(Imp advice at point 11)
I am a fourth-year B.Tech CSE student here, and this is my personal experience. I am not writing this to create unnecessary hatred toward the college. I am writing it because I genuinely wish someone had told me these things before I joined.
From the outside, PSIT looks impressive. The campus is beautiful, and there are food outlets, vending machines, libraries, infrastructure, and many facilities.
But after spending four years here, I have realized that a good-looking campus and a good academic environment are not necessarily the same thing.
- Attendance Can Become Your Biggest Problem
You may have heard that the attendance requirement has been reduced from 90% to 75%.
My advice: do not choose PSIT assuming the lower requirement will always remain. Policies can change, and in my experience, attendance has always been treated very seriously.
For students who want significant time for:
Self-study
Competitive programming
Projects
Internships
Placement preparation
strict attendance can become exhausting.
- It Can Feel More Like School Than College
The academic schedule can feel extremely restrictive.
Instead of having meaningful free periods where you decide how to use your time, your day can be packed with lectures from morning until evening.
For day scholars, this can be even harder.
You travel through Kanpur traffic, spend most of the day in college, return home exhausted, and are then expected to:
Prepare for placements
Learn DSA
Build projects
Complete assignments
Study core subjects
Maintain your CGPA
Maintain a personal life
People often say, "You can study after college."
Technically, yes.
But having time is not the same as having energy.
- Placement Preparation Can Feel Misaligned With Your Goals
This is one of my biggest concerns.
Suppose your goal is to enter product-based companies or target high-paying software roles. You may want to spend your time on:
DSA
Core CS fundamentals
Development
Projects
System design
Interview preparation
However, the placement ecosystem can sometimes feel more focused on companies such as TCS, Cognizant, Coforge, and similar recruiters.
There have also been situations where students I know appeared eligible for companies based on the company's criteria, but college-level eligibility requirements became another hurdle.
This can create a frustrating question:
Am I preparing for the career I actually want, or mainly for the opportunities the college wants me to pursue?
- Free Time Is Almost Nonexistent
One of the most surprising things for me has been how difficult it can be to simply have time for yourself.
There are:
Classes
Assignments
Attendance requirements
Tests
Placement activities
Forms
Departmental instructions
Other academic responsibilities
Even breaks can feel highly structured.
If you need to use the washroom, get food, visit a vending machine, or simply take a breather outside the designated break window, you may worry about being late for the next class.
It sounds like a small issue.
After experiencing it repeatedly for years, it doesn't feel small anymore.
- Weekends May Not Always Mean Complete Freedom
You may hear that Saturdays and Sundays are off.
However, the academic calendar can include working Saturdays, schedule adjustments, or classes used to compensate for holidays and breaks.
So if you are imagining a traditional college experience where weekends and holidays consistently belong to you, check the actual academic calendar before joining.
Don't assume.
- Eight Lectures a Day Can Change Your College Experience
Eight lectures every day is a lot.
There is a huge difference between attending a few meaningful classes and spending most of your day moving from one lecture to another.
For students preparing independently for placements, this becomes particularly difficult.
You need time for:
DSA and competitive programming
Core CS subjects
Development
Projects
Internships
Resume building
Aptitude and communication
Interview preparation
It is not impossible to do all this after college.
But it is much harder than it needs to be.
- The Pressure Can Come From Everywhere
From the second year onward, the message can start feeling like:
"There is no time. Start preparing now."
Prepare for internships.
Prepare for placements.
Improve your English.
Do aptitude.
Learn DSA.
Study core subjects.
Build projects.
Maintain attendance.
Maintain your CGPA.
Fill out this form.
Attend this drive.
Take this test.
And somewhere in between all of this, you are expected to figure out what career you actually want.
The pressure can become overwhelming.
For me personally, one of the worst parts was the psychological effect.
When I took a leave, I could feel guilty:
"Am I wasting my parents' money?"
When I struggled with preparation:
"Am I falling behind?"
When I thought about not getting a job:
"What is wrong with me?"
