Life in an IIT: ‘Beyond JEE – finding balance, purpose and a research calling in AI’

With this motivation, I embarked on my journey by enrolling in the IITian’s Hub’s integrated learning programme after Class 10. I found it difficult to stay motivated throughout the two-year journey. Perseverance sounds amazing on paper but it was gut-wrenching in practice – a lesson I had to learn the hard way. This is not only a game of preparing for and aiming for success but also learning to handle failure, to get back up and keep going. I feel these are invaluable lessons one is bound to learn at some point in life – the earlier you learn it, the better.

I studied in Delhi Public School, Navi Mumbai till Class 10 after which I switched to Tilak Public School, Nerul under the IITian’s Hub integrated programme. I appeared for JEE Main in both the January and April sessions of 2024 and secured an All India Rank of 2797. I then took the JEE Advanced on May 26, 2024, where I ranked 2405.

I am now in the Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering department at IIT Ropar. I am almost done with my first year.

I have been interested in Computer Science and allied fields since middle school. I believe artificial intelligence is going to change the way we do every single activity. Out of sheer love and curiosity for the subject and the fear of picking something that might become obsolete tomorrow, I decided to embrace change and learn to harness the agent of change – AI. I’d also filled in Computer Science and Mathematics and Computing in JoSAA counselling for the same reason.

I was born in Mandya in Karnataka but I grew up in Navi Mumbai. I am now 19 years old. My mother is a dietician, naturopath and yoga therapist who runs her own practice. My father is a civil engineer by profession, working as chief project manager in Konkan Railway.

Apart from the comforts of my home, I miss the convenience of door-step deliveries and the hundreds of options available there to eat out. Though I absolutely can’t stand traffic, I never expected to miss looking at the lake near my home for the millionth time reflecting the lights of cars waiting for the light to turn green.

My time at IIT Ropar

I joined the institute in July 2024. I had never lived in a hostel or for that matter anywhere away from home. It was only after I left for college that I realised I wouldn’t be going back home for a while. I’ve always liked roti sabzi so the mess food wasn’t too bad at first, though by now I’ve grown tired of it. After 2 years of seeing the same group of 30 or so batchmates in my coaching, it was nice to meet a lot of new people. I’m not a very social person but I enjoy spending time with my friends. Finding friends didn’t feel too difficult, most people were in the same boat as me.

You might think I’m being pedantic, but one of the things that troubled me the most was getting used to the hostel bathrooms. The summer bugs and lizards roaming up and down the hallways creeped me out for a while too.

During club orientations, I’d only attended two of them. My interest in software development pushed me to explore those clubs but I felt I’d enjoy working on projects independently and so decided not to join any clubs.

Two years of chasing after a dream subconsciously tunes your mind into building your identity around your ability to solve questions, your exam scores and your “ability to crack JEE”.

Being in an institute where everyone has solved those questions, gotten good scores and cracked JEE, you are forced to finally explore yourself and look for the qualities in you that truly make you unique instead of chasing after exams.

‘Balance in life’

During this one year period at the IIT, I learnt the importance of balance in life. The balance between academics and extracurriculars that we learn now will in my opinion, help us out with work-life balance in the future.

On days I have classes, half of the day flies by attending lectures. After that, I usually complete my chores and work on my assignments. I spend most evenings and the time after dinner walking around campus. On weekends and holidays, I usually sleep in and spend the rest of the day working on my assignments or personal projects.

One of the things I enjoy the most is walking around in the evenings or after dinner. Sometimes we stop for a snack at Maggie point.

As with any institution, the faculty here is a mix of excellent and less effective professors. But everyone is approachable and very open to feedback. Though he’s never been an instructor in any of my courses, I have fond memories of interesting conversations with Dr. Sudarshan Iyengar. He has a way of turning simple chats into thought provoking discussions that leave me excited about a new problem every time we talk.

The clubs and networking opportunities available here are far better than some colleges. You’ll find a variety of people – some discussing games, some about academics, their interests, their future plans. It’s easier to find people who’ve completed the journey you wish to embark upon.

Maggie Point’s burgers and kulchas are my go-to dishes. I can almost never say no to Sohil Juice Corner’s refreshing freshly squeezed fruit juices and milkshakes.

Even though it’s been less than an year since I got here, I’ve gotten used to the peace and lack of traffic here that even a small traffic jam back home in Navi Mumbai feels frustrating.

I wish the mess worked on a coupon system. Though we can’t expect hostels to feel like home, comfortable, temperature-controlled and clean rooms and bathrooms would really go a long way. The curriculum would also benefit more from including more project-based learning approaches rather than simply studying theory and answering questions in the exam.

Except for a few times that I played badminton, most of my “sports time” has been limited to a graded sport course that we’re made to take up in the first two years.

Life after IIT

My passion for research stems from my interest in astrophysics developed as a kid. I used to wonder how and why things behave the way they do. With time as my interests changed, one thing remained unchanged – my love for research. There’s something exciting about taking a question no one knows the answers to and throwing darts at it until you hit a bullseye; thinking up questions that no one even thought of asking before and then answering them! I wish to pursue this passion and pursue higher education, focusing on research in AI.