Students attend the orientation programme at the IIT-Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Excitement and nervousness were the defining moods at IIT-Patna on Tuesday. Buzzing with activity, the first day of the new academic session got off to a great start.

Newcomer Garima Gautam was elated to join one of the best educational institutions in the country. She said: “It is a proud moment for me to join an IIT.” A passout from Delhi Public School, Ranchi, she had ranked 11,400 in the IIT-JEE. She had chosen electrical as her branch.

This year, the institute launched two more BTech programmes. The new module from this academic session include chemical and biochemical engineering and civil and environmental engineering.

However, the new examination pattern did not go down well with her. She said: “The new examination pattern for admission to NITs based on IIT (Mains) results is a bit confusing as till now the examination conducting body has not developed a mechanism under which there is equal rationalisation for different boards marks.”

Based on the IIT Mains rank, Garima had got through to NIT-Warangal but she preferred IIT-Patna, as this was nearer to her hometown.

Garima was not the only one who was confused with the new examination pattern for IIT-JEE Mains and Advanced.

Aditya Gupta and Arindam Banerjee, both passouts from St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School, Jaipur, who took admission to IIT-Patna claimed that the new exam pattern for admission is a bit tough. Both have scored more than 90 per cent in their Class XII boards and their IIT-JEE (Advanced) ranks are around the 3,500 mark. Arindam said: “The new admission pattern for admission to IITs is a bit tough owing to introduction of multiple-choice (negative) markings and others.”

Both of them have opted for computer science as their engineering branch. He added: “If there is a relaxation in negative markings, it will be good for students.”

Most of the newcomers had come along with their parents. The students mingled with each other, visiting their respective departments, library, hostels and canteens.

The orientation programme for the new batch of BTech and MTech students was marked by a brief introduction by institute director A.K. Bhowmick. He asked the students to be hardworking, punctual and disciplined.

Bhowmick said: “The 200-odd students of the BTech new batch are taking admission at the IIT-Patna extension centre but they will get the degree from the new campus, which is coming up at Bihta.”

The new campus, coming up on 500 acres, is likely to start operations by the end of 2014. IIT Patna started in 2008 with three BTech courses.