Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology - [Thapar University], Patiala

 Thapar University was established in 1956. When it was a young institution, it ranked among the top 20 universities/colleges in India, and its students achieved great heights. Even today, many students from this University do immensely well and bring honor to it. 

This institution has a long-standing reputation and its alumni work in top MNCs as well as are part of the Indian Civil Services. Some of the top companies where its alumni are presently working include- Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe, Twitter, Cisco, Uber, VMWare etc.

Even though Thapar University is still a brand name, newly opened institutions like DAIICT, BITS Goa, BITS Hyd, etc. are outperforming it significantly. The university has seen a significant decline in its glorious days in the past. This is because since 2008, due to its owner’s financial constraints, the crowd quality has declined and things have become more money-driven. There are few hikes every year. Unlike before, there are around 1300-1500 students on campus in the present times.

Thus, Thapar University has fallen down from its days of glory and significant steps need to be taken to revive its lost glory.

Thapar University is a good institution. I would like to talk about the three parameters on which one would assess a university and tell you how Thapar is performing in each-

1. Placements- Placements are pretty good at Thapar University. If you are among the top performers, you will find yourself placed in a big company. Some of the big companies that visit the campus for placements are- Texas Instruments, Sandisk, Maruti Suzuki, Honda, etc. 
2. Academics- Thapar is pretty decent academically. Since 2015 it has changed its curriculum. The new curriculum is project-based. In the first year, you will get to learn about Catapult Design and in the second year, you will get to do a Buggy project. This institution offers some unique projects to its students and if you are hungry for knowledge, Thapar University is the right institution. 
3. Infrastructure- The infrastructure is good and the sports facilities are ample. There are four tennis courts, one football cum race track, one cricket ground, two basketball courts, one volleyball ground and one extra ground to play the sports of your choice. There are 6 boys hostels and 4 girls hostels. The classrooms are good. 

Overall, Thapar University is a good institution and it has all the facilities in terms of academics and infrastructure.

Honestly, Thapar University students do have an inferiority complex with IITians and NITians at least in terms of education. 

My brother is in Thapar University and has friends in top IITs. He says that their intellect and talents are incomparable to even the toppers in his batch. IITs accept the best students only so most of his friends got 300s rank in Advanced and 100s rank in Mains.

It’s not just their academic profiles, but these IITians are much more hardworking and determined than any of his batchmates in Thapar. My brother feels that students making it to the top IITs deserve the hype they get and are without any doubt superior to any Thapar student. 

So, yes Thapar students do feel they are inferior to IITians and NITians and their feelings are justified because they cannot match the level of IITians.

If you wish to apply for IEP (Trinity) at Thapar University, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. The fee for this UG degree is extremely high. It is INR 50 Lakh+ in total at present, for Indian students.
2. To study at Trinity College Dublin in the 3rd and 4th years (can opt for 5th year also), you have to maintain a score of 8.5+ each semester.

The advantage of going for this course offered by Thapar University is that you will get your degree from Trinity College. You will get world class exposure in Research and Technology given that you work hard. You will get a sense of the working style and culture of another country. The disadvantage is that this course is very expensive and you are required to maintain a C.G. of 8.5+. You might also suffer from a cultural shock upon arriving in a European country. European countries face economic instability all the time so if you don’t do well in academics, you might face difficulty in landing a job.

Before going for this course, consider all the pros and cons thoroughly. Overall, the IEP (Trinity) course at Thapar University offers a one in a kind opportunity.

Trust me when I say there is no fixed order of preference for branches. The choice of branches is a very subjective matter and depends solely on your inclinations and future prospects. 

Choosing a branch just because it has good opportunities and everyone is running for it does not mean it will be the perfect one for you. I have seen many students take CSE just because of the hype and then regret it later as they realize they have no interest in coding. I will suggest 

• Go for core branches like electrical and Civil if you aren’t sure of your interest and just want to land a stable government job. 
• Go for easy and light branches like chemistry if you are willing to pursue MBA. 
• Go for CSE or ECE, if your only goal is getting high packages in top companies. 

So my personal preference order looks like this.

CSE>Software>IT>ECE >Electrical >EIC>Civil>Chemical>Biotechnology 

Hope this was helpful!

Yes, you can certainly recover your marks even after a few bad mid-semester exams at Thapar University. One midterm will not affect your overall grades so you can rest your worries. One of my friends scored a 6.3 in his first semester but passed out of college with an 8.74 aggregate GPA. Here are a few tips that might help:

• Stop playing video games completely.
• But some new stationery and find a good company that motivates you to study.
• Make a well-structured timetable for studies and follow it religiously.
• Attend at least 90% of classes and tutorials to minimize the duration of self-study sessions.

You don't have to worry about your poor marks in mid-semesters as you still have time to improve.

At Thapar University, the branch change does not depend on your CGPA. There is a separate process for the same.

• The 1st year students have to give a December Test by the end of their 1st semester. The syllabus for this test is general class 12 PCM and the subjects covered in the 1st semester.
• A list ranking all the students appearing for this test is made. Based on this list, a counseling session is held to fill in the vacant seats in all the branches.
• In case of a tie, JEE Rank is given preference. 

So, if you are desperate to get your branch changed at Thapar University, all you need to do is prepare well for this particular test.