Department Change Statistics 2017-18

Every engineering aspirant has a dream of clearing JEE and getting admission into IITs. However, many students are not able to get their desired branch and hence, wish to get a department change at the end of their first year. The main criteria for department change is to score a CGPA greater than 8.5. Moreover, since the number of students entering a certain department is limited and the competition is tough, a student must score a high enough CGPA to get his department changed.

The Department Change list for the second year students was released quite a time before. A total of 126 students secured a department change this year. The cut-off CGPAs soared high this year as did the number of students getting their desired branches. The cut-off CGPA for CSE still remains the highest with a whopping increase to 9.87. However, Mechanical Dual exhibited maximum gain in the cut-off with increase of 0.51 compared to last year. Awaaz, IIT Kharagpur brings to you the Department Change statistics for the year 2017 -18.

The department cut-offs for 2017-2018 are as follows:

DepC Cut Offs for 2017-18

Compared to last year, the cut-offs for most of the departments have increased.

DepC cutoffs for 2016-17

Every department can accommodate a limited extra number of students. So you must ensure that you clear the cut-off for the department of your choice. The number of people entering the department are as follows:

Department-wise incoming and outgoing students

Over last two years, the number of students securing a department change is increasing by around 10%. The complete comparison for last 5 years is shown below:

Degree wise comparison

Here are testimonials of some of the students who have secured a department change:

Eknoor Malhotra (Agriculture DUAL to Civil Dual- 8.6)

“Someone wise said, “DepC is not a choice, but a privilege”. Hundreds of us enter this premier institute, but only a few get the desired department. Rest of us are fascinated by the mere thought of department change. I was one of them. The seniors who had been through this battle and had emerged as winners were looked up, with halos at the back of their heads. An assortment of fundae was gulped down the throat. It was tough to put up a fight against luring night-outs and against bunking the dullest of lectures. My JEE phase was stretched so long, that it was nearing the breaking point. But in the end, the fight was worth it. It is extremely comforting to wake up in the morning and to realise that today I’ll be studying the subjects of my choice.”

Tiyasha Mitra (IM to CH- 9.24)

“Contrary to popular belief, DepC isn’t another JEE level hurdle that requires sleepless nights and merciless unceasing days with no respite in sight. This second chance for those of us who managed to get into our preferred institutions but failed to get into a branch of our liking is a blessing which comes at a cost but the prize is more than worth it. We sacrifice long hours chatting with friends at CCD or Tikka, having night outs on 2.2 and completing endless tv shows for a year. In return we get into our desired departments for the next three or four years, a higher CGPA and the freedom to do all of that for the next years. A fair bargain I call it.”

Himanshu Surgade (Mechanical to MNC 9.69)

“Do not load your mind with the thoughts of DepC it affects your performance. Just be consistent in your studies and remember that Professors, Seniors and batchmates are always there to help. Keep in touch with your mentor even he can guide you. My mentor was very helpful and made sure that I put in every effort to get a department change.

Chemistry — Lecture Slides are important as studying them thoroughly can land you an EX or A but specifically for Organic I would suggest to attend all the lectures seriously. Reference books are not required as far as exam is concerned.

ET — Tutorials are important as they help in understanding the way problems are to be solved- which is required to tackle the problems. Completing them thoroughly will ensure good score in the exams. You can solve Hughes also for tough problems.

English for Communication- apart from content on Google giving references of poems and poets of same category and making your answer unique might help. Still you should consider the demands of your professor while writing the answers.

Mathematics 1 and Mathematics 2 — Studying Prof Jitendra Kumar or Prof Debapriya Biswas’ notes diligently will assure good grades. Prof D Biswas also gives extra assignments and quizzes which can be taken from friends for extra practice.

PDS — ANSI C by Balaguruswamy may be useful for beginners. C programming by William Gottfried is a good book for practice and referring. Exchanging assignments of PDS lab will give more practice. Keep solving and get doubts cleared at the earliest or they will cause problems later on.”

