An article by a junior

Hi guys, my name is Karan Trichal. I was AIR-2791 in JEE-Advanced 2015, currently a freshie @ IIT-Bombay, Metallurgical Engineering and Material sciences Dept. I am a KVPY fellow, and have done decently in JEE-MAIN as well.

As you are aware, JEE-Advanced is gateway to the premier tech institutes in the country, the IITs. But as portrayed by Master Dante (Dan Brown enthu anyone? :p), the road to heaven passes through hell. Why, I am talking of course about the journey you guys have already embarked on, or are thinking of taking up- the 2 years of JEE preparation. 

Now, a journey is never considered well-rounded if you don’t meet different kinds of travelers right? So people, hello again. I used to be a fellow traveler on this path that you tread, only my way was fundamentally different to most of yours. 

Guys, I have come through on the basis of SELF-STUDY. Probably my rank was quite affected by it, but the journey was an enriching experience for me, as I hope it will be for you.

To begin with, I am from a small town in Maharashtra, Amravati. While I was preparing, there was no good national level coaching class in Amravati, and due to some constraints, I couldn’t leave home to go to Kota or Hyderabad or wherever you are supposed to go to have a decent shot at a top rank. I did join a local center though, and guess what- we were without a maths teacher 3 months after the beginning of our prep!

Next earthquake- chemistry prof leaves!

Anything else remaining, I thought :P.. Hell yes, came the reply! Physics prof leaves 1 year into the preparation!

It was as if the Gods were spitting in the faces of the four kids who were unable to go to the coaching factories in the north and south of India.

Now, I’ll be honest- I did get quite a bit of help from our physics professor before he left. He finished up our physics syllabus in 8 months, and I will forever be grateful to him for that. But the rest is another story.

I prepared Maths ALL BY MYSELF. Read the theory, solved problems madly. Some things were understood easily, some took a lot of time to click. But eventually I did manage to figure them out by myself. Same went for chemistry. Prepared physical and inorganic chemistry ALL BY MYSELF. I had one prof who would help me with some of the intricate problems in organic chemistry, rest again I figured out by myself. In the midst of all this, life got marred by a personal tragedy.

Everything, it seemed, was pulling me down. But I guess I have that child in me who always wants to violate the tradition :p. So I just kept doing my hard work, with utmost conviction, and finally I did manage to land up here at IIT-Powai.

Guys, times were quite stressful and frustrating. We would sit for demo lectures with profs and it’d turn out that they knew lesser than we did. Sometimes a concept would be quite maddening to understand. Some things, especially exceptions in chemistry, would leave me in tears. The situation at our coaching centre would leave me tearing hair out of my head. But I don’t know how, I managed to keep putting one step in front of the other. A big part of that is due to my family.

So people, whichever situation you are preparing in, whether you do self-study or have good coaching, whether you have financial or any other sort of constraints in your home- JUST DON’T EVER GIVE UP.

Coming back to all of you, that is what the JEE is technically designed to do- test your nerves and perseverance. Take this year’s paper for example. The problems WERE tough, but workable. People lost out on speed and accuracy ( even I did, on accuracy). 

Out of the three independent variables- speed, accuracy and toughness- one will always be in your favour, as per the choice of paper setters. Of the other two, you can master one in your preparation. But mastering both is what makes students like Aman different from the rest.

Guys, put in everything you can in these 2 years. The reward you eventually get will be sweet enough to make you forget the pain of the past years.

So driving home the point, coaching Junta, just keep your heads together, do the necessary hard work, keep your wits, and you will excel.

 Self-studying Junta, just keep up with your hard work, solve as many varieties of problems as you can, stick as closely as possible to the syllabus prescribed, and you too shall succeed. In the face of extreme adversities, I did manage to achieve something on a moderate scale  so why can’t you?

Remember, self-studying Junta- ‘All those who wander are not lost!’ You guys are the Riders On The Storm, and you have as much probability of succeeding as those in coaching classes!

Hope to see ALL of you reading this article next year here at IIT-Powai!

Cheers, 

Karan.

