I joined the college in 2002 when it was just upgraded to a National Institute of Technology (NIT) and given a deemed university status. The college is now under a major upgradation and the changes here are taking place very fast.
Firstly, the academics. This was always a strong point of the RECs, and now it has been made even stronger . The college has a very performance based yet flexible curriculum and exam procedure. The course has been redesigned to emphasise on the learning process and clearing your fundamentals rather than just passing exams. Though many ( including me) feel that the pressure of academics here is a bit too much. Sleep is one thing I miss dearly.
The hostels are really clean and hygienic going by the standard of hostels in India. The bathrooms and the messes are squeaky clean( but lesser said about the food served in them the better).
The facilities provided are first rate. The campus is very well networked with all the departments having a separate computer centre and every office ( including the workshops) has computers with internet connection. The new hostel made recently has internet connection in every room. The labs and the workshops too are fairly big and you get a lot of personal attention.
One problem seems to be the overstrict and overconcerned administration. I remember in my first year, we were not allowed to go out of our hostels(except for classes and library) for first 2 months out of the fear of ragging ( though when we were let off realised no one bothered to rag us anyway), and were flanked by security guards day in and day out.
This college is great for people who really want to learn engineering.And although there is ample opportunities to persue your extra-curricular activities, there isn’t enough time. So people who want to make a career in , say, sports or music should not join NIT Calicut.
Overall, the college is really good. I am having the best time of my life here. I have made friends from all over the country. We all work hard and play harder. This college has prepared me to face the world.