Koustav Chowdhury (Mechanical to CS- 9.91)

“Well, to be honest, I was not serious about DepC in my initial days. The main motivation for me in the initial days was to get an EX in ET, as everyone was saying it was the most difficult subject to get an EX. From there, the journey was full of ups and downs. Chemistry was one of my strong points in JEE days, and I did not face any major problems in that course. Both Maths 1 and ET requires clarity of concepts and adequate practice. Well, I did not study English at all, and dedicated that time for studying ET. As for the labs, try to be extremely regular and build a rapport with the TAs. Some of them are really good folks, while most of them aren’t. The point after which I got really serious about DepC was after I got hold my first semester’s GPA. 9.82. All EX except English in which I got an A(no regrets). Second semester onwards, I decided to study efficiently and at the same time, enjoy college life (Spring fest!!). In this semester, I decided not to bias against any subject and put effort behind every one of them religiously. Mechanics and Maths 2 did not require any special attention from my side, because I attended the classes regularly and the professors were very good in imparting their knowledge. Physics in our semester was considerably tough compared to the other semester, so that required a bit of rigorous study. Contrary to the popular myth, I actually enjoyed Engineering Drawing and I understood the intricacies of the drawing. Somehow, I used to figure out how to draw even if I didn’t know the technicalities. Building a rapport with the TAs is highly recommended. I was comfortable with the PDS course as I had Computer Science in my 10+2 course. Academically, it required minimum effort. This semester went expectedly well and I managed to get a 10 as SGPA. This managed to pull my CGPA upto 9.91, thus ensuring a coveted DepC to CS. I consider myself to be extremely lucky. DepC will require not the same hard work that was required in the JEE days. But, you have to be sincere in your studies and have to steer away from distractions. Rest, everything will depend on how much effort that you’ll put and whether that is funneled in the right direction or not.”

Kshitij Agrawal (Civil to ECE -9.71)

“DepC, as opposed to the common notion among people, is not a very Herculean task, although it requires some very serious study along with a proper attitude to ace the exam; What I did was pretty simple, attended all classes, no matter how boring I felt them or whether they were at 8 AM amidst heavy rains or when only some 15–20 people attended it, solved all Tutorials completely, practised a lot of questions from books especially for Electrical Technology, Physics and Mechanics, practised Coding a lot (I was a total newbie to it when I came here), acquired a lot of ‘fundae’ from seniors who had already done the same in past and things worked out pretty well.

I would advise all the DepC aspirants two things.Firstly,enjoy your studies along with some fun. Although you need to strike a balance between both with studies being the top most in the priority list. Don’t compromise on the second part by totally secluding yourself from others. If you study with the sole aim of getting a DepC you may probably not get it, but you may very well get it if you study the subject with interest and an intent to learn something rather than just getting an ‘Ex’ in it.

Secondly, push yourself off the limits. For example, if you think you are capable of getting an ‘A’ in a subject, don’t settle for it, try your best for an ‘Ex’. Getting it or not is immaterial. At least you would be free of any guilt of not trying. The cutoffs are the perfect indication of the ever-growing competition (I still couldn’t believe CSE 4y closed at 9.87), so don’t get blindfolded by a particular one, thinking it might not change.

Finally, remember, getting a DepC or not is something for which you must worry, learning something which would help you in the long run should be the motto.”

Adarsh Parihar (Biotech to Instrumentation 9.11)

“All of us come with high hopes to IIT but many of us have to take up a branch which is not of our interest. Branch change after 1st year is a golden opportunity that you have if you want to get your desired branch if your JEE results were not that good.

During initial days there is a lot of buzz going on about Depc and “fundae” about Depc, that you get from your seniors and many a times you may feel left out in the race. But trust me just believe in yourselves and keep going on, it’s not just the work of a single night that you can achieve so easily. It is a long journey of sincerity and hardwork that will pay off at the end of the year. As all of us get here after clearing JEE, you might be knowing how it works though getting a Depc is all about getting good CG which is quite easier than your preparation during JEE.

Attending regular classes does 80% of your work and the rest you need to get it done from the books that you get from the library. Have a good study circle that keeps you motivated most of the times and trust me it helps a lot. You can find a place where you can study comfortably may it be your room or library. You can approach the professor in the class or in their office to clear your doubts. Study regularly and understand the concepts instead of waiting for the last moment to just mug up.You can have a hobby that helps you relieve stress. Don’t just sit in your room for the whole day watching movies and TV series, instead just get out to play some sports or games. There are various opportunities like GC in which you can participate if you like.Believe me, when at the end you will get a Depc, you will feel proud of yourself and don’t worry if you don’t there are a lot more opportunities waiting for you in the institute, do whatever you like. So all the best to DepC aspirants, and I wish that all of you make it to your dream departments.”

