I want to know which is better, BITS - Pilani or VIT - Vellore. Eligible Streams for both are CSE, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Aim is to join defence forces via Technical Entry stream and if not successful with Defence then pursue a good paying career in Private firms.

Ans: Dear Anonymous,
I understand your situation can be tiring. It might seem trivial but when it keeps piling up, it gets emotionally exhausting for the person who is on the receiving end of this. Repeated half truths can make a person feel emotionally unsafe in the long term and trust and comfort are key aspects of a healthy marriage. Maybe his intent is not malicious, he still needs to understand that it is not fair to you. Here is what I suggest: let him know that the issue is not the small lies, but the feeling it creates for you. When you find out the truth from someone else, it embarrasses you and breaks your heart that you don't know things about your husband that others do. This pattern makes it difficult for you to trust things that he says. Along with expressing your emotions, acknowledge them too. See if you react negatively when he says he wants to hangout with friends; I am not blaming you here, but introspection is the only way to understand where this behavior is stemming from. Let him know that you do not want yourself to turn into a detective trying to decode everything. You want plain honesty. Clear communication can help a lot. Start from here.

Best Wishes.

Ans: Choose Mechanical/Chemical/Civil at NIT Surathkal/Warangal only if you are strongly interested in core engineering; otherwise, prefer ECE at SVNIT Surat for better placements and greater flexibility than the Mechanical/Civil/Chemical branches.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Prefer IIIT/NIT (government tag + ROI) > VIT only if you get CSE/ECE in low category fees or miss good JoSAA options.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Please ask in the follow-up section to clarify what your exact query/question was.

Ans: Preference order may be: VIT Vellore > VIT Chennai > SNU. The preference order varies from person to person, depending on the circumstances and other parameters.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Target CSE options in top NITs/IIITs like NIT Trichy / Warangal, IIIT Hyderabad, and other good IIITs like Allahabad, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Lucknow, etc. Fill out the preference form carefully for better allotment.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: » Do Not Wait for “Perfect Market”

SWP should not depend on current market mood alone
Waiting for perfect timing usually delays financial decisions
What matters more is:
Your withdrawal need
Asset allocation
SWP structure

» Best Way to Start SWP
Do not start SWP from highly volatile funds like:

Small cap funds
Aggressive mid cap funds

In current market conditions, safer approach is:

Start SWP mainly from:
Flexi cap funds
Large & Mid cap oriented funds
Hybrid funds if available

These categories generally provide better stability.

» Avoid Starting SWP from Small Cap Funds

Small caps can correct sharply
Recoveries may take longer
Continuous withdrawal during correction can damage corpus faster

So small caps are better left for long-term growth, not regular income withdrawal.

» Tax-Efficient SWP Strategy
SWP is already tax-efficient because:

Only gain portion is taxed
Entire withdrawal is not taxed

For equity mutual funds:

Long-term capital gains above Rs 1.25 lakh taxed at 12.5%
Short-term gains taxed at 20%

So ideally:

Start SWP from investments held for more than 1 year

» Practical SWP Structure
Better approach:

Keep 3–5 years expenses in relatively stable funds
Continue growth allocation separately in equity funds

This creates balance between:

Income stability
Long-term growth

» Finally

Do not wait endlessly for market correction or rally
Start SWP gradually and systematically
Prefer Flexi-cap / Large-oriented funds over small caps for SWP
Review withdrawal rate yearly instead of reacting monthly

A properly structured SWP depends more on allocation discipline than market prediction.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramalingamcfp/

Ans: No need for confusion. Don’t go with Mechanical @ DTU/NSUT. Prioritize NIT/IIIT options in ECE/Electrical or lower CSE branches via JoSAA, and also consider good NITs like IIITs/NITs tier-2, where you’ll get core CS/ECE, which is usually a stronger long-term choice than Mechanical at DTU/NSUT.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Yes, reappearing next year is a valid and safe path for JEE eligibility if you improve your score properly. It would be better to contact the administrative office in charge of your school/college for your queries as early as possible. All your queries are based on the CBSE exam, and the school administration is the only one capable of answering you officially with updated information.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam