A review of the semester placements—continued from page 1
Epic Systems, a healthcare software company in the United States, offered the highest
package to a Computer Science undergraduate, Mayank Gupta.
preparation for interviews should start off earlier, as more than just academics matter in
interviews. “We observed that most companies look for certain basic qualifications in
candidates, such as data analytical ability, soft skills and technomanagement potential.”
All in all, the efforts of the Placement Unit seem to have paid off, right from calling
CGPA vs Percentage Placed
Not uncommon these days, are virtual interviews and recruitments in telepresence
rooms. Remote placement is especially a boon for BITSians as the number of companies
that can be called over for recruitments during the peak season is limited to 3 or 4 per
day due to the constraint of accommodation. Now, however, as companies meet
candidates via video-conferencing, this problem is somewhat solved. Noteworthy of
mention in this context is BITSConnect, a multi-million dollar BITSAA project which
aims at bringing all the 4 campuses together through telepresence and inter-connectivity.
Companies that have shied away from making it all the way to Pilani can now recruit
people from here by going to the Goa and Hyderabad campuses, by means of
BITSConnect.
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Appeared
% Placed
Above 8
16
100
7 to 8
172
100
6 to 7
180
95
Below 6
48
67
Shyam cannot lay more emphasis on the need to maintain a decent CGPA, with 170 of
those placed having a CGPA between 7 and 8. While this is not the only criterion, it does
serve as an eligibility criterion, a filter of sorts, for companies to shortlist from a bigger companies the year round to working as much as 20 hours a day during peak placement
group. Also, he spoke about the general BITSian lack of awareness of the finer aspects of time. Second semester placements are gaining momentum and one hopes that this brings
the recruitment process and what companies usually look for. Also, he reckons that more (and better) companies to Pilani henceforth.
Interview with the Director—continued from Page 1
After an hour of characteristic delay, the APOGEE Review Committee began at 8 pm in
the SAC Amphi on Thursday, April 15. From the very beginning, this ARC showed signs
of deviating from the established pattern, as the President skipped the customary financial
summary for lack of a complete budget analysis, but did inform the GBM that the fest
was expected to be in a profit. Or at the very least, break even.. Here’s a look at the
highlights from what ensued.
While APOGEE was highly commendable with regard to the increase in the number of
outstation participants (credit to PCr), impressive line-up for Think Again (credits to PEP
and according to PEP, to the institute as well), issues are always bound to crop up. One,
of course, was the malware attack on the official site and its subsidiaries. DVM thanked
everyone for putting up with the nuisance and explained how it handled it as well as it
could. Further complaints about the website led to the SU reminding DVM that its
primary concern is the website and videos, and that it shouldn’t take up more than it can
handle. Another, as Lights and Sounds brought up, was the lack of equipment and proper
power supply to the Rotunda. They pointed out that a hefty investment over 2 lakh would
be needed to overcome this, and CRC suggested that they submit a proposal which would
be forwarded to the institute. Rumours of Stock Market Simulation being rigged were
aired and dismissed. The B2 co-ordinator unleashed a slew of complaints against Controls,
beginning with ‘Controls second years are very arrogant’ and concluding with relatively
pettier ones like not receiving judge-sheet folders on time.
Sponz pointed out that the pressure on the department to procure sponsorship for APOGEE
is extremely high as compared to other fests, where it forms a smaller part of the budget, and
To this, the CRC said that until such a time when we can generate sufficient revenue from
alternative sources, such a demand will unfortunately continue to exist. The source of
income created by Aarohan (which generated over 4 lakh rupees) was applauded but the
Department of External Affairs, which has newly been created for the purpose of its
execution, was admonished for not being efficient. While it was cut some slack on
grounds of its members not yet being properly trained, it was told to ensure that a proper
organizational structure is put in place soon.
Two complaints were raised about prize money, both of them involving High Sierra bags.
A kernel event winner complained about the low cash prize of only Rs 5000, failing to pay
heed to the 4000 rupees’ worth of bags that had accompanied this amount, although
Controls reminded him of these two bags repeatedly. He was chastised for comparing the
prize money to other colleges with different financial situations and posting about the
same on a public forum. The B2 co-ord also demanded to know why High Sierra bags
were given as prizes at OHT even though it wasn’t sponsored by that company, and not at
his own event that had a far higher participation. There were talks of ‘Quality versus
quantity’, and Controls explained its merchandise-distribution policy and the SU promised
to look into it. Further after the issue of arbitrary distribution of Codechef Tshirts by
DVM and DExA was raised, CRC recommended that such distribution be regulated by
Controls in the future.
Our Director while describing the many uses of Rotunda said, “I haven’t seen a lot of
students using the Rotunda after it has been opened. I would like the students to make
much more use of it than they currently are. Suppose a group of you wish to dance,
you are free to come here and do that. I have even asked the Music Club to come and
perform here sometime this semester.” – which probably gave birth to the much
anticipated “Unplugged Nite”. Apart from this, all the FDs will undergo a major
renovation, work on which has already started. The Pharmacy and Biology labs have
already undergone a major revamp, with new equipment being purchased and the
Physics and Chemistry laboratories are also expected to follow suit. Meanwhile, the
Civil and Chemical departments in FD1 will be expanded and a number of classrooms
will be built in the space vacated by the departments moved to the NAB. All the FDs
will have wireless internet connection, the access to which will be provided to all
teachers and students shortly. The tentative deadline for this renovation is 2016.
Gym-G: Come June 2015, and the sports enthusiasts on campus will be in for a
delight because BITS might just be home to one of the finest sporting facilities any
college in this country has ever seen. Prof. Raghurama brought out a huge spiral book,
containing the plans and designs of how the different areas of campus will look like
once Project Parivartan is over, as he listed out the details of what they had in mind
for the Gym-G, “We will start by remodeling the Tennis courts. Then a cricket ground
will be built, adjacent to which will be a hockey field. Around this will be an athletics
track.” The Director also talked of the possibility of combining the Gym-G and MedC grounds to create a sporting complex.
In the end, the Director had just one message for the student community. A lot of
effort and money has gone into the conceptualization and realization of Project
Parivartan and all the associated changes that have been taking place on campus over
the last two years, and while encouraging students to make use of the facilities as best
they can, should bear in mind the responsibility that comes attached with it. With
these words spoken, the interview came to an end giving us an insight into what
transformations can we expect to see on campus in the coming years.
Early on into the meeting, a couple of CoStAAns brought up the fact that a few major
decisions could not be taken because of the financial CoStAAn’s absence at certain
CoStAA meetings. A vote was subsequently taken to pass a motion stipulating a minimum
attendance to be made compulsory for all members of this CoStAA, to be maintained by
the CRC. Another major bone of contention was the role of H-Reps and SU volunteers,
who were often absent from or went missing during mess signings and other occasions. A
second vote was called (and passed) to detail the responsibilities of the UC in the
functioning of the tech fest.
‘Either create a charter that lists all H-reps’ responsibilities, or remove them from the organizing body of
APOGEE.’
‘It is not their job; they are not in APOGEE at all.’
‘Then whose job is it?’ ‘Why are they sitting on the dais?’
‘They are outsiders. How can the people who have organized APOGEE, review APOGEE?!’
‘Then what are you two doing there?’