Vital Statistics

• WHAT IS IT? An institute for research and training in statistics. • WHO’S THE BOSS? R.L. Karandikar is the director. • HOW CHEAP IS IT? Nominal tuition fees. Stipends and grants are also available. • WHAT ABOUT JOBS? 100 per cent placement in the last few years through the placement cell. • WHERE TO STAY? On-campus hostel facilities are available. • WHERE IS IT? Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi 7, S. J. S. ansanwal Marg, New Delhi 110016 Telephone: 41493987 Fax: 41493981 Website: www.isid.ac.in

Walking along the sunlit pathway, flanked by the impeccably manicured lawns, you can easily mistake the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Delhi, for a cultural centre.

The ISI, founded by P.C. Mahalanobis in Calcutta in December 1931, is an institute for research and training in statistics and other related sciences. Earlier most students, after graduating from the ISI, pursued careers in academics or were picked up by software companies. But now, thanks to the rapidly changing job market, many students are being recruited by financial companies like the American Express or the ICICI bank and also by the analysis wings of various Indian or multinational companies. The demand for qualified statisticians and specialists is quite high and therefore, placement is not a problem. However, with so many job opportunities coming up, very few ISI students go for PhD programmes these days.

Less is more

The institute has its headquarters in Calcutta while Delhi and Bangalore campuses are the other two academic centres. It has a network of research centres across the country. The Delhi centre offers only two postgraduate courses ? a Master of Statistics (MStat) course and a Master of Science degree in quantitative economics [MS (QE)]. To pursue independent research in the fields of mathematics, statistics and economics or computer sciences, students may apply for PhD programmes. ?The Delhi Centre offers fewer courses as we do not want to repeat the programmes offered at other centres. We offer full-fledged undergraduate and graduate programmes in our Calcutta centre,? says Prof. R.L. Karandikar, the head of the Delhi Centre. According to Prof. Karandikar, among other things, there are plans to re-structure the MStat course to make it more job-oriented.

Each year, around 25 students are admitted to the two masters courses. All admissions are based on a written exam, usually held in May. The exam is held at a number of centres across the country. For the masters courses, a good academic record at the bachelors (in statistics or maths) level is required. For the doctoral programme, a student be admitted to the institute as a research fellow, for which tests and interviews are annually held by the institute.

Saptarshi Mukherjee, who is pursuing his PhD in quantitative economics, feels that the relatively lower number of students at the Delhi centre is in fact an advantage as students are able to maximise the use of the facilities that are available to them round the clock. ?The library is well stocked with journals on theoretical as well as on applied subjects,? says Mukherjee. The scope for extra-curricular activities is quite limited. However, the cultural committee and the sports committee do organise events quite regularly. ?Some standard events and sports activities do take place, but not on a grand scale,? adds Mukherjee.

Ties that bind

At ISI, Delhi, most of the students and the faculty members stay on campus. This allows students to interact closely with the faculty. Prof. Karandikar feels this is necessary because the courses are ?quite tough and intense?. The hostel at the ISI, Delhi is not meant for commercial purposes, and the costs are just token ones. At the hostel, each student is allotted a separate room. Prof. Karandikar says that once admitted, students are really pampered. The institute has a permanent faculty and often collaborates with eminent scientists.

?The ISI is a world renowned institute that offers excellent opportunities for research on mathematical or theoretical economics. It provides students with a concrete base in mathematical techniques,? says Saptarshi.

Amrita Johri and Neha Kumar

OLD MEMORIES

Professor Abhay Gopal Bhatt, faculty, ISI, Delhi, recounts his college days

I did my masters and then my PhD in 1993 from the ISI. The reputation of the institute attracted me primarily. I was interested in statistics and one of my teachers recommended the ISI. I applied and sailed through the exam. It is one of the best schools for mathematics and statistics at the masters level in India.

The real advantage was that I got a chance to interact with some of the eminent professors in the field. The faculty here is one of the best in the country. Teachers are friendly and interactive. The hostel and the academic infrastructure were also excellent. Another thing that I experienced and loved as a student and later as a faculty member was that there was no hierarchy among the faculty members and also, no hierarchy was maintained between the faculty and students.

As told to Amrita Johri and Neha Kumar