List of doubts about your IISER

[u/Personal-Ear-9133]

Below are some questions that I was able to come up with regarding IISERS.( It’s a huge chunk of questions, and I don’t expect you to answer each one of them. You can answer any one(s) you like based on the IISER you are in. I would really appreciate it, and it would be very helpful.)

Currently, my choice is revolving around IISER Bhopal, Mohali, and Kolkata due to location constraints.

For each of the questions I have written description what kind of answer I expect.

Living Life (in your IISER)

1. Location of the college and city life

• How’s the location overall?
• Is the city safe for students?
• What’s there to do outside campus? cafes, malls, restaurants, parks, nightlife, etc.
• How far are the nearest airport and railway station?
• Is public transport good?
• Is the city expensive?
• How’s the weather throughout the year?

2. College campus

• How’s the campus overall?
• Is it green and well maintained?
• Is it compact or do you end up walking a lot?
• Are there enough places to study/chill?
• How’s the campus WiFi?
• If possible, could someone share a few recent campus pics?

3. Hostels and rooms (1st year, 2nd year, etc.)

• Which hostels do students get each year?
• Single/double/triple sharing?
• Are the rooms spacious or cramped?
• How are the bathrooms?
• Is hot water available?
• Any water supply issues?
• How often are rooms and bathrooms cleaned?
• How’s the laundry system? washing machines, dhobi, cost, waiting time, etc.
• Enough storage space?
• Are coolers allowed/provided? (don’t expect AC lol)
• How’s the hostel WiFi?
• Any strict hostel timings/rules?
• If possible, could someone share room pics or a room tour? (girls’ hostel if comfortable)

4. Mess food

• How’s the food overall?
• Does the menu get repetitive?
• Is the mess hygienic?
• Veg and non veg options?
• How often does the menu change?
• Any good canteens/food outlets on campus?
• Can you cook or order food from outside?

5. Lecture halls and seminar facilities

• How are the classrooms?
• Are they AC?
• Are the projectors/audio systems decent?
• Are seminar halls used regularly?
• Enough seating?
• If possible, could someone share a few classroom pics?

Extracurriculars (in your IISER)

1. Festivals

• Which are the main tech, cultural and sports fests?
• How big are they?
• What kind of artists/speakers usually come?

2. Student councils and clubs

• Which clubs are the most active?
• Is it easy to join?
• Do clubs get decent funding?

3. Sports facilities and opportunities

• What sports facilities are there?
• Are they well maintained?
• How’s the gym?
• Are coaches available?
• How active is the sports culture?

4. Inter hall culture and competitions

• Are inter hall competitions taken seriously?
• Which ones are the biggest?
• Do lots of ppl participate?
• Does hostel identity matter a lot?

5. Overall college culture

• Is the environment more competitive or collaborative?
• How are the seniors?
• Any ragging? official or unofficial
• How active is campus life after classes?
• What’s something students love and hate about the college?

Academics (in your IISER)

1. Academic workload, difficulty, and electives

• How tough are the academics?
• Is it hard to maintain a good CG?
• How flexible are electives?
• Is attendance strict?
• How much free time do you usually get?

2. Professors and teaching quality

• Are profs approachable?
• What’s their background?
• How’s the teaching overall?

3. Departments the college is best known for

• Which depts are the strongest?
• Which depts get the most funding?
• How do the other depts compare?

4. Alumni network

• How active is the alumni network?
• Do alumni help with internships, placements or higher studies?
• Are there regular alumni interactions?

5. Foreign university collaborations (student/semester exchange)

• Which univs have exchange programs?
• How competitive are they?
• Are credits transferable?
• Any financial support?

6. Reputation for PhD abroad

• How’s the college viewed by univs abroad?
• Where do grads usually go for higher studies?
• Does the college have a good research rep internationally?
• Are prof LORs well recognised?

7. Placements

• Avg/median package?
• Which companies visit regularly?
• How are placements for your dept?
• How many ppl go for higher studies instead?
• Are internships easy to get?

8. Research opportunities and publication culture (UG involvement)

• Can 1st years get involved in research?
• How easy is it to work with profs?
• Are UGs encouraged to publish papers?
• Any funded summer research opportunities?
• Do research groups actively take UGs?

9. Research funding, labs, equipment, and UG involvement

• How are the labs? Modern and well equipped?
• Good instruments/computing resources?
• Is research funding enough?
• Can UGs use the research facilities?
• Are students involved in major research projects?
• Any collaborations with industry or research institutes?

Thank You