A Glimpse of Life in PIEAS (Written By Utban Ahmed doing BS in mechanical engineering from PIEAS)

PIEAS happens to be a mystery in the minds of people who have never been here or have never met any of its students. But in fact PIEAS is an institute way beyond the thinking of such people. I’m here to give the readers an unbiased opinion about the life in PIEAS, why they should consider opting for it and why they shouldn’t and it should be noted that this article pertains to readers interested in undergraduate studies only.

Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is an institute run by the PAEC, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.  PAEC itself is regarded as one of the most successfulorganizations of Pakistan and the world. It is recognized and acknowledged throughout the globe, the chairman PAEC himself being the current chairman of the board of governors. So one thing should be kept in mind, when it comes to research and education, PAEC takes it very seriously, as is shown by their track record.

The undergraduate program at PIEAS comprises BS Mechanical and Electrical Engineering only and inducts around 100-110 applicants only from throughout Pakistan. The MS program forms the major program of the institution, offering MS in 7 further disciplines out of whichmasters in nuclear engineering is one of its kind. No other institute in Pakistan offers MS program in this field, so maybe this is why PIEAS manages to get the attention of international forces. As MS focuses more on research, the research area of PIEAS stands out among all other institutes of Pakistan. One must think of the BS program as an underdog of the MS program, as I myself did when I first joined, but the fact is that the Undergraduate program thrives due to the fact that MS is the stronghold of PIEAS. Why? The same highly qualified faculty is shared by the undergraduate and the graduate programs, providing the undergraduates a large number of highly qualified and research oriented faculty persons. This particular perk, in my opinion, stands out for PIEAS only among all other engineering institutes of Pakistan. Getting ranked the number one Engineering Institute in all of Pakistan certainly doesn’t appear out of the blue. The faculty of PIEAS has the highest number of PhD holders in all Pakistan. They ensure an elevated level of propriety and excellence in the studies as well as experimentation. For this very reason, PIEAS was ranked no. 106 in QS Asian University rankings, research and a high teacher-student ratio being the strongest points of this institute.

Getting awarded an Engineering degree from PIEAS certainly holds its perks. The university produces highly trained Engineers who make their way into all kinds of fields. Engineers from this university are trained to undergo all kinds of pressures and tasks and this certainly comes in handy in real life.

However, when you consider the university campus life, the undergrad glamorous and extrovert life that other universities offer their undergrad students, PIEAS definitely falls a large way back. The campus is situated inside a PAEC governed and regulated sector and due to the sensitiveness of the institutes in the surroundings, PIEAS suffers from a highly reserved and an isolated environment. The extracurricular and society environment is still progressing and has progressed by huge leaps over the past couple years. All sorts of clubs and societies exist, Debates, Dramatics, Performing Arts, Entrepreneurship, IEEE and ASME that all add to the undergraduate exposure and grooming. The societies aren’t very saturated and there isn’t much competition when it comes to extracurricular activities owing to the small number of undergraduate students occupying the campus. This gives a free way to anyone with a few skills to stand out and utilize the opportunities to the max. You just have to get up and grab all the opportunities lying around for you.

The hostel life of PIEAS is certainly one of positive points about the university. Hundreds of rooms organized into wings and sections create a neat and educational environment. Students interact with each other and take part in social activities. Late night parties accompany students in such environment. One of the good points: there is no restriction when it comes to hostels. You can get in and out any time you want. This particular point has intrigued me very much.

With a state of the art internet system, computing and networking services throughout the campus and hostels, a whole block dedicated to the library and the best, and a most cooperative faculty, PIEAS is a sanctuary for intellectuals and those dedicated to pursuing a quality and sound undergraduate education in engineering.