Top rankers flock to IIT-B this year too

“The top five students chose IIT-Bombay. Immadi Prudhvi Tej (AIR 1),V Shaimak Reddy (AIR 3) and Burle Saikiran (AIR 4) opted for Electrical Engineering,while Shubham Mehta (AIR 2) and Nisheet Lahoti (AIR 5) have chosen Computer Science and Engineering,” said an IIT-Bombay official.

The trend has been consistent since 2005 when 52 of the top 100 rankers opted for IIT-Bombay; the number was 67 last year. A combination of several factors such as overall ambience and location in the country’s financial hub,teaching and research opportunities,infrastructure,facilities and avenues available,growing awareness about IIT-Bombay globally and its reputation for attracting some of the best companies have made it very popular among IIT aspirants,said experts.

“This year,of the top 10 rankers,eight have chosen IIT-Bombay,while two opted for IIT-Delhi. Last year,too,eight among the top 10 opted for IIT-Bombay,while IIT-Delhi and Madras got one each. Several reasons are responsible for IIT Bombay’s growing popularity over the years,including greater academic flexibility,” said Avinash Mahajan,vice-chairman,JEE 2011,IIT-Bombay.

Academicians said besides a vibrant campus life,students are attracted by IIT-B’s focus on extra-curricular activities through its popular technology and cultural competitions such as Techfest and Mood Indigo. “Also,it’s herd mentality. Since the past few years top JEE rankers have been opting for IIT-Bombay,the trend continues,” said another faculty member.

Among top 200 rankers again,IIT-B is a winner with 89 choosing it,followed by 70 at IIT-Delhi,23 at IIT- Kanpur,15 at IIT-Madras and two at IIT-Kharagpur.