EngineeringDrawing”,“WorkshopPractice”,“IntroductiontoElectricalEngineering”,“BasicElectronics”,“IntroductiontoComputerProgramming&DataStructure”,and“IntroductiontoEnvironmentalScience&Engineering”togiveabreadthofknowledgeinengineering.Inadditiontotheabovecourses,youwillhaveprogram-specificcorecoursesthatwillprovidedepthofknowledgeinyourdiscipline.Thelaboratorycomponentsoftheabovecourses,whereapplicable,needspecialattention.Theyaredesignednotonlytodemonstratecorrespondingtheory,butalsotogiveyourelatedhands-onexperience,especiallyintermsofcreativityandinnovation.Asapartofeverylabcomponentofacourse,thinkaboutanewexperiment,abetterwayofdoinganoldexperiment,orhowtheseexperimentscanbeappliedtosolvingsocietalproblems.Youmayalsothinkaboutbuildinganentrepreneurshipoutofthishands-onexperience.

16

Chapter8.YourFour-YearPlan

Nowyouknowthattheultimateobjectiveofanengineerorentrepreneuristosolvesocietalproblems.Youalsoknowthatyouhavetobeequallygoodatinnovating,managingandcreatingengineeringproductsinordertobeabletosolvesocietalproblems.Youhavecoursestoaddressalloftheskillsneeded.Thecoursesarelinedupinanappropriatesequence.We,however,understandthatyoumayhaveyourownobjectiveandspecificaims.Thenewcurriculumaccordinglygivesyouseveralchoices.Ifyoudidnotwanttobeanengineer,butendeduphereduetosomekindofpressure,youmaybeabletoexploreyouracademicinterestsinotherdisciplinesthroughaMinor.Forexample,ifyouwantedtobeadoctor,aMinorinBiomedicalEngineeringwillpaveawayforyoutoworkinahospitalenvironment.Similarly,youmaybeabletopursueyourinterestinliberalarts(chemistry,literature,mathematics,philosophy,physics,socialsciencesetc.)throughanappropriateMinor.Ifyouwantedtobeanengineerbutcouldnotgetadisciplineofyourchoice,youcanoptforaMinorintheengineeringdepartmentofyourchoice.Withinyourdepartmenttoo,youhaveoptionstospecializeinaparticularfieldofyourdisciplinethroughthe“Concentration”program.Ifyouareinterestedinresearch,youmayoptfortheHonorsprogram.ConcentrationandHonorsprogramwillprepareyouforhighereducationorspecializedjobs.EvenifyoudonotwanttooptfortheMinor,ConcentrationorHonorsprogram,youcanpursueyourinterestthroughelectivecourses,namelyScience-MathsElectives,Humanities&SocialSciences(HSS)Electives,ProgramElectives,andOpenElectives.Yourchoicesshouldbebasedonyourobjectives,however.Donotoptforacourseorprogramjustbecauseitisscoring,easytopassorbeingpreferredbymajorityofotherstudents.Yourbackground,circumstances,aptitudeandinterestsmaybedifferentfromothers,andhenceyourchoiceofcoursesshouldbeyourpersonaldecision,basedonyourconscienceandknowledge.Youmayconsultyourfacultyadvisorortheinstructorofthecourseofyourinterest,toformyouropinion.Thinkwhatyouwanttobeafteryougraduate.Makealistofcorrespondingattributesyoumusthavewhenyougraduate.GothroughyourHandbookofInformationand/ortheCurriculumReport(availableonlineonIITRoparwebsite)tofindthecoursesandprogramsthatwillhelpyoutohavethedesiredattributes.Planaccordinglyfortheprogramsandelectivecourses.Ifyourdesiredattributecannotbeattainedthroughavailablecoursesoracademicprograms,youneedtoplanandtakecareofityourselfinyourextratime,throughco-curricularorextra-curricularactivities;asahobby,self-studyorprivatetuitionetc.

