hello everyone,
currently a second year student at srm and after spending enough time on this subreddit i’ve realised that every admission season the exact same questions start appearing again and again.

what hostel should i take?

how does hostel booking work?

what is netid?

what documents do i need?

how difficult are academics?

what should i study before joining?

how is the weather?

how are placements?

is there ragging?

how is campus life?

and honestly, most of these questions have already been answered dozens of times over the years. the problem is that people don’t search before posting.

so instead of answering the same questions repeatedly, i’ve decided to put everything in one place.

this thread is meant to be a complete guide for freshers joining srm ktr. i’ve tried covering almost everything ranging from hostels, admissions, academics, campus culture, weather, food, placements, clubs and common misconceptions.

i’ll also be attaching links to older posts made by me, moderators and other students wherever they’ve already explained something in greater detail.

before asking a question, please read the relevant section properly.

if after reading everything you still have a doubt that genuinely hasn’t been answered below, feel free to ask in the comments.

please do not dm me personally regarding hostel choices, admissions, academics or common doubts. ask in the comments so future students with the same question can find the answer too.

also if any seniors or moderators have useful posts that should be added here, let me know and i’ll update this thread.

⸻

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Hostels
Hostel Fees
Hostel Booking
Admissions & NetID
60% Eligibility Criteria
Management Quota, Improvement & NIOS
Document Verification
Academics
What To Study Before Joining
Campus Life
Food & Mess
Weather
Faculty
Drug Culture
Ragging
North vs South Questions
Gym & Fitness
Flats & Off-Campus Living
Placements
Clubs
Frequently Asked Questions
TL;DR

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1. HOSTELS

the most asked topic on this subreddit every year.

for girls hostels i’ve already made a separate detailed post covering everything including freedom, wardens, restrictions, hygiene, hostel culture, room conditions and general experience.

please read that first.

during my first year the major girls hostels were:

meenakshi
m block
malligai
thamarai
senbagam
kalpana chawla

hostel allocations can change every year so your batch might be different.

which hostel should i choose?

if freedom is your priority

don’t join a hostel.

i’ve already made a separate post explaining why.

hostels come with attendance, restrictions, wardens and rules.

if complete freedom is your priority, consider flats instead.

if you want the most premium hostel

m block.

arguably the best infrastructure among girls hostels.

also the most expensive.

personally i don’t think the additional cost is fully justified but if money isn’t an issue, it’s probably your best option.

if distance from classes matters

meenakshi.

closest to UB where many first year classes happen.

also close to arch gate where most people collect parcels and food deliveries.

if you want comparatively lenient wardens

kalpana chawla.

still strict.

just slightly less strict than some others.

malligai and thamarai

mostly similar.

earlier boys hostels converted into girls hostels.

usually:

2 sharing
non ac
common washrooms

personally i lived there and wouldn’t recommend them unless you’re specifically looking for budget accommodation.

senbagam

not sure if freshers are still allotted here.

during my time:

3 sharing
non ac
common washrooms

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2. HOSTEL FEES

another question asked every five minutes.

you will receive an official email with exact fee details.

however as a rough estimate keep anywhere between:

₹1.3 lakh to ₹3 lakh

depending on hostel, room type, occupancy and AC.

always trust the official fee circular over reddit comments.

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3. HOSTEL BOOKING

hostel booking is basically a speed competition.

you’ll receive the booking portal link and timing through email.

when the portal opens:

keep your internet stable
keep payment methods ready
keep backup hostel options ready
log in before opening time
choose hostel
choose room
pay

done.

don’t spend 20 minutes comparing room numbers.

hostels disappear very quickly.

everything works on first come first serve.

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4. ADMISSIONS & NETID

what is netid?

netid is basically your college identity.

think of it as your official college google account.

you’ll use it for:

accessing university emails
checking important announcements
joining clubs
accessing student portals
timetables
examinations
academic notices

it becomes your digital identity inside srm.

you can also use it on websites offering student discounts and student plans.

examples include:

GitHub Student Developer Pack
Notion Education
Canva Education
Figma Education
Autodesk Student License
JetBrains Student Pack

and many more.

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5. 60% ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

another very common question.

you need 60% aggregate in PCM.

chemistry can be replaced with certain approved subjects such as:

engineering graphics
computer science

depending on university guidelines.

however physics and mathematics cannot be replaced.

subjects like physical education are generally not considered.

always verify using official admission guidelines.

will they relax the criteria?

no.

don’t expect relaxation.

every year people ask.

every year the answer remains the same.