The much awaited article on time management

Lots of students ask me about time management and so, I decided to dedicate an article to this invaluable skill. I am presently doing a course on Psychology and we have been taught the skills of motivation, time management and goal setting in detail.

What exactly is time management?

Not complicating the things, time management is simply the ability to do the right thing at the right time in a way that you end up getting time for everything you want to do!

What is goal setting?

Goal setting is a key ingredient of time management. Deciding a target and working for it is termed as goal setting.

How are goal setting and time management useful (for a JEE aspirant)?

Innumerable ways! You are able to study efficiently. You are able to spare time for your friends and family. You can get time to play a sport and still be a topper!

How do I manage my time effectively?

Well, that's a good question. Having studied in IIT for 2 years and dealing with lots and lots of deadlines, I feel that time management is a skill which is learnt from doing. As I mentioned, goal setting is a key ingredient of time management. So, I believe that to manage time properly, one should be able to set effective, achievable goals.

How do I set effective goals?

So, here are a few tips with regard to goal setting (pardon me if I am going a bit psychological):

• Set specific goals. Psychology says that setting specific goals results in better output. "I will work on this" is a vague goal, while "I will finish this in the next 30 minutes" is a more specific goal. Studies have found that those who chose the second goal got more output. Also, studies say that maximum effort is not aroused under a 'I will do my best' goal. The ambiguity in the goal specification (I will do my best) allows people to give themselves the benefit of doubt in evaluating their performance.

• Set difficult goals. Those who set harder goals tend to perform better than those who set very simple goals. Note that the toughness of goal is a subjective term and will vary from person to person.

I strongly believe that setting specific goals helps a lot to manage time properly. For a JEE aspirant, it could be as simple as 'I will solve the first 10 problems of Rotational Mechanics in the next 1 hour'.

You can also make use of appropriate technology. I am sure many of you use internet. You can use the brilliant tool by Google - Google Keep for managing your goals. Writing your goal clearly gives motivation to achieve them.

That was mostly about goal setting. What about time management?

Time management and goal setting are related terms. Set effective goals and you will surely be able to manage time properly. However, there is yet another thing I would like to mention. Students should keep a track of the time they waste in a 'not so important' activity like - Facebook, Television, friends (yes, I believe that spending a lot of time with friends during JEE days is an unimportant activity), etc.

Another important factor which greatly affects your time management is the presence of 'girlfriend/boyfriend' during JEE days. I strongly believe that its a waste of time to be committed during JEE days. I have seen lots of smart friends of mine getting ruined purely because of their girlfriend. Understand that you are merely in class 11th/12th. Life has a lot to offer to you ahead. Presently it is the time to create your identity - an identity as an IITian. It is the time to make your parents proud of you. It is the time to show your relatives what you are! Don't fall into this trap of 'girlfriend/boyfriend' thing, it is merely a waste of time at your level. Do not be sentimental about this issue. Use your brain and not heart, and be logical. Life is not just about a girl or a boy. It is about creating an identity of yours. It is about creating an impact in the society!

I hope this article helps you. Feel free to ask doubts. I would strongly discourage comments seeking advice on 'how to make a timetable'. Do it yourself because no one knows you better than you, yourself!

Years before JEE

Note: This is a motivating post. If you are already motivated, save your 15-20 minutes by not reading this big gun.

In this post, I will describe my pre-JEE time. Bear with me if it goes too long.

I was born and brought up in a simple family of Kanpur. My father is a businessman and my mother is a housewife. I have 2 elder sisters.

When I was born, due to some medical infection, I was told to my parents that I might not survive. The doctors had to operate me. They made my parents sign a paper saying that if I survive, well and good, else the doctors aren't responsible for my life. With a heavy heart, my parents signed it. I was kept in a specialized glass jar for about a week after my birth. Just when the doctors prepared to operate me, I showed some activity and so, the operation was cancelled. Things recovered, and I was born all normal except that I had issues with my ears - both of them had holes in eardrum. However, I never faced problems in hearing. The only trouble that I face (till date) is that I have to protect my ear from any water entering inside, else it creates trouble. The ears are both 99.9% cured. Only protection from water is needed.