Shruti Priya (Chemistry to Physics 9,29)

“The key point for any DepC candidate is sincerity. The difficult task isn’t studying for exams. The most difficult part is to maintain constant motivation throughout. Unwavering sincerity will get you good grades in labs and it’ll keep you working throughout. For a good cg even a single grade in a two credit course matters. Attending classes and making your own notes is important. And it is very important to understand the concepts, ask the teacher continuously until you’re satisfied. If these things are done, throughout it’s very easy to get an Ex. Also, study hard for class tests. They help in further preparation.”

Ritam Talukdar (Biotech Dual to Electrical Dual- 9.62)

“When I entered the campus for the first time ,there was a lot of buzz around the word “DepC”.To be frank, I initially did not think much about getting my department changed and was only focussed on grasping the concepts of the subjects properly. Eventually, after the first semester I got interested in circuits and I considered getting my department changed so that I can pursue my interests.

Now coming to “DepC”, it is far more easier than cracking JEE Advanced. It just requires a bit of dedication, consistency and hard work. In this newly found freedom of college life, there will be many distractions like the DC++, temptations and urge to enjoy the college life. You will see many opportunities in front of you. But trust me most of these things can be found in the subsequent years, in some form or the other but the option for getting your department change will be lost forever. So, first of all, you need to prioritize things-Which is more important? A DepC or Enjoying the first year of college life?

One of the things that helped me the most was attending the classes regularly and taking down proper notes. For me, it made up 85% of your preparation for the exams. Even if you don’t understand what is being taught, try consulting your friends or the professor for clearing your doubts and try to remain updated with what is being taught daily .Don’t let things pile up. It is very difficult to score well by studying on the last day before the exam because grasping concepts takes time.

Solving the previous years’ question papers will help you a lot in understanding the subjects to the very core and will give huge boost to your preparation.

Now coming to the subjects-Electrical technology and Physics are the toughest of all and the most difficult to score. Start preparing for these as early as possible. Try to have your concepts clear as memorizing formulas helps very little. For Mathematics solving the problems of “ Jain and Iyengar “ helps.Mechanics and Chemistry are relatively more scoring and taking down notes, attending classes is sufficient for scoring well.For PDS and the PDS Lab,those of you don’t have a coding background need not worry. Practice a lot of programs from “Let us C”.Once done you can then follow “Programming with C by Byron Gottfried.” for advanced problems. For Engineering Drawing as well as the Chemistry, Physics and Electrical Technology Lab, perform day-to-day work attentively and sincerely. Also, before going to the lab, go through the theory of the experiments and make neat lab reports. These will surely fetch you good grades in the labs. A bit of advice-Never underestimate or be overconfident in any subject.

Now, this journey of DepC is quite tough. Don’t pay heed to what others say to discourage you. It is imperative to have faith in yourself and your abilities as during this journey, there will be times of helplessness and disappointment, times full of of ups and downs. Don’t give up if you couldn’t perform well in one exam or even one semester as you have to win the war, not each and every battle. Also don’t be too overconfident. The other semester can change things a lot.

Again don’t let your academics burden you a lot. Make new friends.Go out with your friends, sometimes for a stroll or a chat session. Relax for a while by playing outdoor games or even go out for a walk as it will not only freshen your mind but also fill you up with positivity.

Last but not the least, don’t rely on previous year’s depC cutoffs as they fluctuate a lot. Try giving your best. Work hard with a lot of sincerity and you can feel the worth of your hard work when you login to ERP with your new Roll number. Remember, there is a saying -”If you want something desperately, the entire universe conspires to give you that.”

Zenil Rupesh Sanghvi (Agriculture DUAL to Chemical DUAL- 9.33)

“DepC was quite more easier than cracking JEE. I used to attend all the lectures which was sufficient. Just make sure your concepts are clear.

Other points to taken care of:

1. Be in good books of professors.
2. Don’t miss any lectures and never think to miss any lab. An absent in lab could affect your grades.
3. Don’t join too many societies. It could affect your academic performance.
4. Make sure you stay in right company. There are many distractions. Try to stay as far as possible from that.
5. Don’t lose your confidence. I had screwed in mechanics midsem test very badly but still managed to get Ex because of good performance in endsems
6. Don’t mess with your professors. Do practice previous years question papers.”