Education, Careers & Professional News
Campus fundas
Source
toi
Date
2005-06-16
Information
What does it take to be an IITian? It could be one year to two years of rigorous preparation to get through the Indian Institutes Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) and get selected to pursue an Under Graduate (UG) programme in one of the seven IITs in the country. Or, you get admitted to one of the IITs to pursue a management programme through Joint Management Entrance Test or Masters via the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering.
So, is it all study and no play once you get admitted into one of the seven IITs? The truth is that the real fun starts once you become a part of the IIT system. According to the dean of students at IITD, S M Ishtiaque, We do not want students who are bookworms, but those who can see that there is life beyond than just being confined to hostel rooms, labs or libraries.
A second-year mathematics and computing student, and a resident of IITDs Kumaon Hostel, Anshul Gupta said: Our hostel works on a 24 X 7 X 365 module, and as the saying goes A hostel in IIT like Mumbai never sleeps. At any given time, you will find students engaged in some activity or the other, not only during daytime but nights as well. As a result, sleep becomes the first casualty of our daily life. If classes commence at 8 am, it rarely happens that we get up before 7:30 am on an average day. Its literally a race against deadline when it comes to attending theory classes in the morning.
In the first year, as Gupta remarked, A student has to go through all the courses. The routine is very hectic and you get a chance to relax a bit only after the first year. A third-year student of Computer Science and Engineering at IITD and a resident of Kumaon, Jagmal Singh echoed Guptas views.
According to Singh, During the first year, a student learns the basics of engineering in institutes workshops. From the second year, you have to start doing department courses. The labs are opened 24x7 throughout the year, and you will find students remaining awake till 4:00 am to finish assignments.
The fun in IITD like other IITs begin when students are back in their hostel. Gupta added, We do not even think about end-term examinations or Grade Points Averages (GPA) tutorials when we are back in the hostel. These things are best left only at the institutes campus. We participate in in-house elections for different committees like Board of Recreation and Cultural Activities, Board of Sporting Activities and many more, which are held at the end of every academic year. We participate in debating competitions and in intra-hostel sports meets as well. We have various activites being conducted at the institutes level as well, which keeps us occupied thoroughout the year. Like we say, IITians do not have the time to do nothing.
A first-year student of civil engineering and a resident of Kumaon Hostel Vipul Mehta echoed Guptas views. Mehta remarked, The funda here is to enjoy life to the fullest. You get a chance to make lots of friends in the hostel as well as through your group assignments. While preparing for IIT-JEE, I used to study for seven hours to eight hours on a daily basis. This now has considerably reduced, and here I just prepare for two weeks before the semester examination.
Gupta chipped in, Even groupism or rivalry exists only at the institute. You will find students often referred to as five, seven or nine pointers hanging out together. A student of IITD is known by GPAs secured during end-term semester examinations.
Fun and study is part of the academic cycle at IITD. My GPAs were reasonably well in the first year, did not fare well in the second year but it went up again in the third year. This is part of the cycle as your GPAs depend on how well you have prepared for the examinations. Sometimes GPAs, however, become secondary when you are preparing for an event like Rendezvous. The sleepless nights spent on Rendezvous is worth it as we have to put a best foot forward. Its not only fun as you get a chance to learn so many things and become more confident in life. Participation in different actitivies help you to hone your personality as well, added Singh.