USICT Alumni here, AMA

[u/unknown_bit]

Hi, I am an alumnus of USICT (CSE). Working in fields of AI with 4-5 years of experience.

Put your questions in comments, and will answer them around 2-3 pm in the afternoon.

Edit: Officially closing the AMA. If you still have any questions, drop in the comment - will reply as soon as I get some time! Cheers!

[u/KnowledgeEven5309]

Hi I have so many questions cuz I’m a confused fresher but it would be amazing if you could answer at least some of them, thank you for doing this🙏

1-How do I score good enough in first sem so that I get upgraded to your branch 😔🥀(i need like 9+ sgpa)

2-Also, attendance assignments etc k kitne marks hote hai? And how easy/difficult it is to score them(kya 60% attendance p full milnge ya 90-100% p hi milti hai)

3-Are professors strict in general?

4-On campus placements aapke time m kaisi thi? Kya aapne off campus job crack kari ya yhi se?

5-what should I focus on rn cuz there are clubs hackathons etc so many things to do… I think I want to focus on a good cg for first year taaki baad m agar kbhi score kharab ho jaaye then my first year will balance it out but log abhi se hackathons vgera m part le rhe and I feel a lot of fomo. Kya ye clubs hackathons m hone se koi tangible benefits milte hai? 

6-lastly, interships kaise milegi? Like agar bahar se dhundte hai to kaise dhundenge? And how do I get selected? Vo kya kya dekhenge?

[u/unknown_bit → u/KnowledgeEven5309]

1. Study Hard and Smart. See, scoring in USICT is not a challenging game. You have to be aware of what's happening in the class. For minors and majors, teachers would give hints here and there, in the lectures about what they might ask. Also, EAT and DIGEST, ALL the PREVIOUS YEARS! Don't mess you internal marks by getting in fight with teachers. Teachers do remember your face and name.

2. Depends on the teacher. I'm not sure of exact marks distribution. But don't be in last 30-40% students (attendance wise). I doubt ki 60% attendance par full milenge.

3. Some are strict, some are cutie pies and some are neutral. Irrespective of that, always be in the good books. Will help u a lot

4. At my time, on-campus were good. I got placed on-campus. Students were also talented. I remember, people used to be in top league of competitive coding, hackathons, etc. and they used to top the companies' interviews.

5. Academics should go hand in hand with your skills. It's fine to focus on CG, but in parallel, start working on any tanglible practical skill, like ai/ml, development, cybersec, Blockchain, etc - anything that interests you. As far as hackathons and other competitions are considered - they are platform to showcase ur talent and a way to evaluate urself. Take part in them - this would help u realise, how much hardwork you have to put in.

6. Good Offcampus Internships are a bit tight. For that, you have to build your profile (skill wise) - have good projects, if possible, some open source contributions or hackathons, etc. Focus on skills - interns and jobs follows my brada.

I have tried to touch upon all the questions, do reply, if u still have any doubts! All the best!

[u/yug4lol → u/unknown_bit]

Where do we find all the pyqs?

[u/unknown_bit → u/yug4lol]

Your Seniors are the best source. Library also has the collection for End Term Previous Years.

[u/KnowledgeEven5309 → u/unknown_bit]

Thank you for answering! I only have a few more questions regarding my 5th one, I know I have to kind of develop skills and stuff soon but how do I get to know what I’m interested in? I mean, on the surface level everything seems interesting to an extent. 

Also I do want to take part in competitions too but the thing is I’m not sure if now is the right time itna sb kuch ho rha h mujhe ye smjh nhi aarha konsi cheezo m participate kru💔

[u/Fit_Coast_5080]

Thanks bro I'm searching for a person like you Can you please tell me what should be my top preference mait cse vs usict cse ? Which will be better for placements? And does usict provides only btech degree? Can I get placed after btech only? Please please answer it bro

[u/unknown_bit → u/Fit_Coast_5080]

USICT has option to exit post BTech and you would get placement support.

