NEW DELHI: Of the top 100 JEE rank holders, about 15% have opted for electrical engineering despite securing seats in computer science. IIT-Kanpur director Sanjay Dhande said he had been observing this change in preferences in the last two or three years.
“The perception is that computer science as a branch is limited. An electrical engineering graduate can opt for computer science at the post-graduate level, but the reverse is not possible.”
Last year, computer science in IIT-Bombay opened at rank 1 and closed at rank 47. All 44 seats for the general category students were filled by JEE toppers who joined the Powai campus. Of the 50 top 100 JEE rankers who got into IIT-Bombay, 44 took up computer science and engineering.
But this year, of the 54 top 100 students, 10 have ditched computer science and engineering and chosen electrical engineering as their first preference. IIT-Madras director M S Ananth told TOI: “Telecommunication is on top, at least neck and neck with computer science. Electrical engineering is as much the rage as computer science, at least in the IITs. After that, we have most students opting for mechanical engineering.”
In 2003, all eyes were on All India JEE rank 2 Yashodhan Kanoria, who had dumped computer science for electrical engineering. Sure, as IIT-B director Ashok Misra said, toppers do “once in a while” take up electrical engineering. But the numbers over the years, sources say, have been on the rise.
In fact, as admissions opened in the new IITs at rank 600, the topper at IIT-Hyderabad chose electrical engineering. IIT- Gandhinagar also opened admissions with the same stream. The six new IITs offer popular courses like computer science and engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.
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