17

Thebottom-lineisthatyoushouldhaveaclearfour-yearplanforyourselfatIITRopar,inadditiontowhatIITRoparofficiallyhasforyouthroughitsacademicandstudentwelfareprograms.And,youalsohavetoactaccordingtoyourplan,onweeklybasisorondailybasis,whateverwayyouhavedecided.

18

Chapter9.YourWeeklyScheduleAndDailyRoutine

WhenyoupreparedforJEE,forone-hourlecture,youhadtospendmanyhoursonproblemsolving.Similarly,everylectureatIITRoparrequiresaneffortfromyou,asindicatedintheL-T-P-S-Cdesignationofthecourse.The‘S’i.e.self-studycomponenttellsyoutheminimumnumberof‘hours’youneedtoputeveryweekintermsofself-studyorhomework.Forexample,acoursewith3-1-0-5-3designationmeanstherewillbe3lecturehours,1tutorialhourand5self-studyhours,everyweek.Oneclass‘hour’is50minutesatIITRopar.Forthisexamplecourse,youwillhavetoaccordinglyspend150minutesweeklyonattendinglecture,50minutesinattendingtutorial,and250minutesonclass-preparation,self-studyorassignment.Thusthiscoursewillrequirecommitmentofatleast450minutes,i.e.total7hours30minuteseveryweek.ThebasicB.Tech.hasonly145credits,18.125creditspersemesteronaverage,whichtranslatestoroughly46clockhoursperweekofcommitment.Theremainingtimeoftheweekshouldbeusedwisely.Youmustmakeaweeklytimetable,whereyoushouldscheduleyourclasses,self-study‘hours’andextra-curricularactivities,amongothers.And,youshouldstrictlyfollowthetimetable.Withoutanelaborateweeklytimetable,youcannotbeabletoefficientlymanageyourtime;youwillratherendupwastingyourtimeinmeaninglessornegativeactivities,whichmayevenactagainstwhatyouwanttobeinlongrun.Healthiswealth,andyoushouldtakeitseriously.Plantosleep8hourseveryday.Followthegoldenruleof“earlytoriseandearlytobed”.Dosomephysicalactivities,exerciseorplaysports,everyday.AvoidspendinglongonyourmobilephoneorontheInternet.ThosewhowanttoimproveEnglishlanguageskillsshouldincludeactivitiessuchasreadingnewspapers,listeningtonews,watchingEnglishmoviesorTVseries,groupdiscussionetc.,ontheirtimetable.Thoseinterestedinentrepreneurshipshouldspendsometimedailyoreveryweekoncreativityandinnovation,forexample,byreadingsomebooks,programmingorcreatingsomethinginTinkeringLaborintheWorkshopetc.Thoseinterestedinmanagementmayplantogetfirsthandexperiencebymanaginghostel-level,department-levelorinstitute-levelactivities.Theyshouldaccordinglykeepthoseactivitiesontheirtimetable.Ifyouaresittingidleorawakeaftermidnightjusttalkingabouttheproblems,browsingtheInternet,watchingmoviesorplayingcomputergames,thenyouarenotcorrectlyutilizingyourtime.Itmayhaverepercussiononyourhealthandcareer,infuture.Youshould,therefore,becareful.Ifyouarenotinterestedindevelopingyourentrepreneurial,managerialortechnicalskills,thentheworstthing

19

youcandoistodisturbothersordiscourageotherstoutilizetheirtimeforintendedpurpose.