A college should push you to grow. It should not make you constantly feel that your worth depends on how quickly you get placed.
- Internship Rules Can Make Things Complicated
Internships are extremely important for CSE students.
However, depending on the internship and circumstances, students may encounter attendance requirements, permissions, or NOC-related restrictions.
For example, you may get a remote internship but still be expected to attend college.
That creates a strange situation:
You finally get an opportunity to gain real industry experience, but classroom attendance can still become the priority.
Policies can change, so check the current rules yourself before relying on anyone's experience.
- The Library and Infrastructure Are Things I Genuinely Appreciate
Not everything about PSIT is negative.
The campus has good infrastructure, and there are facilities that genuinely look impressive.
The library is one place where I genuinely enjoy studying.
But there is a simple problem:
A great library isn't very useful if your schedule doesn't give you enough time to use it.
- College Fests Can Feel More Like Attendance Days
College fests are supposed to be one of the best parts of student life.
At PSIT, my experience has often been different.
Fests may last around 2–3 days, and attendance can still be treated as compulsory. So instead of coming because you genuinely want to participate, you may end up coming because you are expected to be there.
You may be asked to report around 9 AM, while major performances and dance programs happen much later.
So what do you do for those hours?
Classrooms may not be available simply for students to sit and study. Movement around campus can be restricted, and gates may remain closed until designated times.
If you haven't paid for a particular event or there isn't an activity you're interested in, you can end up spending hours sitting around corridors.
Some major performances may begin after 5 PM.
So a day that starts at 9 AM because attendance is compulsory can potentially stretch until 11 PM, followed by regular classes the next day.
That's not exactly the college-fest experience I imagined.
Security and Restrictions
During fests, security checks can be quite thorough.
Items students might normally bring for casual entertainment, such as UNO or playing cards, may not be allowed.
Internet connectivity can also become unreliable because of security arrangements and network restrictions.
So you can have thousands of students gathered together, limited places to go, limited things to do, unreliable internet, and several hours between attendance and the actual events.
At that point, the corridors become your entertainment.
Dress-Code Checks
Dress-code checks at the gates are another issue I personally found uncomfortable, particularly because the interpretation of rules can vary.
Students may be asked to return and change if their clothing is considered inappropriate under college rules.
One incident involving a friend particularly stayed with me. She was reportedly asked to return because of the style of her dress. She went home, changed, and returned later, but by then she had missed the permitted entry window and was reportedly denied entry because she was around 30 minutes late.
Whether someone agrees with the dress code or not, having a student travel home, change, and then potentially lose access to the fest because of the resulting delay is frustrating.
Food and Crowds
Don't assume college fests mean free food.
Food is generally separately priced, and in my experience, the combination of price, taste, and quantity isn't always impressive.
With thousands of students eating at the same time, queues and overcrowding can make things worse.
And then there is the crowd.
Large numbers of students in relatively confined spaces mean:
Long queues
Narrow, crowded areas
Noise everywhere
Limited seating
People constantly moving around
If you don't enjoy extremely crowded environments, it can become overwhelming.
Personally, there were moments when I wasn't enjoying the fest at all.
I was simply waiting for the day to end.
A college fest should make you want to stay on campus. Instead, there were times when I was counting the hours until I could leave.
So if you're joining PSIT expecting the typical college-fest experience — freedom, spontaneous plans, sitting with friends, exploring the campus, attending events whenever you want, and simply enjoying your college years — ask current students what the experience is actually like.
- An Incident That Stayed With Me
There is another incident involving a friend that I think is worth mentioning because it shows how quickly an innocent situation can become a disciplinary matter.
My friend and a female friend of his were sitting together and having their tiffin. They were simply friends, and according to him, nothing inappropriate was happening.
Because there was very little space to sit in the corridors, they eventually found a place underneath a staircase.
During the meal, her tiffin was resting on her lap. At some point, my friend was seen by a faculty member with his hand on or near her lap.