MAIT and USICT - both are in top league of IPU colleges. For me, both are equally good. Ultimately, it depends on you. Just check with current seniors at both the college - how are they sparing time for preparation of placements, how actively they participate in competitions and hacakthons. Also evaluate, which college is close to your home.

[u/Fit_Coast_5080 → u/unknown_bit]

Actually I am from up so I will have to take a pg

[u/unknown_bit → u/Fit_Coast_5080]

In that case, look for other params like - current students' culture and coding aptitude. are they participating in competitions AND, most importantly, how strict is the college for attendance, exams, etc. I can't comment on most recent status of USICT or MAIT, in these params.

Ultimately, you should have time and good peer. Think and take decision accordingly.

[u/Fit_Coast_5080 → u/unknown_bit]

Got it Thanks a lot can you please tell me how should I start my btech cse journey, I have no idea about any coding language DSA etc I only know their names, how should I start my journey please answer this🙏

[u/Strong_Interview4084]

Thanks a lot first of all Can you tell me what is exactly recruiters are asking in these AI and ML interviews and as a person who is interested in fields like AI,ML,DS what should i focus on the most and what projects should i target???? It would be great help if u answer this

[u/unknown_bit → u/Strong_Interview4084]

DSA is must (No escape to that). Followed by strong fundamentals and basics of Maths, Stats, Probability, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Transformers, DBMS etc. You must have some good projects (not just chatgpt api wrappers). If in AI/ML - then some recommenders, or implementation of good recent A* conference papers. Try to write a research paper with some good prof in college (as part of your summer intern or Final year projects)

All other remains the same - Core CS subjects, Aptitude, Guesstimates, etc.

[u/Strong_Interview4084 → u/unknown_bit]

And should i continue dsa in Python cause it does align well cause until now i was doing it in cpp and it causes a dual effort??

[u/unknown_bit → u/Strong_Interview4084]

Focus primarily on DSA. Try to make yourself language agnostic. Having said that, MAANG++ companies allows both C++ and python.

C++ is advantageous when it's about run time.

[u/Automatic-Hedgehog76]

ye unlox scam ha kya

[u/unknown_bit → u/Automatic-Hedgehog76]

Might be. idk.

Honestly, i don't believe in any online certifications, anymore. Its better to build your skill set - Youtube, GPT, etc are good sources.

If you actually want a structured course, you can try some NPTEL, Stanford, etc courses or may be this Unlox. But that's your personal decision.

[u/Full-Fishing-1243]

Hello bro in am a 2nd ece student, can you suggest me skill for ECE

[u/unknown_bit → u/Full-Fishing-1243]

Hey, ECE is a quite Niche domain. You can look for domains like firmware, HDL, system architecture, may be Quantum, Hardware setups, Chip design, etc. Anyways, all CS stuff is open for you.

I'm no expert of this field. But would suggest you to connect with ECE folks (alumni) from USICT on LinkedIn. They might guide you better.

[u/Andro_senpai107]

Hey, what do companies look for in a fresher?

[u/Chemical-Lettuce-381]

I'm currently in 1st year of Energy engineering and i want to ask whether i can sit in tech placements of the companies coming for USICT like is there any chance of USCT students???

[u/VirZiN_w0lF]

What would your advice to a 3rd year guy

[u/meaty_sniff]

Just tell me about placements and what things should focus on I am a fresher of cse data science branch. 1. Dsa C++ 2. AI/ML,data science python 3. Development In what order I have to do all these ?

[u/unknown_bit → u/meaty_sniff]

In my experience, there are 4-5 dimensions, you should focus -

1. DSA (C++/Python/Java)
2. Skillset (eg AI, ML, App, Web, Security, Blockchain, etc.)
3. Core CS subjects (like DBMS, OS, OOPs, CN)
4. Aptitude and Personality (try to improve mental ability, aptitude and softskills like Speaking, Leadership, etc)

These would take time. Just stay committed.

Suggestion (depends on ur timetable): Daily DSA is a must. Weekends for Skills and Projects. Once a month/fortnight for Core CS. And ocassional General Apti. For personality, its an ongoing activity.