Piyuja, one of the NIFT UG Design candidates in 2009 clarified:

In the general category counselling only 15 seats for every course in every centre were offered out of 30; including FC. The rest 15 went for the reserved categories!!!

APALA WROTE:

“Hey Malvika ma’am…!!!
I finished 12th this year and bagged 26th rank in NIFT entrance. My counseling was on 12th June. I went for ST category counseling. The counseling was a sort of stampede or something. I opted for FD as my course.

The session started from 9:30 am. We were the 1st ones to reach the campus I guess. The counseling for PHP (Physically handicapped people) candidates took place first, then OBC, then SC and then ST. So I was there in Indira Gandhi hall since morning till the General category counseling begun.

In the beginning, the NIFT people gave us a sort of idea about the different centers so as to clear our confusions. They said that there is nothing like ”This institution is better than that. Just opt for the course and choose the centre next. Go for a centre near to your home.”

While PHP had around 3, 4 seats at every centre, SC/ST had just about 1 or 2. But still PHP candidates were not always getting the centre of their choice as desired seats filled up so fast. I met a girl from Bihar. She was a PHP candidate. She got 8th rank. She wanted Delhi as her centre but she could not get it because till her turn came the seats for FD in Delhi were over. So she opted for FD, Kolkata.It was like impossible to get a seat in FD or FC. There was a craze for these two courses and their seats were getting filled up first. Many of the seats in AD, TD and KD were left. When the counseling for the PHP candidates was over I could still see the same number of seats remaining there, untouched. I wanted FD in Delhi but you know there were just 2 seats in Delhi, 3 in Mumbai, 2 in Hyderabad, 2 in Kolkata and so on. In FC, there were even less. I was nearly in tears because the seats were just getting filled like anything. The seats were filling up like 1st Delhi, then Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and so on. It was almost like a nightmare. Once I thought to opt for FC because the seats for FD in Delhi got filled up but soon FC was also over.

A girl sitting next to me was from Meghalaya. She had 18th rank but before her turn could have come, the seats in Mumbai and Delhi were filled up. So she dropped NIFT and left. I just left everything to the Almighty, like whatever will happen will be good for me. At last I opted for FD, Hyderabad. I did not want to go for Chennai or some other centers. I hope it will be the best for me.

During the session, everybody was clueless about how it was going on. I was in the ST category but counseling for all the categories took place in front of me. We were like sitting and getting tense as the calls were made. 1st of all the SC and PHP candidates were called. We got so fed up that once my Dad got up and went to one of the faculty members and asked "Hamara call ayega ki hum log jayen." lol. They said to wait for some time. People were really unhappy with the type of counseling which took place. But everything has to be taken; after all it is India's top most fashion institute which has got a reputation equal to that of IIT or AIIMS.
Being a science student with PCB as my subjects I opted for NIFT so as to do something different. I am creative and this is my passion. That is all my blood knows; will dedicate even the last drop of my blood to achieve my dream. With passion within and God overhead I am ready to launch myself, wishing success as I move forward. Let it be NIFT Delhi or NIFT Hyderabad, talent can come up on its own. I hope I am a success ahead.”

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

RAKHI WROTE:

“I just read some of the posts on counseling experience at NIFT and seems like I had a completely different experience altogether.
Well, this is what I thought about my counseling.

I cleared my NIFT entrance and was lucky enough to get the 47th rank in the OBC category. My counseling was on the 19th of June, 2 pm. We reached the place by 1pm or something and so we had to wait outside the gates till 1.30.

By 1.30 we were let in. The IG hall wasn't open. So then we had to wait again. Later on the doors were opened and we were seated inside. Though the counseling was scheduled to begin at 2, there was some delay. And then it wasn't until after 2.30, that a lady from the design dept and another person came up front. And then they started talking' about NIFT and the various courses offered and all that. The lady explained each and every course for about 6 or 7 minutes.
Finally, some people came and they started the process. The 1st ranker's name was called up. And one by one, every one's name according to their rank was called. Some of them were absent.

Now, when your name is called, you have to go up front and put your signature on the attendance sheet. Then you are asked to sit somewhere in the front row until one of the verifying officers finish verifying the people who were called up earlier.

And then when your turn comes you take your documents to one of them. If you have arranged both your originals and attested photocopies in the order that is mentioned in the check list, things become smoother. (You have to write your name, roll no and rank at the back of the DD and the 6 photos). They verify the attested copies first and then later on you have to show them the originals. Once everything is verified you are asked to wait until your name is called up for a 2nd time. That’s when you specify the course and centre of your choice.

By the time my document verification was over only the 5th/6th rank had been called up for the 2nd time. But then things seemed 2 be moving fast. Maybe it was because my eyes were fixed on the screen on which the seat-availability was displayed. So while waiting for my turn, I saw that the FDseats @ Delhi (8 were offered for OBC) were taken up soon one after the other, until the screen showed '0' for FD Delhi. Then it was FC Delhi’s turn. But some people went for LD and TD @ Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

Finally, I was called inside. I was totally blank at that time. I wanted FD Delhi. And I was confused about my second choice which was between FD Mumbai or FC Delhi. And that’s when my dad came to my rescue. They verified my documents once again and asked what my choice was. I just couldn’t say anything and that's when my dad simply jumped in and said 'FC Delhi'. And I was so relieved that finally it was over. Then they gave me the receipt for the 1st semester fees and asked me to bring it on the 27th.

