Life in an IIT | ‘Choosing IIT Madras has been my best decision’, a BTech student shares his journey

Unaware of what the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are and the vast canvas they would provide, I joined the science stream after my Class 10 in a state board school in my district with a dream to pursue BSc post Class 12. The village where I grew up and studied till Class 12 did not know what JEE Main and JEE Advanced exams are and what opportunities IITs provide.

I appeared for JEE Main and JEE Advanced in 2021. It was my first attempt at JEE Main and JEE Advanced. I cleared JEE Advanced and got admission to the BTech programme in Civil Engineering at IIT Madras and now I am in my third year.

JEE Preparation

I appeared for my Class 10 exam in 2019 and Class 12 in 2021. I scored a 9.7 CGPA in Class 10 and in Class 12, I scored 97.4 per cent. I was enrolled at TSWRJC (Telangana Social Welfare Residential Junior College) JP Nagar in Class 11 and 12. The TSWRJC teachers motivated me to take JEE and made me dream of IIT. My junior college for the first time started JEE coaching that year. I, therefore, took the help of the programme launched at my school to guide me through the IIT admission test.

I did not take any other coaching for JEE as I knew that it would make it difficult for my parents (father a construction worker and mother an Anganwadi teacher) to make ends meet.

The help from teachers at JEE Main was sufficient, however, for JEE Advanced, I was lagging. I started looking for online materials on my mobile phone and practised past papers. My seniors at school also helped me with all the resources. I made sure to clear concepts from all the chapters so that no question could put me behind others.

The NTA conducted JEE Main four times in 2021. Although I became eligible for JEE Advanced, the best percentile I received in the best of four attempts at JEE Main was around 79 percentile. I lost all hope and thought of attempting TS EAMCET and being in a state engineering college. However, my seniors and school teachers motivated me not to lose hope and appear for JEE Advanced.

After clearing JEE Advanced and getting admission to IIT Madras, I now feel it has been the best decision of my life. I had the chance to meet former IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao in my village in 2022. He also shared a long post about me and my family on his social media handle.

Life in the IIT Madras campus

After securing a seat at the IIT Madras in 2021, it was difficult for me to adjust as I have never lived alone without my family for a long time and I lacked communication skills. However, after making friends and getting the right kind of peers, things got easier.

During my initial days, I also had to study more than my peers to be able to be at par. The approach I used in my school days did not help me get good marks in IIT. I therefore, started shelling out more hours of self-studying.

I even failed in two subjects in my second year. That failure made me sad and I learnt how to face failure.

During my second year, I used to travel a lot with my friends in and around the city. The campus, as well, has very good places to hang out. Nowadays, I have put a halt to roaming around and I am focussing on my placements in the next session.

Life lesson from IIT

The most important lesson I have learnt at the IIT is that scores in JEE, rank, branch, category does not matter in the IITs. As soon as you enter into an IIT, everyone is on the same page and now you have to write your own book.

I have made several good friends from different parts of the country. IITs not only have exposed me to a multitude of opportunities, but also the diverse community at IIT Madras broadened my perspective and enhanced my understanding of the world.

I am a part of a few communities in IIT Madras, including the civil engineering cooperation. The sense of responsibility attached while handling communities has never failed to motivate me to become a better person.

The professors here at IIT Madras are very helpful and supportive. I feel I have got a huge opportunity to delve into options that would develop me as a person.