Mahatma Gandhi Institute Of Technology

It's amazing what a little face-lift can do for a college. Where there was once lethargy, there is now a new set of promises to keep, a whole new identity to live up to. This is what has happened with MGIT. Earlier a non-descript little place that lived in the reflected glory of its more popular sibling, CBIT, the college is now closer to top league that it has ever been.

With the addition of new blocks, a sea of change in the quality of lab facilities, and a concerted effort to rope in the best professors out there, MGIT has finally made a sizeable dent in its old reputation. The Electronics & Communication Engineering department is the best of the lot, with the faculty taking a keen interest in providing hands-on exposure to the students. This is the kind of spirit that won them a behind-the-scenes visit to the NRSE, where other colleges had been denied permission. It does student morale a lot of good to know your teachers will go the extra mile for you.

Culturally MGIT is still to make it mark, as extra-curricular activity is currently just seen as that - extra. Among the sports, basketball and cricket reign supreme. But since the college is so far away from the city, not too many students opt to stay around after working hours, whether it's to shoot hoops or even do something more literary. Their college fest, Nirvana, makes an all-out effort to change the scene every year.

On the academic front, however, things are definitely more exciting, with technical fests and paper presentations being quite crucial to the performance of each department. The recruitment scene is encouraging, with annual visits from companies like TCS, Satyam and Virtusa, but the alumni association is yet to find its feet.

The canteen is a happening place, and scores pretty high in most everyone's book, as does the auditorium. There isn't that much to do in the neighbourhood if you decide to bunk classes. Despite its proximity to the college, Ocean Park is not as much of a temptation as one would think.

Although MGIT-ians would like to see a lot more campus activity on the cultural side, for now they're happy belonging to a college that's definitely on the move.