I am doing B.Tech in computer science and I am in the 1st year (I have almost completed 1st year)

I want to learn a language in the forthcoming summer break (2 months) between the first year and second year, and am quite confused if I should go for C++ or Java.
I have no previous experience of C++ (I did not have comp sci in school), but I have studied C in the first year.
I have asked a few people and most of them tell me that trying to learn java is no good if I already dont know C++, because then I will not know what the concept of "classes" is, and therefore will not be able to understand Java properly.

In a nutshell, my questions are-
1. Should I learn Java or C++ ?
2. Should I join a proper institute or buy books and do java/c++ at home??

Thanks in advance

If you have studied C, you could really learn either. Both are very similar to C in syntax. The advantage to learning Java is that you don't have to practice memory management (in other words, you don't have to worry about deleting objects after you have created them). In C++, you do have to practice memory management. There is a ton of information/tutorials on both online. For a good Java tutorial, check out this course on the MIT site. For a good C++ tutorial, check out this.

I would recommend C++ because of the memory management and other "hands on" work you have to do. When you move to other languages, you'll learn why/how they have improved upon C/C++. Another benefit is that many languages are based on C/C++, so learning them can carry over to other languages.

As fakepoo mentioned, the syntax for Java and C++ is very similar, considering C++ is "improved" C and Java is an improvement upon C++.

Several web sites and articles have talked about how Java is the "new BASIC" in that it teaches/reinforces bad coding habits, such as an over-reliance upon garbage collection rather than learning to code properly. Personally, I don't think it's the language but how a person learns to code. But there seems to be the start of a backlash towards teaching Java as an initial language in schools.

A similar thread was posted earlier; it has more information.