Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology - [IIEST] Shibpur, Howrah

The timetable of the IIEST university has been modified and implemented since 2017. For the working days, i.e. Monday to Friday each week, the timing is as follows. 

• Half First: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. with 4 periods each of 55 minutes.
• Break: 12:40 to 13:50 is the time for a break.
• Second Half: from 13:50, till 16:35 (3 periods each of 55 minutes)

The rest of the day is yours after the classes finish at 16:35.

Only holidays allowed by the Central Government of India are considered, although during local Bengali festivities you can have holidays if the professors permit. A 4-week long leave is offered after the odd semester. Even semesters commence from the first week of January. After even semesters, you will get an interval of around 2.5 months. During which you can do your internship.

In odd semesters, the number of working days is more than in even semesters. For more details regarding the same, you can check the academic calendar available on the website of the institute. 

I have been studying at IIEST Shibpur for a year. Here are some things I can tell you about my college from personal experience-

• Infrastructure- The college has good labs and internet facilities. The campus roads are in a good condition, and the number of hostels has increased.

• Academics- Most of the faculty members are supportive. They encourage research and innovation. IIEST has been signing MOU’s with various industries and educational institutions. It gets decent funding from the central government for various research projects. It invites eminent personalities from various fields to enlighten the students. 

• Placements- IIEST is performing decently well in placements and rankings.

IIEST Shibpur is performing well in every aspect, and it is growing continuously. Long gone are the days when the institute was heavily influenced by political forces. At present, it is focused on delivering good academics, placements and research opportunities for its students.

My first year at IIEST Shibpur was full of new experiences. 

I arrived at the campus on a Sunday. I had to share a room with three other B.Tech students. One of them was from CST like me, and the other two were from Mechanical. I was quite nervous about sharing a room with so many other people. 

I was careless enough to not have checked the class schedule. On learning that our morning classes start at 8 am, I was a little shook. I wasn’t a morning person, so the thought of waking up that early was an unpleasant one. 

For my first academic day at IIEST, I woke up by 6 am and got ready by 7:30 am. My friend and I attended the electronics class, mistaking it for our English lecture. We laughed a lot on our silly mistake, and went on attending the rest of the classes as per schedule, till 5 pm. 

The seniors were friendly, given that one remained in their good books. My hostel friends and the time spent with them, is the most precious take away from IIEST for me. The first year schedule is quite grilling, and added to it are the PT classes. Regardless, I’ll always cherish the memories I made at IIEST Shibpur.

IIEST Shibpur is one of the oldest colleges in India. Other than that, it is an institute of national importance. It has an edge over a number of other engineering colleges in the country. 

IIEST is placed 35th in the NIRF engineering rankings 2023. Its campus life, academics, and extracurricular facilities are all good. This college has a rich legacy, and it offers a good student life. The years spent at IIEST will be one of the most memorable years of your life. You will get ample growth opportunities over here. 

Thus, you should definitely consider this college for your engineering studies.

IIEST Shibpur ranks in the top 20 engineering colleges of India. 

The college offers decent placements and is one of the best in India for research. It is an alma mater of numerous successful personalities. Many of its alumni have singlehandedly started industries in modern India. IIEST graduates have also done wonders in other fields such as singing, songwriting, poetry, drama, novel writing, etc.

The college has signed multiple MOUs with numerous prestigious universities. A few years back, the then President of India inaugurated the country’s first smart power grid at IIEST. This smart power grid can produce energy from a large range of renewable resources.

IIEST Shibpur has a rich legacy in the field of Engineering. You should consider this college for your engineering studies. 

The Bengal Engineering College (BEC) Shibpur has a rich legacy of its own. It was unfortunate that BEC opted for the IIEST tag in 2014.

Becoming an IIT won’t be the best for IIEST Shibpur. The internal governance of IITs is completely different. Becoming one of them will be a great blow to the autonomy of IIEST. This autonomy was already compromised when the college acquired the IIEST tag.

But the chances of IIEST becoming an IIT are very faint. Bengal already has an IIT of its own, and the chances of another institute acquiring this status are negligible at present.

Both COEP and IIEST Shibpur are heritage colleges of India. COEP was established in 1854, and IIEST in 1856. Here are some differences between the two-

• Location- COEP is located in the heart of Pune city. Pune will expose you to numerous opportunities that you couldn’t have otherwise accessed in small towns and cities. IIEST is located in Howrah, 15 minutes away from Kolkata city. Kolkata offers amazing food, ambiance, and exposure.

• Research- COEP isn’t inclined towards research, and its students mostly aim for good placements. This is a drawback if you want to pursue higher studies in the future. IIEST Shibpur is one of the best colleges for research. In this regard, it stands just below IISc and old IITs.

• Placements- COEP offers better placements, especially for CS/IT. The research-oriented environment of IIEST affects its placements to a certain extent. Coal India, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Texas Instruments and PwC are some of the companies that visit IIEST for placements.

• Extracurriculars- COEP has really good extracurricular facilities. It even boasts of a boat club. IIEST Shibpur has fewer extracurricular facilities. However, since being updated to an Institute of National Importance, it has witnessed an increase in clubs, societies, and events. Some of these are- the Kolkata Comic Carnival, TEDx, and the Astronomy Club.

Both the colleges have their strengths and weaknesses. You should choose between them based on your personal preference.