Yes, it was confusing once, two years ago and now I can happily confess that I do not regret choosing IIT Gandhinagar over BITS-Pilani. Since I also have friends in both the colleges, I can provide a detailed overview of the good and bad aspects of the colleges.

Also, information on BITS might be limited due to it will depend mostly on other people’s experiences, but the answer will talk about the good and bad side of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar. 

Following are the merits of IIT Gandhinagar:

1. Limited batch- The class consists of 30 students. This makes the interaction simple and competition healthy. The classes are interesting and interactive. And BITS here, has a classroom filled with 100 students. 
2. Friendly professors- All the professors are cooperative. They will always be present to help you. 
3. Constant branch parties/meetings- The Mechanical Branch will always witness regular meetings wherein the latest course will be the topic of discussion and how things can be done to modify it and gather suggestions accordingly. These meetings include Mechanical Engineering students (no freshers) and professors. 
4. New course- In case 10 others from your branch decide to go for an entirely new course which isn't taught in the department- you can always consult the professors and if they can teach that, your will certainly be granted. 
5. Lab facilities- Your lab experiences would be such that you'd work under time-limits. Objectives that will be given to you would have to be completed under a time-limit present along with it. 
6. Inter-disciplinary ideas- Unlike the rest of the colleges, IIT Gandhinagar has neighbours who are from a background of MSE and CSE. While sharing ideas, you get to learn much more than you can imagine.

One thing that students could miss at IIT Gandhinagar is the cultural fests and events. They don't have grand cultural fests of their own. This privilege was taken away by the seniors, which we were trying to rectify. But gratefully, we already have enough, so, that doesn't make us expect too much of these grand fests for ourselves.

Manipal University is one of the top-ranking private engineering colleges in India and also has branches outside India. The total tuition fee for the Mechanical department at Manipal is around 16.2 lakhs, and the total seats allotted to this branch are 200.

Admission Details:

• Students are expected to score 50% or above in their 10+2 examination in order to be eligible for admission.

• Admission is made based on the MET examination, which is the university examination.

• Students must apply online for appearing in the MET exam.

• Students are allotted seats after they appear for the MET counseling.

• Students will be eligible for admission after taking into account 40% of their score in 12th and 60% of their MET scores.

Closing Ranks:

Students are called in for counseling after registering themselves online based on their scores. In 2020, 7 rounds were conducted for the mechanical branch.

The placement of the mechanical branch at Manipal University fluctuates between 60% to 71%. Around 20% of students get placed in core companies. The highest salary package offered is around 17 LPA, and the lowest is around 3.2 LPA. The average salary is around 4 LPA. Some of the companies that come to recruit are Tata Motors, Honda Cars, Deloitte, KPMG, Accenture, Goldman Sachs, LeadSquared, and L&T Tech services.

With proper preparation for both board and college entrance examinations, securing a seat in the mechanical department at Manipal will be a piece of cake. Students must remember to check the official website of Manipal University regularly to keep themselves updated about the changes in admission and enrolment policies so that they do not miss out on anything important.

One of my relatives pursued his graduation from the Coimbatore Institute of Technology. As per his experience, Mechanical Engineering will be a good option at CIT. Here are the following reasons why you should choose the Coimbatore Institute of Technology over PSG College of Technology.

Faculty: 

• The faculty of Coimbatore Institute of Technology is friendly, professional, and skilled.
• Many of its professors work in organizations like DRDO.

Infrastructure: 

• PSG College of Technology provides better infrastructure than Coimbatore, but there are many facilities available in CIT as well. 
• Coimbatore Institute of Technology provides good lab equipment and arrange workshops for engineering students. Workshops are very important to gain ample opportunity, which will boost your career.

Campus Life:

• The campus life of CIT is better. It provides a friendly environment for students. 
• However, the hostel and its food quality are low, but you will get used to it. 

Placement: 

• The placement cell of Coimbatore Institute of Technology is good. Companies such as L&T, Nissan, Renault, Hyundai, Godrej, Robert Bosch, and many more come for campus placement. 

The table below shows the placement statistics of both institutions:

Thus, choosing Mechanical Engineering over Automobile Engineering is always a better idea as it opens a wide range of opportunities before you. And Coimbatore Institute of Technology is the right choice for Mechanical Engineering.

NIT Bhopal also called MANIT (Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology) is approved by MHRD and AICTE. It is ranked 65 for BTech and 101 overall by NIRF 2020. BTech in Electrical Engineering is offered as a 4 year full time course.

IIEST is considered to be one of the top engineering colleges in India. It is ranked 43 overall and 21 for BTech by NIRF 2020. The Mechanical Engineering dual degree is a 10 semester course with 3 specializations: Machine Design, Thermal Engineering and Manufacturing Science.

Tabulated below is a brief overview of both institutions: 

Admission Details

• Students must have passed 10+2 exams with 75% marks conducted by a recognized Central or State Board.
• Selection will be based on the JEE Main ranks.
• Application fee at IIEST, Shibpur is INR 1500.
• The application fee of NIT Bhopal is INR 650.

Placements

Tabulated below gives a brief insight into the placement of both institutes:

NIT Bhopal 

• The median salary package offered was 6.5 LPA.

• Therecruiting companies include Accenture, TCS, Wipro, L&T Infotech, HCL, Microsoft, Saint Gobain, Adobe, etc.

IIEST Shibpur

• Out of 603 eligible students 146 were placed.
• 90 companies participated in the placement program.
• Therecruiting companies include TATA, ITC, GE Digital, Reliance, PWC, IBM, Mu Sigma, etc.

Facilities 

NIT Bhopal

• They have 9 boys hostel and 2 girls hostel.
• Facilities like a Library, Extracurricular Space for Sports, Swimming Pool, Basketball and Badminton Courts, Gym, Meditation Hall and other facilities like an auditorium, cafe, children’s park, post office, computer centre and Rolta Incubation Centre.

IIEST Shibpur

• They have a faculty of over 250 members.
• They have a total of 18 hostels 3 of them being girls hostels.
• They also have sports facilities, computer labs, hospitals, mess and canteens.

Both the colleges are reputed and are considered the top Engineering colleges in India. A BTech degree is of 4 years, if you want to opt for a dual degree you will receive an MTech degree too all in the span of 5 years. The choice depends on you and your preferences, both are equally important and respected institutions for Engineering.