Life at an IIT | 'My IIT Ropar experience changed me from shy and introverted to confident and integrated'

My path to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) started with my increasing passion for mathematics. I belong to Delhi-NCR, and I studied at the Cambridge School, Noida. I did quite well in studies during middle school and improved significantly during high school. I never really had any interest in any extracurricular activities or sports during school.

But Class 10 changed things for me. I developed an interest in maths during classes 11 and 12 after completing my maths syllabus in Class 10. I began to find it satisfying to solve maths problems and learn new things. I ended up solving my Class 11 and 12 NCERT maths textbooks by the time I finished my Class 10 board exams. Considering my experience in solving these questions, I believed that it would not be difficult to clear the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). It was at that time that I decided to study for JEE.

I took the JEE in 2024. My rank in JEE Main was 2,604 (AIR) and 2,365 (AIR) in JEE Advanced. I prepared entirely through online classes of a coaching institute. I opted for online coaching since it was more convenient and flexible for a school-going student like me. It was not easy to attend school and online classes together as I had to study as soon as I reached home from school. I used to solve my coaching modules in the school itself. As mentioned above, I enjoy mathematics and logic. Thus, I wished to choose a branch with maximum mathematical usage. I filled computer science, mathematics and computing, and artificial intelligence in my Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling.

I eventually got admission in IIT Ropar in 2024 in the computer science branch. It was my first-ever time away from home. There were some challenges, such as getting used to mess food, hostel life and staying away from family. I miss home comfort and street foods of Delhi. I also miss playing and meeting my school friends. All this changed once I befriended someone. College life started enjoying much more after that.

I used to take a few days to get used to the IIT life. We first didn't have any classes because of the induction programme, so we had loads of time to discover things independently, make buddies and get accustomed to college life. The mess food wasn't as terrible as we anticipated yet nowhere near comparable to food from home. I soon made some buddies and met lots of individuals. It was extremely simple to befriend others here since everyone was of the same age, had the same academic interests and shared the same hobbies.

We don't need to join most clubs here to attend club events. Our induction programme included numerous club activities organized by all the clubs in the college. I had a lot of fun attending these activities and befriended new people. Once the induction programme was over, I only went to attend the sessions of clubs that I was interested in, such as the oratory club and software club. It is not at all difficult juggling academics and club activities because there are no activities scheduled during exam time, and club activities usually take place in the evening when there are no classes.

I have gained more independence and more confidence after joining IIT. I also become more social than I was when I was at home because there are a lot of like-minded individuals with whom I can easily identify and share common interests. I have realized the importance of connecting with like-minded individuals. A lot of people, including my seniors, professors, and parents, have all advised me the same. I used to see my computer science professor at the railway station one time, and we chatted about college life for an hour or so. He also put a lot of stress on the networking in college, which is good advice. 

I am at my classes from morning until afternoon. Later, I practice some sports like table tennis during the evening. After dinner, I spend time with my friends, play some video games, and study as well. There are a few nice places to hang out at our campus. The ones that we visit are the cafe, Maggi Point, and the garden. The majority of my money is spent in food outlets. There aren't many outlets so our choice is limited. As there isn't much to spend on, I don't spend more than my budget usually. I prefer eating Maggi at Maggi Point, fries at the cafeteria and milkshakes from the cafe. If I ever feel like I want something healthy, then I order eggs and paneer.

Half of the professors are good teachers, and half are not. I make it a point to go to every lecture of a well-taught course, whereas for others, I make sure to study from the senior students' notes to get good marks in the exams. Because of the 75 per cent attendance rule by our institute, we are still obligated to go to classes of badly taught courses, which is really unfortunate.

There really isn't much to do in the city. We do nearly all of our activities on campus. It is a good break from the commotion in Noida where I reside, though. There is far less pollution and we get to see a lot of birds and animals that don't show up in large cities. I feel campus life here is not all that different from the colleges my friends attend. But I think IITs have superior sports infrastructure, better networking opportunities, large fests, and clubbing activities.

I play badminton and table tennis on a regular basis. We also have our weekly sports period, where we usually play dodgeball. I have lots of fond memories with my friends. We spend most of our time making jokes, watching films, playing sports, preparing for exams, etc. We even took a trip to a nearby hill station during our winter break and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

If I were to alter some aspects of IIT life, I would enhance the quality of food in our mess, provide air conditioners in our hostels, and have more food outlets on our campus.

Upon finishing my BTech, I wish to gain some experience in tech in the industry. I am looking at various areas in tech and targeting my courses to lay good foundations in my first year.