I was admitted to the same school at the age of 3 in which my sisters were studying - a state board school. However, within 6 months, I completed the class syllabus and so I discontinued the school. In the next session, my parents got me admitted to an English Medium ICSE board school in the city of Kanpur, near my home. Since I was underage, I had to repeat the upper KG class. I was just an average student in that school. I remained in that school till class 5th.

I wasn't a child prodigy or something. I was a mediocre student, getting 7th rank in class 1st, 13th rank in class 2nd. However, in class 3rd, a new section was created and "not so good" students were pushed into that section. In this new section, I was able to perform quite well, getting 1st ranks in class 3rd and 4th. In class 5th, I remember being over-confident and ending up with 8th rank.

Later in class 6th, my mother got me admitted to the best school in the city - Dr. VSEC. The new school experience turned out to be the worst experience of my life. I was the naughtiest student possible. I wasn't spoilt, but I was naughty - can't remain stable, can't avoid breaking things, can't avoid hitting people and can't stop talking in the class. My parents were quite fed up with my complains and they wanted to send me to Doon International School, Dehradun. My dad had gathered all the details and almost everything was finalized when my uncle somehow stopped them and convinced them that this was too early to send me away (I am really thankful to him for this). So, finally I was admitted to VSEC. However, my mischievous activities had no bound. I least studied (if at all). My elder sister used to teach me all the subjects. She was responsible for my academics. I used to fight with my sisters for small things.

I had a tough time in VSEC. The school was highly highly disciplined with strict teachers, tough competition and lots of smart people. On the contrary, I was naughty, habitual of a weak competition around not so good people. I used to spend most of my time playing cricket and other games with my friends in my society, not giving a damn to academics. End result - 23rd rank in class 6th. My friend, who also joined VSEC in the same year (he was my section mate in previous school) ended with 3rd rank and I was totally astonished.

I spent most of my time in school sitting on floor because I forgot to keep some book in the bag, or I hit someone, or maybe I argued with some teacher. This is how my class 6th experience was. However, I was never a spoilt kid. All I did was - mischievous activities. I never really "tried" on girls or did something anti social :P

In class 7th, due to my violent behavior, I was made to sit with Aniket Gupta - my best friend. He was one of the quietest guy in the class - not talking to people, focusing on studies and not involving in any bad activity. An ideal guy in all respects. We soon became friends. He helped me quite a bit with my academics. He was among the toppers, getting a rank in top 5, one of the best students in the class. I would say that it was his silent nature that changed me. I finally got 13th rank in class 7th.

In class 8th, I was changed quite a bit. I was very much focused towards academics. I and Aniket had a neck to neck competition. There were a few other students with whom we used to compete (we stayed away from the toppers :P). I remember getting 4th rank in the middle term of class 7th. There was this girl who used to get 3rd rank consistently. I told her that the next time the third rank would be mine. Her reply was amazing - "uske liye padhna padta hai" (for that, you have to study). I studied hard. However, during my final exams, I became a victim of chicken pox and so, I was forced to take rest. I used to give my final exams separately, in the infirmary. I finally ended up with 6th rank, Aniket was 5th.

In class 8th, I really changed a lot. Firstly, my sister got married and so, my parents got a home tutor for me. That tutor greatly helped me to improve my maths. However, it was Aniket, who made me realize that I did not need a tutor and I had a great potential to do well without any tutor/coaching and so, I asked my parents to discontinue the tuition henceforth. My parents never really interfered with my academics and so, they agreed. I am really lucky, that I was NEVER told to study by my parents. They always encouraged me to enjoy my childhood. They always allowed me to play to my heart's saturation. I used to play cricket during final exams. Other people in the society complained to my parents that I am playing during the exams, but my parents never gave a damn. They were just very relaxed about my academics and I literally don't remember a single day when my mother/father asked me to study.

Class 9th was a class which absolutely changed me and oriented me to be what I am today. I had left tuition in class 9th and was completely on my own now (remember my sister who taught me was married). There was absolutely no one to guide me. My other sister didn't care about my academics and parents too never interfered and so the whole responsibility was on me now.

