Recently a relative of mine was asking me about which engineering college should her son opt for. The son had got a decent all India rank (CET?), and stood a good chance of getting into a good college.
I thought a bit and amazingly I thought of the same things I was under the impression some 20 years ago! CS at REC (now NIT) Trichy is good. Suratkal is good (Chemical?). Mechanical at NIT Rourkela is good. In general computer science is good. All impressions I had formed decades ago!
Has the world really changed, or am I woefully out of tune? Well I guess both might be true!
One thing is for sure, of course – word of mouth sticks! The impressions I formed, for right or for wrong, have stuck a very long time.
I guess most colleges would love to leverage such impressions, and influence impressions in the first place.
Here is what colleges ought to do:
- Create information newsletters and mailing lists, department and domain specific if possible
- Create successes – journal papers, seminar participation, conduct seminars in college
- Industry consulting – projects, lectures
- Leverage alumni – have strong linkages with alumni through hiring, consulting, mailing lists, seminars, guest lectures, etc
- Reach out to wider audiences through in-campus summer workshops thrown open to public
- Create domain specific portals of general and academic interest
- Participate in Top-10 kind of lists, or create one of one’s own on portals, etc
Providing something of value, to a wider audience, and creating a positive impression – the beginning of word of mouth.
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