I’ve been impressed by the glittering expansion of India’s professional colleges (June 28). However, it is difficult to avoid the feeling that they are overwhelmingly urban-oriented, probably more so with the passage of time, in the sense that they are there to help create employment in urban areas. Some of the figures from the India Labour Report 2009, referred to in the article, would testify to this. This applies to those colleges located in rural districts too. Why is is that one hardly finds any colleges in the fields of agriculture, dairy, forestry or fishing? Will this glittering expansion be of help toward the solution of such problems as drought? I am reminded of Mr Gandhi who used to say that in independent India, cities should come to the help of villages. Is he no more?

Yamaguchi Hiroichi, Japan

A good effort at providing guidance to aspiring students, but of what benefit is it to the 53 per cent illiterate population of our country, for whom even basic education infrastructure is a mirage?

Ramon Terence, on e-mail

I am amazed at the gross omissions in your list of top 50 engineering colleges. Notwithstanding the colleges that did not participate in the survey, institutions of repute such as the RV College of Engineering or pesit in Bangalore as well as many other NITS find no place in your survey whereas many inferior albeit on-the-up colleges sneak in.

Dushyant Sahgal, on e-mail

What a joke! You miss out half the NITS and include unknown private colleges like Acharya, Kongu Venkateswara or Guru Nanak. This is the second or third straight time you have ignored NIT Silchar despite the college having high placements and very high average/median salary. Please do proper research before establishing ranks, otherwise, someday, the alumni body of some prominent college might sue you.

Kishalaya Bhattacharjee, Guwahati

I wonder how SRM University, Chennai, was not listed in the top 35 engineering colleges. I know for sure it’s better than Sastra and Satyabhama, and at least equal to VIT.

Arun, Chennai

As far as law colleges are concerned, the Outlook survey is highly erroneous. For instance, NLSUI, NALSAR, NUJS and NLIU, have been given different points in the selection process category, when the selection in all of them is through the clat examination. Similarly, you should have taken the view of recruiters to see where these law schools stand. Outlook should not publish these surveys just to fulfil its annual ritual but remember that prospective students take these surveys seriously and a wrong decision can affect their careers.

Ayushmaan, Ranchi

You should not publish the survey if top colleges do not submit data. It takes away from the credibility of the exercise.

Puneet, San Francisco

Apropos your list of India’s top dental colleges, I was disappointed to see a leading institution such as the sdm College of Dental Sciences placed at number 6. SDMCDS is the only dental institution to have been accredited twice by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of the UGC. I can understand that your rankings are based on a perceptual survey but a small group of faculty, practitioners and students in a few cities (your interview pool) can’t form a representative group of the dental profession and can skew results.

Prof Srinath L. Thakur, Principal, sdmcds, Dharwad

Every time I hear of a survey of mass communication colleges, my heart sinks. Not only at what our journalism school’s ranking could be, but at what facts the experts might get wrong. Sure enough, you obliged. The Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media is not a government institution. We are not even affiliated to any university. This is a point your survey had asked and we had very clearly mentioned.

Kanchan Kaur, Vice Dean, IIJNM, Bangalore

We regret the oversight. The error will be corrected on the website.—Editor

I’ve been impressed by the glittering expansion of India’s professional colleges (June 28). However, it is difficult to avoid the feeling that they are overwhelmingly urban-oriented, probably more so with the passage of time, in the sense that they are there to help create employment in urban areas. Some of the figures from the India Labour Report 2009, referred to in the article, would testify to this. This applies to those colleges located in rural districts too. Why is is that one hardly finds any colleges in the fields of agriculture, dairy, forestry or fishing? Will this glittering expansion be of help toward the solution of such problems as drought? I am reminded of Mr Gandhi who used to say that in independent India, cities should come to the help of villages. Is he no more?

Yamaguchi Hiroichi, Japan

A good effort at providing guidance to aspiring students, but of what benefit is it to the 53 per cent illiterate population of our country, for whom even basic education infrastructure is a mirage?

Ramon Terence, on e-mail

I am amazed at the gross omissions in your list of top 50 engineering colleges. Notwithstanding the colleges that did not participate in the survey, institutions of repute such as the RV College of Engineering or pesit in Bangalore as well as many other NITS find no place in your survey whereas many inferior albeit on-the-up colleges sneak in.

Dushyant Sahgal, on e-mail

What a joke! You miss out half the NITS and include unknown private colleges like Acharya, Kongu Venkateswara or Guru Nanak. This is the second or third straight time you have ignored NIT Silchar despite the college having high placements and very high average/median salary. Please do proper research before establishing ranks, otherwise, someday, the alumni body of some prominent college might sue you.

Kishalaya Bhattacharjee, Guwahati

I wonder how SRM University, Chennai, was not listed in the top 35 engineering colleges. I know for sure it’s better than Sastra and Satyabhama, and at least equal to VIT.

Arun, Chennai

As far as law colleges are concerned, the Outlook survey is highly erroneous. For instance, NLSUI, NALSAR, NUJS and NLIU, have been given different points in the selection process category, when the selection in all of them is through the clat examination. Similarly, you should have taken the view of recruiters to see where these law schools stand. Outlook should not publish these surveys just to fulfil its annual ritual but remember that prospective students take these surveys seriously and a wrong decision can affect their careers.

Ayushmaan, Ranchi

You should not publish the survey if top colleges do not submit data. It takes away from the credibility of the exercise.

Puneet, San Francisco

Apropos your list of India’s top dental colleges, I was disappointed to see a leading institution such as the sdm College of Dental Sciences placed at number 6. SDMCDS is the only dental institution to have been accredited twice by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of the UGC. I can understand that your rankings are based on a perceptual survey but a small group of faculty, practitioners and students in a few cities (your interview pool) can’t form a representative group of the dental profession and can skew results.

Prof Srinath L. Thakur, Principal, sdmcds, Dharwad

Every time I hear of a survey of mass communication colleges, my heart sinks. Not only at what our journalism school’s ranking could be, but at what facts the experts might get wrong. Sure enough, you obliged. The Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media is not a government institution. We are not even affiliated to any university. This is a point your survey had asked and we had very clearly mentioned.

Kanchan Kaur, Vice Dean, IIJNM, Bangalore

We regret the oversight. The error will be corrected on the website.—Editor