I, Aniket and Ujjwal was 3 best friends and I used to hangout with them all the time. We were very focused in academics, much of unaware of things around us. I remember that once in a free hour, I and three other classmates (including the girl who sat next to me) were playing truth and dare - my first experience with that game. I was asked who my crush was and my reaction was:

In class 9th, first term, I ended up with 4th rank, missing the first rank by just 7 marks. Since I was in the Computer Science section, the fourth rank was rather among all the students (~150) and not just my own section. This was sort of a shock for me. I had never expected this to happen that I will overtake Aniket some day (he was 5th I guess). I remember that in the parents teacher meeting, the top 3 names were written on the blackboard as the top rankers. I told my mom - "algi baar mera naam hoga, dekhna" ("next time, my name will also be on the board").

Since then, I worked really hard. In the second term exams, I topped all the 4 sections, with a margin of 14 marks. I secured 99/100 in Mathematics (losing a mark for a silly mistake :/), and topping several other subjects as well. I also got 98.5/100 in Physics and 89/100 in Chemistry (I have the marksheets with me and so I remember the marks :P). I topped all the 3 subjects and screwed English literature. But the margin in Physics was so high that I ended up being the overall topper. Our physics teacher used to make super lengthy numerical based paper and even the best students failed to complete the paper on time. I had a really fast speed. This is where I used to win when it came to Physics.

With this achievement, I also faced a problem - problem of haters :/

The guy who used to top so far was the monitor of the class. I don't feel shame to mention that my DUMB chemistry teacher in class 9th (who was also the class teacher) was just brainless. The guy who used to top previously made my innumerable complains to her and in the next parents meeting, a disaster happened. My mother was extremely happy because I did what I said (topped the class) but what she heard in the parents teacher meeting was shocking.

Class teacher (to my mom, in front of all other parents, in anger): "Ye kisi bhi hadd tak ja sakte hai top karne ki liye. Ye kisi aur ko class me kuch poochne nahi dete, bus apna hi lage rehte hai. Bohot undisciplined hai" (He can go to any limit for topping. He doesn't let others ask questions in class, he just himself asks questions. He is very undisciplined).

Her words shook me and my mom. With a heavy heart, we went home. My mother didn't say a word to me because she had seen my efforts. I was very angry about this. The very next day, after the chemistry class, I went to her.

Me (in an extremely angry tone): "Did I cheat that you told my mom that I can reach to any limit for topping? And my dad pays the fees! I will ask endless questions and teachers ARE supposed to answer them. If others don't ask, its THEIR problem, not mine.".

The dumb unmarried lady was shocked. She was a new teacher and I literally scolded her. Having said those words, I went back to my seat. She entered the class and apologized to me in front of the whole class \m/

Things went on like this and I topped the final exams as well.

I had to share a rank with a girl because of my dumb mistake. I left a few questions in geography paper accidentally, else I would have been a clear topper. Aniket was 3rd overall. I remember in the prize distribution ceremony, the same girl (who said to me in class 8th - for that, you have to study) was standing beside me and she shyly asked me - How do you study Aman?  and I was like:

Class 10th started. Had to face the same God damn Chemistry teacher again, though not as a class teacher. The conflict between me and her continued. Anyway, by this time, I had established my position very well. My scores in English and Hindi used to be low but I always won a great margin in Physics, Chemistry and Maths and so, I remained a topper in class 10th as well.

I remember my class 10th pre-boards in which I scored 32.5/80 in English Literature and still topped the 4 sections because of exceptional score in Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Geography. You heard it right, Geography. When my Geography teacher told me that I have score 71/80 and so she is deducting my 1 mark because never in her career of 20 years has she seen a score of 70+ in pre boards, I was like:

I topped almost all the subjects in the pre boards and also topped overall. However, 32.5/80 in English screwed me :/ My English teacher was my class teacher and she faced pressure from principal ma'am about my English score. I and two other people were given special attention in school because we were performing very well in the internal exams. The teachers were ready to give us an all time support.

We (I, Aniket and Ujjwal) had a great image in the minds of teachers until my DUMBASS chemistry teacher spoiled it. A few jealous batch mates complained to her against us and so, she ended up telling other teachers that we three have formed a "gang" and our primary aim is to disturb the class. I felt really bad when my geography teacher scolded us for this.

However, things had to be on track because we didn't have that intention. A great incident happened.

It was MaSCon time (Mathematical Smartness Contest). Aniket and Ujjwal were from the same school house (blue), I was from a different one. The geography madam was the in-charge of the same house as well. For MaSCon, students with good mathematics scores were supposed to be chosen. There was another teacher, who was supposed to choose students for MaSCon for the blue house. He chose Ujjwal instead of Aniket. This was shocking, because Ujjwal wasn't good at maths. He just had a good impression on that teacher and so, he was chosen. Aniket didn't get a chance.

Now this is what true friends do for each other - Ujjwal withdrew his selection and demanded Aniket to be selected for the same. After some haggling, Aniket was finally selected for MaSCon and he in fact topped the inter house and inter school MaSCon. This incident changed our impression on teachers. They really became happy about our friendship and the geography teachers has been our well wisher since then.

Finally, class 10th boards came. 28th February 2011 - board exams had to start and 24th February 2011 was my real sister's marriage. My mother had asked me to dance in her marriage, saying that she won't mind at all if I score a percentage or two less in the board exams, but she will definitely feel bad if I don't dance (yes! that's my mom \m/). My class teacher came to know this and she was too worried :P. She even told my mom that she will take my to her home so that I can study :P

Anyway, I danced in my sister's marriage and I topped the school in board exams as well - 97.4%. Aniket stood second in the school - 97.2%. We both emerged as the star performers of the school. The other 2 people who were performing consistently were somehow unable to perform well in the boards.

Me (left), Aniket (middle), Ujjwal (right)

In class 10th, seeing our potential, our maths teacher motivated us to crack JEE. He had told me and Aniket - "agar 100 ke andar rank na aye to muh na dikhane aana" (If you don't get a rank under 100, don't show me your face).

I was too motivated to crack JEE at that time. Aniket's brother had got an All India Rank of 125 in JEE 2010. That was the first time I heard that people also get a rank in 3 digits in JEE. Until then, I had only seen ranks of the form 5xxx, 6xxx in the school magazine and as a child, I thought maybe in JEE, the topper is allotted a rank of 5000 :P

In school, I was involved in a wide range of activities - chess, typewriting, Casio, computers, robotics, skating, skating hockey, hockey, football, and drama as well (the drama pics are too weird to share :P)!. I was a jack of all trades, but master of none :/

I played the role of a king in a Shakespearean play and also played Gandhiji on Independence day program in school!

I also was involved in art and craft! Don't believe me? See this:

My lead project B-)

A line following robot made by us

I looked thin and lean then :P

I also participated in ComFest for 2 consecutive years. ComFest is an annual Computer Festival held in Jaipuria School, Kanpur. I was actively involved in animation making and website making and I represented my school for the same for 2 years (and this is why I screwed my English Literature pre-board :P)

ComFest 2010

From my timeline, you can clearly see that there have been lots of ups and downs in my life as well. However, never ending faith in myself, self motivation and dedication to work hard and put in as much effort as needed helped me to achieve a good rank in JEE. It is really not about being born smart, or having super intelligent parents who can just guide you in anything. It is really about your own hard work

Moreover, to prove that I wasn't really good in class 11th as well, here is a scanned copy of my NSTSE result

of course I did well in subjective, but the national rank is 1.3k

Also, I should mention that Aniket got an All India Rank of 641 in JEE 2013 and is currently in IIT Roorkee CSE.

Also, if you feel offended about me labeling my chemistry teacher as "DUMB", please don't be so. I generally respect teachers. The hardships I had to face because of her have really filled poison in my heart for her. Also note that in a blog, a blogger is free to express his opinion about a person/thing and so, you must not mind it.

I hope this post motivates you and helps you to realize that the real beast lies within you! You just need to pull it out and eat the damn world!

All the best :)

The second year experience at IITB

The second year at IITB really transformed me from a muggle to a wizard. We were taught so much of CS in the second year, that now I really feel that I am into CSE.

It brought more new opportunities for me and I learnt and explored lots of computer science in my second year.