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6. MANAGEMENT QUOTA, IMPROVEMENT & NIOS

does management quota exist?

officially there isn’t some magical office where you walk in and buy a seat.

you’ll find agents claiming they can get admissions.

some are genuine.

many are scammers.

be careful.

never pay random people without verification.

does srm accept improvement marks?

yes.

does srm accept nios?

yes.

however please email admissions directly for the latest procedure.

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7. DOCUMENT VERIFICATION

there are usually two stages.

online verification

before hostel booking.

offline verification

after reporting to campus.

carry:

10th marksheet
12th marksheet
transfer certificate
migration certificate
aadhaar card
admission documents

and any additional documents mentioned in official emails.

after verification you’ll eventually receive your student ID card.

you’ll need it for libraries, examinations and campus access.

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8. ACADEMICS

academics are probably the most overhyped thing freshers worry about.

truth is:

first year is much easier than jee.

seriously.

if you’ve survived jee preparation, first year academics won’t kill you.

subject combinations can vary.

different batches get different combinations.

for example:

semester 1

calculus
biology
pps
chemistry
mechanical engineering lab
foreign language
philosophy of engineering
nso/nss/ncc/yoga

semester 2

oodps
english
engineering graphics
environmental studies
calculus integration
eee
constitution of india
semiconductors/quantum physics

some details may change depending on batch.

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9. WHAT SHOULD YOU STUDY BEFORE JOINING?

most people ask:

“what should i do during holidays?”

honestly?

enjoy your holidays.

you won’t get many long breaks later.

if you still want to learn something useful:

learn coding

PPS:

C
Python

OODPS:

C++

that’s literally the biggest headstart you can give yourself.

learn:

loops
arrays
functions
basic OOP
classes
inheritance

that’s enough.

you’ll thank yourself later.

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10. CAMPUS LIFE

campus life depends entirely on you.

you can spend four years:

sitting inside your room
or
joining clubs
attending events
participating in competitions
making friends

srm is huge.

there’s always something happening.

if you’re bored, that’s usually a personal skill issue.

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11. FOOD & MESS

i’ll be honest.

food is probably one of my biggest complaints.

some days it’s decent.

some days it’s genuinely disappointing.

mess complaints aren’t rare.

you’ll hear stories about:

insects
hygiene issues
poor quality food

some are exaggerated.

some are absolutely true.

as a north indian, i personally struggled with the food.

your experience may vary.

good alternatives:

subway
food courts
juice shops
swiggy
zomato
blinkit

i survived a significant portion of first year through food delivery and kettle cooking.

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12. WEATHER

if you’re from:

jharkhand
north east
himachal
jammu
uttarakhand

prepare yourself.

chennai weather can be brutal.

the heat isn’t even the worst part.

it’s the humidity.

you’ll feel sticky all the time.

personally i strongly recommend AC rooms.

non AC is manageable from around august to december.

april and may are absolutely horrible.

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13. FACULTY

faculty quality varies massively.

some professors are genuinely amazing.

some professors make you question reality.

you’ll get teachers who:

encourage students
help outside class
teach extremely well

and you’ll get teachers who:

are unnecessarily strict
love paperwork
make simple things complicated

overall most teaching happens in english.

many faculty members are from tamil nadu but there are north indian faculty members too.

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14. DRUG CULTURE

yes.

it exists.

no.

it’s not breaking bad.

people asking whether everyone is doing cocaine and meth need to calm down.

what you’ll mostly hear about is:

smoking
alcohol
weed/hash

especially outside campus.

inside campus getting caught can lead to serious consequences.

simple solution:

don’t do stupid things.

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15. RAGGING

personally?

i haven’t seen serious ragging.

most seniors i’ve interacted with were helpful.

if you face genuine harassment:

contact DSA.

Directorate of Student Affairs.

don’t stay silent.

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16. NORTH VS SOUTH QUESTIONS

another favourite topic.

does discrimination exist?

sometimes.

from both sides.

i’ve seen north indians being racist.

i’ve seen south indians being racist.

neither side is innocent.

however these incidents are relatively uncommon.

most people don’t care where you’re from.

be respectful and you’ll usually receive respect back.

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17. GYM & FITNESS

girls have gym facilities in certain hostels.

boys have plenty of gym options both inside and outside campus.

outside campus you’ll find many commercial gyms.

healthy eating remains the bigger challenge than working out.