Inside that room, people representing the various other centers were present and if you have any doubts regarding your centre; like the hostel or something, you can clear your doubts then and there itself.

So, as far as I am concerned, except for the minor delays in the beginning and some confusion regarding the documents and DD, the counseling was not at all a messy affair.

And so all you have to do is that make sure you have all the required documents and keep them in the right order and make sure that there are no problems regarding your DD, and also be ready to accept your quick decisions regarding course and centre selection.”

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Design course and centre selection at NIFT

The next meet after the situation test is for course selection. Everyone sits in a hall and is called one by one to an adjacent room to get his/her papers verified. This is where you also specify what stream and NIFT centre that you want.The candidates are summoned to this room in order of all India rank in the entrance exam. The first ranker goes first.

In the large hall itself, there is a screen on which the availability of seats in various courses is displayed. This gives all those people sitting an opportunity to make up their mind while they are waiting to be called. So if you dont have a good rank, have your second and third options ready. Having said that, if you perform very well in your first year at NIFT you can change your stream second year onwards. You just might be able to change your centre at the end of the first or second year. We have had one or two transferred students. All this depends on availability of seats and on your marks, so the possibility cannot be predicted. You’ve just got to try.

The first year at NIFT is a common foundation programme in which the stream chosen is unimportant. Fashion Communication and Fashion Design seats get filled up first. These are the most coveted courses. The competition gets even tougher for Fashion Communication as it is offered only at Delhi and Mumbai NIFT centres (as of 2008).

At the orientation programme they also ask you if you would like to avail of hostel facility. I have written about hostel, room or apartment near NIFT Delhi in the blog-post House Hunt.

Just in case the prospectus didnt give you a clear idea about what each course is, here is a run through that lets you choose what you really want to do.

FC Fashion communication

FD Fashion design

LD Leather design

KDT Knitwear Design

TD Textile design

AD Accessory Design

FC :

graphics, journalism, photography, visual merchandising (which includes creating the look of a brand’s stationary, carry bags, store, facia etc), advertising, brand development - all dealt with keeping fashion and lifestyle in mind. For more on FC click here.

FD :

primarily about designing collections - thinking it out and actually stitching it. Two main subjects are pattern making and garment construction. For more on FD click here. To look at a few 2008 FD design collections clickhere.

LD :

same as FD with focus on leather. so this may lead you to make bags as well

KDT :

same as FD but they focus on knit fabrics such as that which makes T shirts and stockings, not just sweaters. So the students create fabric as well as apparel

TD :

the creation of different textiles and making designs on these textiles through print or weaving. you study fibre, yarn and fabric and the innovations beng done. At the end of 4 years you prepare a collection of home linen or apparel

AD :

lots of material exploration and how to fix things together. thinking out products in 3 D to make useful gadgets or just aesthetic stuff like vases. You can make stuff like chairs, mountaineering harness, table-lamps, ergonomic hammers, wine racks, mountaineering gear, candle stands, toys at the end of this course. For more detail on AD click here.

Advice:

First choose course and then centre unless you are getting a pathetic centre.
Reason: Your course decides your career. You can always do a particular course in chennai instead of Delhi, and then at the end of four years, get a job in Delhi or Mumbai.
If you don’t get your course in the top 5-6 centres and if you are not passionate about a particular course, then go for another course. Try not to go for a really tiny centre because after all, mainstream fashion is big city glam. Personally, I feel that industry experts will not visit small centres as faculty as their work and life is in big cities. I don’t know if the libraries will be terrific in small centres.

Which 5-6 centres should you try for? Just see which are the bigger cities - say delhi, mumbai, bangalore, hyd, chennai, kolkota, and also gandhinagar maybe.

FD, KDT, LD are roughly similar.
TD teaches you FD stuff + stuff about textiles (weaving, dyeing, printing etc)
AD is disctinctly different because you don’t focus on clothes and fabric. Read more in AD details blog-post
FC is distinctly different, teaching you abt branding etc. But you can still go for another course and pick FC skills on the way.

Kriti wrote:

Thanks for every thing Malvika. My counseling was today 23th july 2009. Here are all the details so that you can help others the way you helped me.
NIFT counseling this year started on the 12th of July. The total no. of seats is 1290 out of which 631 are reserved.
PHP=3% RESERVATION, selected=24, NO waitlisted.
ST=7.5%, selected=97,waitlisted=78
SC=15%,SELECTED=193,waitlisted=120
OBC=25%,selected=317,waitlisted=183

All the above info is from NIFT site. Hope it’s helpful for you. IN FD and FC no seats were left. By the time my counseling was over, only a few seats in the new centers were left.

And hey, one more thing - In every stream i.e. FD TD KD and so o,n 15 are for general and the other 15 are for reserved category.

General selected=645, waitlisted=355.

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