I remember leaving on 14th July 2014 for Delhi to catch a flight for Mumbai. It was an all new level of happiness - after all I was to meet my buddies after two and a half month long summer vacation. At the same time, I was missing my family.

Never mind, I reached my new hostel (all of us were relocated to different hostels in second year), settled my luggage.

Odd semesters face heavy rains of Mumbai, giving the city its real beauty (and sometimes flooding :P)

The year began with my greatest surprise - Institute academic award for excellent academic performance in the year 2013-2014. This award is given to the top 10 performers of the entire batch (around 900 students). I was ranked 7th in the institute (another friend had the same CPI but his roll number was above me so he was ranked 6th :P). This was indeed a big achievement for me considering the level of competition at IITB.

Further, I also got a chance to serve as a teaching assistant for the calculus course, tutoring the first year students, This was a great experience and it helped me to know a number of freshmen of my institute.

Something interesting happened as well - trip to Lonavla.

10 of us planned a trip to Lonavla - a famous tourist destination near Mumbai. It was a terrific trip.

Firstly, the plan was almost ditched because of conflicts on mode of conveyance. Also, my parents told me not to go because it was rainy season and the Lonavla is a hilly area as well and so, it might be risky. I agreed and so I slept.

It was around 1 AM in the morning, friends came to my room, woke me up and told me that we gotta leave for Lonavla fast, the train departs at 2 AM from Mumbai :P

I just didn't think anything, packed stuff and left with them :D. 5 of us went via train and 5 via taxi (we had to split because some were not in favor of taxi and some were against train journey).

Finally, we reached Lonavla sometime around 3 AM in the morning. It was scary and we decided not to stay at station because it might not be safe. Also, we came to know that the taxi guys will leave in the morning.

We had heard of a place called Tiger's point. It was 12 kms from the station and so, we decided to walk all the way to that place from railway station - teenage blood you see :P

Anyway, that turned out to be the most foolish decision for us. It was raining heavily and we had just 2 umbrellas and a raincoat and the darkness made it worse :/

It was raining cats and dogs and we were walking on the main road all in the dark, with smartphones and cash with us and limited number of umbrellas.

I face some of the harshest conditions I ever faced, but we kept on walking. I occasionally checked GPS to check how far we were. It was just endless walking in heavy rain, we all were really freezing.

(ignore my hair :P)

Then we came across a village. It was dark, haunted - just as you see in movies :P

A man with his daughter was coming, with a torch in his hand.

"Holy shit, he has 4 legs", shouted pranjal and we all were scared to death :P :P :P

Soon we realized there were 2 people :P

Anyway, we continued. We saw damaged cars (who met with accident), mountains, darkness, rains and what not. I was just praying to God that we return safe :P

Finally, after endless walking, GPS told us that we are nearing Tiger's point and we were happy.

On the way, we saw a car turning right, towards the edge of mountain. We all thought that he was going to commit suicide :P. Curious, we all went ahead to see what was going on. It was too foggy and visibility was only a few meters.

We we neared, we saw more people and one of them told us that this place was Tiger's point.

We laughed to death at that moment. Expecting some food/stall and seeing just plain land on the top of a mountain, we just went mad. Above that, endless rain and freezing cold air made us really go mad. We sat there, hopeless, wondering if someone can drop us back to Lonavla :P

After some time, we finally decided that there is no hope and so we must walk back 12 kms :/

We had barely walked 2-3 kms and God heard us. A bus came from behind heading straight to Lonavla station. We sat on it and finally reached the place. Our other 5 friends also joined and finally the trip was enjoyable :)

The semester was super hectic. We had some really heavy courses - Data structures and algorithms (+Lab), Discrete mathematics, Software systems lab, Data analysis and interpretation and also my statistics minor course (introduction to probability theory).

The courses were really heavy and the semester was really hectic.

