Sunday 29 March 2015

Mentoring not just JEE aspirants

I have been mentoring a number of JEE apirants through my blog.
At the moment the blog has received some 443k page views.
The concept of the blog was started to help JEE aspirants. But soon I realized that I personally love mentoring and guiding students.
So, in my first semester, I applied for a TAship.
For those who don't know who a TA is : 
Well, a batch of 42 students is allotted a TA (Teaching Assistant) who works under the professor to solve tutorial problems and discuss doubts. We are paid for being a TA by the institute.
I am supposed to take 1 tutorial session of 1 hour every week in which I solve some 10 tutorial problems.
In my third semester, I took the TAship for MA105 (the basic calculus course).
Currently I am the TA for Electricity and Magnetism course which is a mandatory course for all the departments.
TAs are selected on the basis of their grade in that particular course.
Under me are 42 students, almost equally divided into CS and Chemical.
That is, I have under me, some 20 CS students and 20 chemical students.
It feels great to help them.
Here is the feedback that I received as a TA in my semester 3
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RUSZFMQg2PrhIwxkug-CEv1vNpyU3xqcnwD5v0B_ZhQ/edit?usp=sharing

 The students under me are simply brilliant. Some of them have better JEE ranks than me. My rank beta (rank son) is also my tutee (tutee = student). He secured an AIR of 33 in JEE 2014 and so, he is my rank beta. My own rank baap is also in IIT Bombay CSE (3rd year). He got an internship at GOOGLE!

 Enjoying the work of mentoring, I also applied for DAMP mentorship.
DAMP stands for department academic mentorship programme.
In IIT Bombay CSE, some 6 students of second year are allotted a DAMP mentor who is generally a 3rd or 4th year student.
Having good academic record and good peer reviews, I have been selected for DAMP mentorship as well. In my third year, I will have 6 second year students under me to mentor.
I hope to see you people as well in IIT Bombay.
All the best for competitive exams.
at 11 comments:

Importance of self confidence

Self confidence is a very important aspect of JEE preparation
From the day 1 of my JEE preparation, I was motivated to get an under 100 rank. Why ? Because I wanted IIT Bombay CSE. Soon I came to know that IITB CSE closes at ranks close to 60. I was shocked! But then I had a confidence that I can do it!
I remember putting a paper saying - target under 100 rank in my cupboard.
In the first all India Test of FIITJEE, my score was 153/240. I was indeed the topper of my center but at all India level, I was nowhere. 2 people had score 232/240!
That was a big big score!
Again, I had the required trust in myself. I knew that I could do it! I knew that I can fulfill my dreams!
I worker day in and day out.
A key aspect was self confidence.
You should always believe in yourself. However, you must never be over-confident.
Let me tell you an incident that happened with me.
In class 1st, I got 7th rank.
In class 2nd, I got 13th rank.
In class 3rd, my section was changed and a new section was created.
I got 1st rank in class 3rd and 4th.
I was too confident in class 5th - rather over confident is a better term.
I got 8th rank. My friends went ahead of me. I realized my mistake.
In class 6th, my school was changed to Kanpur's best school.
In my interview with the principal, she told my mother that I can top in a "not so renowned" school easily, but she will believe my potential only if I can top her school.
Well, I performed terribly in class 6th - ending up with a rank of 23rd (70.77%).
But I knew that I had to potential to do better.
I got a rank of 13th in class 7th.
In class 8th, in the second term, I got a rank of 4th. There was this girl G ahead of me (she got a rank of 3rd). I told her that next time, I will get 3rd rank and she taunted me by saying - uske liye padhna padta hai (for that, you have to study).
Well, those words pinched me indeed.
Anyway, I ended up with 6th rank in class 8th.
Next comes class 9th, term 1 - rank 4 and the topper of all 4 sections was just 7 marks ahead of me - ah! That did hurt - just 7 marks !!
Well, this time I made my mind that I will bridge this 7 mark gap.
Class 9th, term 2 - Topped all 4 sections with a margin of 14 marks.
Class 9th finals - Topped all 4 sections.
In the certificate distribution ceremony, the girl G was standing beside me and she asked me - yaar Aman kaise padhte ho itna sahi? (Aman, how do you study so well?). Well, that was a victory for me.
After that I never looked back. Just moved ahead, on and on and on.
I had realized my potential very well. I knew that I can really do anything if I work hard, trust myself and remain patient.
Class 10th - secured 97.4% and topped the school with a rank of 3rd in the city!
It has always happened with me that initially I don't perform well (as you can see from me school profile). But later on, I pick up and work very hard - having 100% faith in myself.

School - started with 23rd rank in class 6th, ended with topping school in class 10th.
JEE - started with 153/240 in the first test, ended with 293/360 in JEE Advanced (AIR 33)
B.Tech - started with 5/10 in first quiz, ended with a CPI of 9.86 in the first year

Well, to motivate you, here is my resume in this link which captures all my academic achievements so far. This was the resume that helped me to get a summer internship at Germany!

This summer (2015), I would be going to Germany for my summer internship. Candidates were shortlisted on the basis of resume and final selections were made on the basis of a personal Skype interview.
After my summers, I will surely write about my experience in Germany.
Till then, stay motivated, work hard, be patient, enjoy studies.
All the best for the upcoming exams :)
at 14 comments:

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Hard Work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard

Yes, you read it right.
I will tell you my own story here.

 About me - I am a B.Tech Second year, Computer Science and Engineering undergraduate student at the prestigious IIT Bombay - a place where many aspire to go, but only some get through.
Well, just like you or any other student, I was also in the same place 2 years back - JEE on the head! Back to back exams - Boards, Olympiads, JEE Main, JEE Advanced, BITSAT and what not!

 We as the quote suggests, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
I was a very average student in school - just to tell you, I got 23rd rank in school in class 6th. I was not a topper until class 9th.

 But I had faith in myself - I knew that I can do anything I want - I knew my potential.
I was not at all "born intelligent by birth". I don't have a super high IQ or a super huge memory. I am just an average student just like anyone else.

 Now that must be bothering you - JEE 2013 AIR 33 saying that he is an average student! How come ???
Well, then let me tell you about myself.
I spend hours and hours studying a topic. It takes me approximately twice the amount of time to learn something which someone else can do in a small amount of time.
Well, you might think that's weird, but really, it was the case that I had to spend endless time to learn something which my friends did quickly!
So what to do now ?
Talent seems to be failing here right ?
Work hard ...
Hard Work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard
Its really true.
I have seen it and experienced it. What I am today is not because of any inborn talent, but solely because of my hard work, commitment, dedication and patience.
For a JEE aspirant, getting a rank in top 50 is a dream come true.
I managed to fulfill my dreams solely with my hard work.

 Even here in IIT Bombay, I have seen super intelligent people - who can understand absolutely anything in a single shot!
On the other hand, it takes me hours to figure out what's happening!
But, in the end, we are all level. Why ?
Hard Work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard
So, go ahead, dream big, achieve big, and most importantly, work really hard!
All the best for JEE Main
at 17 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)