Starting a journey doesn’t require any tips as such. You just need to keep your morale high throughout the journey. Also, NIT, Calicut is an amazing place to study in. Yes whatever happens in these four years here, you're going to remember it for your lifetime.

Life at NITC can be segregated into two parts:

• If you are from Northern India food might be a problem as well as the change of the climate. It will take some time to get used to.
• If you are from Southern India you are familiar with the culture, climatic condition and food.

Here are some helpful facts for your joining in the first year:

1. Keep your attendance in account, The faculties at NITC are really very strict and the attendance limit is 80%.
2. Initially, seniors will be very mischievous and make you do notorious stuff and be harsh on you. But once all these are over they'd be extremely friendly and cooperative.
3. Look upon your subjects: If you're an average student, keep your eyes out for Basic Electrical Sciences, Engineering Mechanics, and Physics in the first year.
4. NITC hosts two of the most important fests in South India, Tathva and Ragam. So as a first year, take part in PAD and INFRA works and do your contribution to the college. It is also a great way to make contacts with seniors, which would be useful later.
5. Balance academics and extracurricular activities: Give proper time for studies so that it will not create an additive burden during the exam time. Never leave your work pending. 
6. Visit places in and near NITC, Have your share of leisure. Take time out for yourself and to know the place you are going to be in for the major 4 years of your life.

Joining a club at the end of first year is essentialfor every student. It will not only help you to gain a lot of knowledge regarding things but also, develop social skills, and obtain many contacts.

Yes, 1st year will be a bit difficult for all but after 2–3 months you get habitual of everything so don’t worry much it’s a beautiful place to live in.

Having friends studying at NIT Calicut, I am well aware of both the positive and negative aspects of the institution. Let us go through it to give you a proper idea about the institute.

Positive aspects:

• The majority of the faculties are dedicated and highly qualified and experienced. Libraries are well maintained. Academics is the biggest plus point of NITC.
• You can opt for any mess on campus and you are not restricted to the mess of the hostel, where you reside. This helps you deal away from eating the same type of food daily.
• Hostels are right next to the academic block which saves a lot of your time. There is a mini canteen inside the campus where you can get delicious food at affordable prices.
• Climate is very pleasant at Calicut. The campus is picturesque and has a nice ambiance for studies.
• Popular tourist spots like Ooty, Wayanad, Kodaikanal, Mahe, Goa are nearby and serve as good locations for your weekend trips.
• Students rarely fail in exams. If at all someone fails, courses are given during vacation where you can learn concepts, reappear, and clear exams.

Negative aspects:

• Girls hostels have a strict curfew. They should go back to their hostels before 7 PM. Even if there are some genuine reasons you are not allowed to stay out beyond 7 PM.
• First-year students are not allowed to use laptops even though the curriculum needs one. 
• Internet facilities at the hostel are very weak. Only BSNL sim has good coverage in the area.
• Hostels have no washing machine facility. There is a laundry service by the college which takes 5 days to a week to deliver back the clothes.
• Summers can be pretty humid, hot, and unpleasant.

Just like the two faces of a coin, NITC has both positive and negative sides. From your perspective, if positives outshine negative aspects do consider joining NIT Calicut.

Yes, there are various scholarships available for OBC students studying at NIT Calicut. There is one scholarship called MOMA, it is a Merit cum scholarship. It is of national level Central government funded scholarships. State government funded scholarships are also available. 

All OBC students are eligible to apply for this scholarship. The notification for this scholarship will be displayed in the academic building. The student can ask the dates for the form from the seniors.

For all the information, one can visit the district welfare department website and get the required information. One can also talk to a fellow senior student and know all the requirements and information of the scholarship.

Last year my brother completed his engineering physics from NIT Calicut and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in London. As his batchmates choose different career ways after the completion of the course, here are some of the common options you can consider.

• Pursue higher studies like MS/Ph.D. in foreign countries like the US, Europe or Australia.
• If you want to be in India, you can go for higher studies or an integrated Ph.D. in IITs or IISCs, by claiming the PMRF(Prime Minister Research Fellowship).
• You can choose to sit in the campus recruitment program in the “Any Branch category”. 
• Here you can grab many opportunities such as coding (Eg: Zoho, TCS, Wipro), Data Analytics (Eg: LatentView Analytics), Consultancies (Eg: ZS Associates), Coaching institutes (Eg: TIME, FIITJEE, Topperlearning), Stocks, etc.
• You can pursue MBA by clearing the CAT exams and going to prestigious institutes of India like IIMs, IIFT, IITs, XLRI, etc.
• Go for your own startup if you aim to be an entrepreneur.
• You can also prepare for government service exams like UPSC CSE, State PSC, Bank PO, RBI, etc.

Above mentioned are some of the most common pathways most people follow after completion of engineering from NIT Calicut. It totally depends on your choice of what is your passion and goals in life. Apart from these you can also think out of the box and come up with unique ideas.

NIT Surathkal and NIT Calicut both are considered among the top NITs. According to the overall NIRF Ranking NIT Surathkal has been better than NIT Calicut. Having some friends studying in both these institutes, I can say that It totally depends on the aspect you are looking for. 

• Both of them are NIT and hence the degree value will be the same. 
• NIT Calicut has the better CSE department out of the two. 
• If you look at placement records, almost 95% of the students from NIT Calicut get placed with the best companies. 
• While almost 85% of students get placed in NIT Surathkal.
• If looking at the academic and placement criteria then NIT Calicut is better than NIT Surathkal. 
• The faculties are almost the same in both the institutes. 

In terms of education and placement students prefer to go to NIT Calicut and hence it would be the better option of the two.

There are several alumni of NIT Calicut who have contributed a lot towards the development and upliftment of NIT Calicut and its students. One of them is Mr. Prakash Shetty, the founder and Managing Director of Gasotech India Ltd. 

• The company Gasotech Consultancy and Marketing Services was established back in 2005 by Mr. Prakash Shetty, who already had experience in Rotating Machinery for over 20 years in M/S Engineers India Ltd (EIL).
• Mr. Prakash Shetty is very much involved in spreading modern technical awareness in the institute. He supports the institute a lot in the technical and cultural fests, namely Tathva and Ragam.
• He has funded several teams from the institute in various projects and works, through sponsorship. There was an instance in 2012 when a team called TUW faced a shortage of funds in an off-road vehicle designing and manufacturing competition. One of my friends was on that team. Mr. Shetty came forward and supported the team monetarily.
• He has funded several teams in various technical events and competitions that have helped students gain experience for their career paths.

To conclude, the monetary and technical aid from Mr. Prakash Shetty is great support for the students of NIT Calicut and is in a way a great help in critical circumstances to many deserving students.