This used to be my Thursday's schedule:

• Lecture from 8.30 AM to 12.30 PM
• Lab from 1.00 PM to 6.30 PM (Data structures and algorithms lab)
• Tutorial from 6.30 PM to 8.00 PM (discrete mathematics)

The CSE curriculum is really hectic. The scheduled time for DSA lab was from 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM (3 credits). However the assignments were so heavy and coding intensive that the lab used to begin early and also used to end late. Similarly, discrete mathematics wasn't supposed to have a tutorial, but we were made to sit in the tutorial for 1.5 hours after a long hectic day (but that was indeed important because the instructor himself guided us in the tutorials and that was really required for us to understand the course).

Added to this was the hectic software systems lab - assignments released at Friday night and deadline on Monday/Tuesday night - weekend gone in solving the assignments :/

We used to be teams of 3 - that too top 50 rankers (all 3 of us) and still the assignments used to hit us right on the face. However, those assignments really really helped us to become a "Code warrior". Initially we used to abuse the professor for giving such heavy assignments. But today, I really thank him from the heart (no joking) that he made us do such hard assignments and this is the reason that I am today able to develop Android applications, home pages, do online courses, code in a new language and understand new software easily. I really wish he reads this, I would be glad :)

We learnt a lot in that course - HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, Python, Django, Graph plotting software, drawing software, Bash scripting, shell scripting, linux commands, makefiles, and lots and lots of geeky stuff which only CSE people know. Ah, you might say you know HTML. Come on, then can you really code a website from scratch? We can B-)

There was also a data analysis course, which was quite similar to statistics minor course (introduction to probability theory).

IIT Bombay offers a highly flexible curriculum. You can do a minor in ANY department of your choice. Meaning, you get a degree saying: B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering with Minor in Statistics. All you need to do is complete 30 credits in that department (around 4-5 courses). I am pursuing a minor in statistics because statistics and data science is the new sexy ;)

We also had an electrical engineering course (compulsory for all CSE students). We did all the boring semiconductors stuff :/

The third sem ended with another awesome gift - summer internship at TU Braunschweig, Germany, that too on my birthday :)

I remember, 12 am on 19th November, my ass was banged with slippers (the usual GPL tradition in IITs) and at 12.40 am (40 minutes after heavy ass banging), I received a mail saying that I have been selected for the internship. After doing the necessary confirmations, I called my parents in excitement to tell them :D. Friends were ready to give me another banging, but I somehow managed to convince them to leave me :P. I still remember, I wasn't even able to sit for a few days :P

We also went to a trek some fort (I forgot the name :P) - department trek, all four years of B.Tech and the 2 years of M.Tech along with 2 really cool professors of our department. Yes, not all professors are boring. We have some of the coolest professors here and I feel proud to say that we have professors like Akshay sir, who are just too good.

At the end of the semester, we also went to Essel world - all of us together, 29 overall. It was a great great experience and I really enjoyed a lot :)

Sem ended, endsems ended, it was time to go home and enjoy winters with family.

I decided not to chill out in winters and so, I convinced a prof from IIT Kanpur to take me for a winter project and seeing my resume, he happily agreed (I mailed 3 of them and all of them agreed :P)

Enjoyed a lot in the winters and finally went back to the institute - Techfest time after all!

Enjoyed a lot at Techfest - its really awesome and IITB guys get special treatment, because all the organizers and coordinators are friends :P

Fourth semester was another amazing experience, with lots of interesting courses - Computer Networks (+Lab), Digital logic design (+Lab), design and analysis of algorithms, logic for computer science, economics and statistics minor course (introduction to derivative pricing) - its not the derivative you are thinking, nothing to do with dy/dx :P

Computer networks was really an amazing course. We are really taught the building blocks of the internet. You are reading this on your mobile/tablet/desktop and I know what all happened behind the scene when you opened this web page - and that's really awesome, isn't it ? The cool terms you wonder - torrent, proxy, Lan, DHCP, etc, we get to learn in detail about them! Yes, I know how bit-torrent works B-)

We also had a flipped classroom model in this course - a new experience for me. Meaning, the professor will release the lectures on the internet and you can see them whenever you want. Of course there are weekly evaluations to check your progress. But this was useful for me because I finally managed to develop the patience needed to complete a course on coursera :P

Another good course was digital logic design. We were taught a lot - the basics of computer building blocks and the structure of RAM! It was more about boolean algebra, but it was really interesting. In the weekly labs, we programmed in FPGA as well. Infact, in the end semester exam, we were asked to design Mumbai monorail system. Interesting, isn't it ?