20

Chapter10.YourHostelOrSocialLife

Astheysay,ahostelisahomeawayfromhome.However,itgivesyoualotoffreedomthatausualhomecannotprovide.Youmust,therefore,usethefreedomtoyouradvantagetolearntobeonyourown.Donotmisusethefreedomtoindulgeinillegalorunethicalactivities,orpropagatenegativeenvironment.Ahostelprovidesampleopportunitiestogrowsocially.Youhaveroommatesandhostel-mates,withwhomyouhavetogetalong,regardlessofwhethertheyarepsychologicallycompatibletoyou.Incaseofanyconflictwiththem,resolvetheissueprofessionally,throughempathy,one-to-onediscussion,orviaacommonfriendorneutralmediator.Incaseofconfusion,putyourselfinother’sshoeskeepingyouregoandselfishnessaside.Thatisthematurewayofbehavingandimprovingyourinterpersonalskills.Ahostelgivesyouanopportunitytoimproveyourleadershipskillsthroughitsstudent-governmentorexecutiveboard,socialandculturalactivities,andsports.Trytoplayanactiveroleinthestudentgovernmentandbecomeanoffice-bearerofyourhostel.Atleastparticipateinhostel-relatedactivitiessuchasgeneralbodymeeting,intra-hostelsportsmeetorintra-hostelsocialandculturalevents.Itisalsogoodtobuildauniqueidentityofyourhostel,intermsofitsorganizationandculture.Participateininter-hostelactivities,suchassports,andsocialandculturalevents.Ahealthycompetitionamongallthehostelsencouragesunityandcamaraderie.Ahealthyenvironmentonthecampusisthenetoutcome.Ingeneral,ahostelisagoodplacetolearnmanagementskills.Ahostelisakintoacompany,asitinvolvespeople,finances,eventsandpublicrelationstobemanaged.You,alongwiththewardensandadministrativestaff,arelikeemployeesofthatcompany.Youhavetoworktogethertofulfillobjectivesofthehostelandcarryouttheevents.Youcanbecomealeaderifyouhaveappropriateskillsorgreatideasforyourhostel.Forexample,ifyouhavegoodinterpersonalskills,youcaneasilybuildrapportwithyourhostel-mates,influencethemandhelpthehostelachieveconsensus.

21

Chapter11.DoingProjects

Projectshavemultipleobjectives.Bydoingprojectsyounotonlyapplythetechnicalskillsyouhavelearnt,butalsoapplyyourcreativity,innovation,managementandcommunicationskills.Thisisthereasonwhyprojectsfigureinmostofcampusinterviews.Youshould,therefore,takeprojectsseriously.Youshouldtakethisopportunitytoshowcaseyourtalentsintermsofyourtechnicalknowledge,ingenuity,planningandexecution.Thereisnoharmindoingthat.Byseriouslyworkingonyourproject,youcanonlyearngoodgrades,getagreatjoborhigherstudyoffer,andonedaybecomeasuccessfulentrepreneur.Moreover,youmayalsogetafeelingofself-realization,i.e.immensesatisfactionofapplyingyouruniqueskillstobeabletosolvearealsocietalproblem.Therearethreecapstoneprojectcourses,namely“DevelopmentEngineeringProject”,“CapstoneProjectI”and“CapstoneProjectII”,inyourB.Tech.curriculum.OnlyforthoseoptingfortheHonorsprogram,therearetworesearchprojectcourses,viz.“HonorsProjectI”and“HonorsProjectII”.Now,probablythefirstthingyouwouldliketoknowisthedifferencebetweenacapstoneprojectandaresearchproject.Acapstoneprojectisaboutdesigningandbuildingarealengineeringproduct;aresearchproject,ontheotherhand,isabouttheoretical,numericalorexperimentalinvestigationofsomethingunknown,whichmayormaynotinvolvebuildinganengineeringproduct.“DevelopmentEngineeringProject”isaimedatbuildingaproductthatdirectlysolvesasocietalproblemidentifiedthroughthecourse“HumanGeographyandSocietalNeeds”.“CapstoneProjects”,ontheotherhand,isaimedatbuildinganyengineeringproductofinterest,eitherprescribedbythedepartment,acollaboratingcompany,individualfacultymemberetc.,orchosenbyastudent.“CapstoneProjectII”isintendedtobecontinuationof“CapstoneProjectI”.PartIshouldbedevotedtoproblemidentification,literaturesearch,planning,designing,preparingbillofmaterialsandorderingthematerials.PartII,onthehand,shouldbedevotedtoproduction,testing,implementationandfinalreportwriting.“HonorsProjectsII”isintendedtocontinuefrom“HonorsProjectsI”.Herealso,PartIisaboutfinalizingproblemstatement,literaturesearch,planning,andpreliminarywork.PartIIisaboutfinishingtheremainingworkindetails,writingthesis,andgiveoralpresentation.Timemanagementisanintegralpartofyourproject.Worksincerelyandavoidpostponingyourwork.Ifyouleavemostofthethingstolastmoment,e.g.toaweekortwobeforethefinalevaluation,thenyouhavefailedtheverypurposeofaprojectthatratherintendstomakeyouworksystematicallyandcontinuouslyaspertheplan,asitisdoneinanyworkplaceorasyoudidduringtheJEEpreparation.

