ISC Class 12 result: Days after ‘rejection’ from JEE Main, Chandigarh’s Arunima bounces back to top in non-medical stream

Rai, who is a student of St. Xavier’s School at Sector 44 in Chandigarh, and a resident of Kharar, Mohali, aims to pursue Computer Science and specialise in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. She secured 97 marks in English, Maths, Chemistry, Computers, and 94 in Physics.

While speaking to The Indian Express, she said, “I am entirely a self-study student, and not a coaching one. I was not able to qualify the JEE second session that was held in April. I know everybody dreams of IIT Bombay, but that is not the end of the road. I will apply in good private colleges now”.

Rai named esteemed private colleges like BITS Pilani, IISER where she wishes to apply. “My mother constantly says this” ‘Sooraj jaisa banna hai toh sooraj jaisa jalna bhi hoga (if you want to shine like a sun, then first burn like a sun)’. I kept going with this motto. At the end of the day it is the skill you possess that matters,” she added.

The topper said that her board exams finished on March 21 and her JEE was on April 4, leaving her with very little time to cope with in between this period.

“Had I prepared, I am sure I would have cleared it (JEE), but I was underprepared. I had to revise the Class 11th syllabus also for that,” she said.

Rai’s mother Shraddha Rai is a housewife, while father Arun Kumar Rai works as AGM in Transport and Logistics in a firm. Her younger sister studies in Class 9.

She said that she will be the first in the family to pursue Computer science in AI. “Artificial intelligence and data science is the future. So, I want to specialise in that,” Rai added.

While sharing her routine, she said she would study for three to four hours and then give a one-hour break. “In that one-hour break, I will do cycling or rejuvenate my energies and then again begin until my target for the day is completed. I would say just focus on your goal, have faith in God and keep moving ahead irrespective of the obstacles that come your way,” the topper added.

She said that she would always look at the board in her school displaying names of toppers to get inspired. “That was the first thing I would do. I kept reminding me of my goal,” Rai said, adding consistency and hard work is the key to succeed.