3 min readNew DelhiSep 7, 2024 05:00 PM IST
First published on: Sep 6, 2024 at 02:58 PM IST
Even before appearing for Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), Maharashtra’s Akarsh Sahay secured admission to the prestigious Oxford University. Unlike most JEE aspirants, he is determined to pursue research in physics rather than running behind the BTech degree from the top IITs.
From Class 9, Sahay had an interest in pure science. He decided to clear the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) examination to get into the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and pursue physics, however, the exam was discontinued in 2022 and was merged with the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) fellowship. Now, to get into IISc he opted to clear JEE.
“There were two reasons why I wanted to crack JEE. First to get admission in IISc and second to get hold and knowledge of physics and mathematics which was above standard level. Since I could not get that level of education from school, I prepared for JEE,” said the 18-year-old who represented India at the International Physics Olympiad in Iran this year.
However, he secured admission to Oxford University even before appearing for the entrance examination. “I appeared for JEE Main and Advanced because I have been preparing for the test from Class 10 and also took coaching. So, I just wanted to see how I fare in one of the most competitive examinations.”
Further, Akarsh kept IITs as his backup to avoid any last minutes chaos incase there comes any issues with his application or money.
“I like the curriculum of Oxford University and believe it will provide me with ample opportunities to explore,” said the boy who scored 98.4 per cent in Class 12.
Apart from UK, he applied to countries like the UK, the US, and Singapore. With multiple rejections from US universities and receiving acceptance from Oxford University, he made his final choice. In Singapore, he applied to the Nanyang Technological University and was also accepted there.
The Maharashtra boy believes that UK universities prefer candidates with excellent academics, particularly in the course the candidate applied for. In US universities, a candidate can change his or her course in a later run while this is not the case in UK universities, he added.
“I had applied for physics so I had to put evidence in front of the university members to prove that I have an interest in the subject. I showed them my marks and my involvement in the International Physics Olympiad and other local competitions. This also becomes the personal statement of the candidate which UK universities ask from a candidate along with why he wants to study the subject.”
He also shared that there is an admission test at Oxford University and he appeared for the same for mathematics and physics subjects, followed by an interview. Akarsh will leave for the UK soon as his classes will begin from October 6.
Akarsh’s another friend Rushil Mathur will also head to Oxford University. Rushil represented India at the International Mathematical Olympiad.
Akarsh kept IITs as his backup to avoid any last minutes chaos incase there comes any issues with his application or money. 
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