22

Chapter12.ChoosingInternships

EveryB.Tech.studentwillhavetosuccessfullycomplete“IndustrialInternshipandComprehensiveVivaVoce”,thathas70%weightageona8-weekindustrialinternshipand30%oncomprehensivevivaonprogramfundamentals.Theindustrialinternshipnotonlypreparesyouforanindustry,butalsogivesyouanopportunityto‘try’acompanyoranorganizationbeforeyouplantojointhemafteryougraduate.Ifyouimpressacompanyduringyourinternship,youmayalsogetapre-placementoffer.Internshipsare,therefore,importantandshouldbetakenseriously.Theusualinternshipisscheduledduringthesummerfollowingsixthsemester.Ifyoucanfinishallthecreditrequirementsbyseventhsemester,youcanalsoavailanadditionalsix-monthinternshipoverlappingthefinal,i.e.eighthsemester.Aseightweeksarenotenoughtocompleteameaningfulproject,afewgoodcompaniesrequireaminimumofsixmonthsforaninternship.Nevertheless,aneight-week-longindustrialinternshipisenoughtolearnwork-life,formalismandprofessionalism.Aninternshipistherightplaygroundtolearnentrepreneurshipandmanagement.Whileonaninternship,giveattentiontohowthecompanyisorganized,whataretheirvisionandmission,andwhataretheirstrategicplans.Findoutaboutallthedepartmentsthecompanyhas.Ifpossible,haveameetingwiththedepartmentheads.Findoutthedetailsaboutthecompany’spersonnelmanagement,financialmanagement,operationsmanagement,marketingmanagement,salesmanagement,systemsmanagementetc.Findoutespeciallyhowthiscompanywasstarted,whowerethekeypeople,andwhatweretheirprofessionalbackgrounds.Allcompanieshavesomeelementsofentrepreneurshipandmanagementthatyoucanlearnandapplyinyourfuture.Aneight-weekperiodistooshortforlearningeverydetailaboutthecompany,butyoushouldgetoverviewofwhatengineersdoexactlyatthatcompany.Concentrateonthetechnicalprocedurethecompanyfollowsinordertodesignandmanufactureitsproductsandtherelevanttheoriestheyemploy.Makeanoteofthemachinestheyhaveforproductionandtheirestimatedcost.Attheendoftheinternship,ifyouhaveafairideaabouttheentrepreneurial,managerialandtechnicalenvironmentanengineerhastoworkin,thenthemainobjectiveoftheinternshiphasbeenfulfilled.Tobetrainedtoworkintheindustrialenvironmentissecondaryobjective.Workingonaliveprojectatthatcompanyistertiaryobjective.Gettingaprojectfromindustrytoworkon,asapartofCapstoneProjectorHonorsProjectisthefourthobjective.Gettingajobofferfromthatcompanyisthefifthobjective.

23

Whilechoosingforacompanyoranorganizationforaninternship,findoutifaninternshipinthatcompanycanfulfillsomeoftheaboveobjectives.Ideally,youshouldtrytogetalloftheobjectivesfulfilled,totakefulladvantageoftheinternshipprogram.Internshipwillbeevaluatedinseventhsemester,throughapresentationandcomprehensivevivavoce.

