First of all, IIT Kanpur does not offer Biotechnology, rather it offers Biological Sciences and Bioengineering. This is a good choice for those who don’t have any specific interests and are ready to study biology. In IIT Kanpur your CPI values much more than your branch. So don’t waste too much time deciding on one and just go for any of it.
Placements: IIT Kanpur has both core and noncore jobs in abundance. Core jobs are a bit lesser than non-core jobs with only a handful of core companies. However, the majority of recruiters offer non-core jobs for which the only requirement is a good CPI. Here, your branch does not matter and the role offered is nothing related to your branch. To a certain extent, non-core packages offered are better than core packages so most students prefer this.
Curriculum: The ocean of electives available to choose from at IIT Kanpur, makes it possible for students to explore much more than their branch. You are also eligible to do a major or minor in any other branch provided you fulfill its minimum CPI criteria. IIT Kanpur also has a branch change faculty at the end of the first year. All this flexibility makes IIT Kanpur’s curriculum a much coveted one.
Lastly, I would like to comment that your choice of Institute is also crucial. The opportunities and exposure offered matter a lot and IIT Kanpur offers it all!
With no specific area of interest, the best option for you is IIT Delhi Biotechnology. Here are a few points to support my opinion
IIT Delhi is the dream college of many owing to the excellent brand name and opportunities it offers. Trust me, once you are inside your branch will hardly matter.
Biotechnology is a research-oriented branch with great scope in the same. The core job prospects within India are scarce but in abundance outside India. This is because of the high demand for this branch outside India.
This branch is expected to grow in the near future in India too, but as of now most Biotechnology students only prefer foreign countries mainly US or Europe for research and jobs.
Non-core job opportunities are unlimited spreading across various fields like Coding, Software jobs, Data analysis, Data Scientist, and UPSC among many others. Keeping in mind the usual trend, most IIT Roorkee students belonging to the Biotechnology branch opted for Non-core placements and only a handful continued their interest in research work.
It all boils down to your performance throughout the 4 years and your personal preferences. Be it core or non-core, IIT Roorkee has opportunities for everyone.
The choice of Institute or even the choice of the branch depends on where your inclinations lie. Still, if I would have been in your place, I would have opted for either IIT Roorkee Electrical or Electronics. Here are a few points that justify my inclination towards IIT Roorkee in general and these branches specifically
All in all, the Institute and the branches are much coveted and should be preferred over the other options you have.
Frankly speaking, Biotechnology is yet to make it big at least in India. It's in its initial stage and still requires a lot of time to be at par with other branches of Engineering. India has little to offer in this field and thus job opportunities are limited or almost non-existent.
Outside India, Biotechnology is in full bloom offering splendid courses in the most renowned foreign universities. One of its fields, Synthetic Biology is one of the most pursued fields abroad and offers excellent opportunities.
Here is the bright side, IIT Madras has ties with many foreign universities thus opening gates for its students to step out and gain exposure in the form of semester exchange programs which is not possible at IITR.
Let me warn you that Biotechnology as a field has limited or no placement scope owing to its research-oriented nature. So if it's a high salary you are after, it's not too late to look for another branch as this field is only for the passionate.
I would any day recommend you to join IIT Kharagpur as it is the oldest IIT and well established today. Here are some strong points that might convince you to join IIT Kharagpur:
Except for CS and ECE, all the other branches get similar treatments during the open to all placements of IIT KGP.
The placement opportunities for M.Tech students in biotechnology at Anna University are very rare. My friend is a student of Anna University currently pursuing M. tech in biotechnology. She told me that the reality is different once you get into college. No doubt the teachers and curriculum are top notch, but the sole focus throughout the entire first year is studies. There are no practicals at all. Rather it looks like studying the core subjects of B.Tech with higher level education.
The second year has both minor and major projects. Once you are done with the projects you have to do the job seeking alone. There are no placements. Sometimes your mentor can offer you a decent package that will give you sufficient industrial exposure. After this you can apply for high-paying jobs also.
No, personally I wouldn’t suggest pursuing biotechnology at NIT Jalandhar. But still, if you have decided on that consider the following points:
Learn to code also. This is because the number of placements for biotechnology is very few. So you can get into an IT Company.
If you are seriously interested in biotechnology then the best option is to sit for the GRE or TOEFL and do masters in a foreign university.
The last option is to prepare for an MBA.
So to pursue biotechnology in the long run you must aim at moving abroad. The scope is high in foreign universities.