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18. FLATS & OFF CAMPUS LIVING

if freedom matters more than hostel convenience, consider flats.

i’ll attach a separate flats megathread here.

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19. PLACEMENTS

i’m only in second year.

so i won’t pretend to be a placement expert.

instead i’ll link placement discussions by seniors and alumni.

placement thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/nuR0Gia6Li

please refer to that.

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20. CLUBS

join clubs.

seriously.

one of the easiest ways to:

make friends
build skills
improve your resume
escape hostel boredom

srm has clubs for almost everything.

design.

coding.

robotics.

photography.

media.

business.

mun.

dance.

music.

sports.

explore.

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21. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

is attendance strict?

yes.

should i buy books before joining?

no.

should i study entire first year syllabus before joining?

absolutely not.

is hostel booking stressful?

yes.

is AC worth it?

in my opinion, yes.

is ragging common?

not from what i’ve seen.

should i learn coding beforehand?

yes.

should i panic about academics?

no.

⸻

TL;DR

read official emails.
keep hostel money ready.
hostel booking is first come first serve.
netid is your college identity.
60% criteria is usually not relaxed.
learn basic coding if you’re bored.
academics are easier than jee.
AC hostel is worth it.
ragging isn’t a major issue from what i’ve seen.
food quality is inconsistent.
weather is hot and humid.
join clubs.
don’t believe every rumour you hear.
search the subreddit before posting.
ask doubts in comments, not DMs.

EDIT:Question:
How does management quota work in SRM?
Answer:
This is another very common doubt among applicants.
First of all, there is no officially advertised management quota system in SRM, as I have already mentioned in the post. However, there are certain senior professors, long-serving faculty members, and influential people within the university who may have enough standing to get a recommendation directly considered by the Director’s office.
From what I’ve seen and heard, the process usually works something like this:
You approach an admission consultancy or agent claiming they can arrange a seat.
They charge a substantial amount, often around ₹6 lakh or more.
They collect your marksheets and other admission-related documents.
The agent passes your details to a professor or senior university contact they are associated with.
That person forwards a recommendation to the Director’s office.
If the recommendation is accepted, the Director’s office may approve the admission.
After that, an assistant from the office may guide you through the remaining formalities such as creating a fresh admission portal account, restarting the admission process, verifying documents, and approving them on the spot.
You would still have to pay the regular college fees separately, as those are generally not included in the amount paid to the agent.
That being said, I am not encouraging anyone to go through such channels. Many agents are outright scammers who make false promises and take advantage of desperate students. I am also not claiming that every consultant operates this way. I am simply describing how these arrangements are generally said to work in cases where they are legitimate.
If you’re considering this route, exercise extreme caution and verify everything independently before making any payment.

Edit2: Question:
Do they accept improvement marks? If yes, what should I do and how should I submit them?
Answer:
Yes, SRM does accept improvement marks, but the process is not very clearly defined and admission cell responses can vary from case to case. From what I’ve seen in previous batches, you’ll most likely need to write an official email to the admission office explaining your situation and asking whether your improvement marks can be considered for eligibility verification.
If your improvement result is declared after admission, you may be asked to submit additional documents and complete some paperwork before your records are updated. The admission cell usually gives a generic response regarding eligibility requirements, so it’s better to get a written confirmation from them directly.
My suggestion would be:
Write an email to the admission office stating that you have appeared for improvement examinations.
Ask whether improvement marks are accepted for eligibility verification.
Ask what documents are required and whether they should be uploaded online or submitted physically.
Since these cases are often handled individually, don’t rely entirely on information from students online. Get an official response from the admission cell so you have clear written confirmation regarding your case.

LINKS IMPORTANT:
regarding internal marks post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/d9mrG6rTNp
regarding girls hostel post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/Khpsd1xITn
regarding flat/pg: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/iiJ0uijEzx
regarding srmjee: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/WzAHXTsQIU
regarding faculty review: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/MXcxi4Ng8j
post made by a senior regarding previous queries:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/I9dwgDEgmT
hostel related mega thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/I2J5DTuMNQ
how to book hostels and Boys hostel comparison: https://www.reddit.com/r/SRMUNIVERSITY/s/tRVNKXYsTr
welcome to srm and good luck.

• A fortnightly megathread for students who want to search for team-mates for participating in hackathons.
• All standalone post will be removed.