24

Chapter13.YourJobInterviews

YourfirstjobisjustanextensionofyourB.Tech.education.Thefirstjobshouldideallyatanorganizationwhereyoucangaingoodwork-experienceinyourpreferredarea,whichwillhelpyouingettingadreamjobofferorwhichwillopenadoorofentrepreneurshipinlongrun.Itshouldnotbemerelybasedonwhatpaysyouthemost.Moneylooksattractiveinshortrun,butitshouldnotbeatexpenseoffutileworkexperience,whichwillruinyourcareerinlongrun.Thecomprehensivevivapartofthe“IndustrialInternshipandComprehensiveVivaVoce”courseisaimedatnotonlyevaluatingindustrialinternship,butalsoatgaugingyourpreparednessforjobinterviews,particularlyatfindingoutwhereyoustandintermsoftheengineeringfundamentsrelevanttoyourdepartment.Thefacultymemberswillaccordinglygiveyoutheirfeedback.Thecampusinterviewtypicallyhastwoparts,firstawrittentestandthenapersonalinterview.Thewrittentestmaybeonengineeringfundamentalsrelatedtoyourdepartmentand/orgeneralaptitudetestconsistingofverbal,analyticalandquantitativereasoning.ThewrittentestmayalsoevaluateyourEnglishlanguageskills,e.g.readingcomprehension,grammarandvocabulary.Havingqualifiedthewrittentest,youwillbecalledforapersonalinterview.Thepersonalinterviewisaimedatgaugingyourpersonalityandsuitabilityfortheworkprofile.Therearesomegeneraltraitseverycompanyislookingfor,e.g.maturity,humility,honesty,ethics,goodcommunicationskills,confidence,diligence,etc.Thelastthingstheyarelookingforarearroganceanddishonesty,regardlessofhowtalentedyouare.Ifyouareverystrongatfundamentals,theywillmostlikelyrelaxtheircriteriaoncommunicationskills.BeinganIITiandoesnotguaranteeyoucanfitacompany,youhavetoprovethatyouarefirstofallagoodhumanbeing,thenhavegoodgraspoffundamentals,andcanalsocommunicatewell.Mostoften,theinterviewersaskyouaboutyourproject.Theyaskyoutodescribeit.Basedonyourdescription,theywillinstantlyknowaboutyourcommunicationskills.Basedonthedifficultyleveloftheproject,theywillevaluateyourcapacitytosolvecomplexproblems.Theamountofworkdonewilltellthemhowmuchhardworkingyouare.Furtherquestionstounderstandyourprojectmaybeaimedatgaugingyourfundamentals.Anynegativecluessuchasarrogance,lies,unethicalbehavioretc.willletthemknowyouarenotniceasapersonandtheywillimmediatelydecidetonothireyou.RememberMaslow’shierarchyofneeds?Ifyoucanshowyouhaveidentifiedandsolvedasocietalproblemasapartofthecapstoneprojects,itwillnotonlybeaself-realizationneedbeingfulfilledforyou,butalsoimpresspeople,includingtheinterviewers.Itisthehighestlevelofmaturityyoucanshowtothem.Iftheyalso

25

cometoknowyouareverygoodatsomehobby,playingmusicalinstruments,buildingrobots,orplayingbadmintonetc.,itwillautomaticallymeanyouhaveahighself-esteem.Youwillnaturallyhaveconfidence,asyourfriendsandclassmatesmusthavealreadypraisedyouforyourskills.Theinterviewersmaythereforeaskaboutyourextracurricularactivities.Afriendlyandpleasingpersonalitywillfacelessdifficultyingettinghisorherbelongingneedsfulfilled,andhencesuchapersonalityispreferred.Runningaftermoney,blindlychoosingacompanyformoneyornotjoiningagoodcompanyjustbecauseitispayinglessisasignofimmaturity,short-sightednessandnotcomingabovethesecurityneeds.Aftergettingajob,donotstopstudyingaltogether.Remember,theaimofyourstudyisnottojustgetanyjob,buttomakeadifferenceinsociety.Inthatrespect,gettingajobonlymeansnecessarybasicfinancialsecuritysothatyoucanconcentrateonyourpriorities.Futureisunpredictable.Youneverknowwhatyouwillendupdoinginfuture.Studying,increasingyourknowledgeorsimplyimprovingyourgradeswillalwayshelpyouinyourlife,intermsofoptionsandopportunitiesitwillprovide.