5. Consider placement record of the college Some universities insist on getting their affiliated colleges to post placement track record on their website making them vulnerable. Ask for evidence of claims like "100% placement", "placement guarantee". Ask for names and contact numbers of some past students from your school or city. 6. Don't fall for high decibel campaigns Slick advertisements in media do not assure good academic standards. An institute that uses larger size advertisements, uses too many adjectives, charges high fees but has an unimpressive placement track record may be a place you can ill afford. Unless you have the family business to fall back on. Don't follow college rankings by media blindly. Don't get taken in by offers like 'a free laptop', 'a BlackBerry phone', 'a business suit' or a visit to a university in a foreign country. Beware of college counsellors who get paid a fat cut for each admission that they secure. 7. Consider the lineage of the institute Find out who are the founders of the academic institution. Who are the promoters? For instance, the first five IITs are no doubt good. While the record of the new IITs coming up is not known you can be certain that they will follow standard process. At the same time why would you join a 25-year old institution that has dismal placement record to boast of?