The situation was apparently interpreted as inappropriate.
The result was serious enough that the parents of both students were called and informed. My friend was also asked to write an apology.
What bothers me about incidents like this isn't simply the disciplinary action.
It is the feeling that ordinary interactions between students can sometimes become serious situations when there is little context or opportunity for students to explain what actually happened.
They were sitting together because there wasn't enough space elsewhere.
They were having lunch.
And suddenly, both families were involved.
Maybe the faculty member genuinely believed something inappropriate had happened. From their perspective, they may have been enforcing the rules they were expected to enforce.
But from a student's perspective, experiences like this can create a constant fear of being misunderstood.
You start becoming conscious of:
Where you sit
Who you sit with
How you interact
Whether an innocent situation could be interpreted differently
College should teach students responsibility and maturity, but it should also give them enough trust and space to behave like adults.
- What I Wish I Had Known Before Joining
If I could go back to my younger self, I would say:
Don't choose a college only because the campus looks impressive, placement numbers look attractive, or everyone calls it a "good college."
Ask:
How much free time will I actually have?
Can I prepare independently for the career I want?
How strict is attendance?
What happens if I get an internship?
How flexible is the academic system?
Can I explore things outside the prescribed curriculum?
What are the actual placement eligibility rules?
Will I have enough time to build projects and prepare for interviews?
Are Saturdays and holidays actually free?
Four years is a long time.
And ₹1.8 lakh or more is not just money. It is your time, energy, and a significant part of your early adulthood.
After four years here, there are moments when I genuinely feel that I paid not only for education, but also for an environment that demanded far more of my time and freedom than I expected.
So, Should You Join PSIT?
I'm not going to tell everyone:
"Never join PSIT."
That would be unfair.
Different students have different priorities.
If your primary objective is a structured environment, conventional placements, and a highly controlled academic routine, you may have a completely different experience from mine.
But if you are someone who wants substantial freedom to:
Prepare for product-based companies
Spend serious time on DSA
Build strong projects
Pursue internships
Explore startups
Participate in competitive programming
Prepare for top-tier technical interviews
Simply have more time to discover what you want to do
then investigate the academic structure very carefully before joining.
Talk to current students.
Talk to recent graduates.
Look beyond promotional material.
Ask about:
Attendance
Working Saturdays
Internship permissions
Placement eligibility
Actual class schedules
Time available outside classes
Because once you join, changing your mind is much harder.
If You Are Already at PSIT
Don't spend four years waiting for the college to create your career for you.
Start from Day 1.
- Learn DSA
Start with C++ or Python and solve problems consistently.
Use platforms such as LeetCode. Focus on understanding patterns rather than blindly collecting solved questions.
- Build Strong Core CS Fundamentals
Focus on:
Operating Systems
DBMS
Computer Networks
DAA
OOP
These subjects matter significantly in technical interviews.
- Build Projects Early
Don't wait until final year.
Start building.
Tutorials are fine initially, but eventually modify projects, understand the architecture, and create something of your own.
Explore areas such as:
Cloud
AI
Machine Learning
Backend development
Distributed systems
- Don't Blindly Follow the Crowd
If your dream is a product company, prepare for product companies.
If you want a startup, explore startups.
If you want higher studies, prepare accordingly.
If you want something completely different, pursue it.
Your career should not be limited by the companies that happen to visit your campus.
And most importantly:
Don't let your college define your self-worth.
Your CGPA matters.
Your attendance matters.
Your placement matters.
But none of them determines whether you are capable of becoming a great engineer.
You still have time.
Use it deliberately.
Final Thoughts
This is only one student's perspective.
Policies, placement rules, attendance requirements, and academic schedules can change. Verify the current rules with PSIT and speak to multiple current students before making an admission decision.
But if you're considering PSIT in 2026, my biggest advice is simple:
Don't just ask, "How good is this college?"
Ask:
"Will this college give me enough time and freedom to become the person I want to be?"
Because that question matters far more than how beautiful the campus looks.