Then there was this interesting algorithm design course, in which you really learn to design your own algorithms.

Sem 4 also ended, and I am half engineer already :). It was a great experience altogether and the ending was more interesting - summers outside India (my first such trip).

Test papers scare you? No more no more

When it comes to JEE preparation, we all are ready to put in as much effort as possible but still, we end up doing bad at times. Why? The fear of test papers.

Well, in this post I will describe my strategy - how I tackled the paper.

Important note: This is my strategy, it worked for me, it might not work for you. Experiment with all of this on a usual coaching exam. Do not change your strategy on the final day of the exam.

So, to make it interesting, lets do it in a Q/A format.

What was your sequence of solving the paper?

Initially it varied a great deal. But by the end, the sequence was Physics followed by Chemistry and Maths in the end. This was my sequence in JEE Main and Advanced as well.

Why Physics first?

Well, I was strongest at Physics. I am usually able to do 90% of the Physics paper in 45 minutes.

Why Mathematics in the end?

Maths consumes a lot of time. If the maths papers is hard, you can end up wasting a lot of time and so, you might end up spoiling the other 2 subjects.

Why Chemistry in between?

Its obvious that Physics is first and Maths is last so Chemistry has to come in between :P

Anyway, usually the chemistry paper acts as a boost. You can solve almost all of it in 30 minutes and so, this is sort of a relief that more than 1.5 hours remain for maths.

This used to be my usual trend, but I was always ready to change it, in case Physics section is real hard.

However, having solve the hardest of problems in FIITJEE AITS, I was confident that Physics paper cannot be so hard that I have to solve Chemistry/Maths first. I had well realized that Physics was my strength and so, irrespective of the paper hardness, I will solve Physics first. This realization wasn't made in the beginning, but made after lots of experience of solving papers of varying difficulty level.

What was your strategy to tackle the paper?

Now that's a good question. I will take that as - "How did you really go about solving the paper?"

I used to solve the paper in rounds.

In the first round, I used to solve those questions, whose solution used to strike me at once, without even a minute of thinking. Such type of questions make up around 70% of the paper (note that this varies from student to student. Something which strikes you easily might not be clear to me at all!). At least for me, such questions made up around 70% of the paper. This round would usually last for 2 hours.

Simply read the question, think for 30 seconds on what to do, solve it!

At least for Chemistry (organic and inorganic), you either know the answer, or you don't. It is rarely the case that you can "think" and then answer "strikes" you. So, organic and inorganic chemistry can really be solved in 15 minutes - be it JEE level or FIITJEE AITS level.

For maths and physics and physical chemistry, if you are prepared well enough, you will be ready with a solution immediately after reading the problem and then you should spend a few seconds to plan the approach/scribble on paper.

This way, you can ensure that at least the selection is guaranteed. Also, having solved 70% of the paper, you can definitely get a good rank.

Next was the second round. This is actually the rank deciding round. This round lasts for 1 hour towards the end of paper.

You solve those questions first, which are lengthy (but you know the method) and so you left them in round 1.

Then you move on to those, which are probably hard and the solution isn't trivial. They require great understanding of the concepts and maybe super hard to think.

An average student might not be able to come up with the solution to those problems easily. You really have to be above average to solve those problems - well, such questions have to be present else there won't be any difference between AIR 1 and the guy who isn't selected.

You can be patient in round 2. It might happen that you are just sitting for 5 minutes, doing nothing but wondering which question to do - all seem to be hard. Don't worry, do not panic, here is a method:

• If you are completely stuck in round 2 and you aren't able to solve ANY problem now, then move to the subject at which you are strongest.
• You might be unlucky and it might happen that the subject at which you are strongest is the hardest this time. In this case, make a wise decision between your strongest subject and the subject which is the easiest (you are well aware of paper's difficulty level because you completed round 1).
• Now stick to a few questions of the subject chosen above. You are more likely to solve the questions of this subject. You can make intelligent guesses seeing the options. You can eliminate choices. Do not make blind guesses in questions which have negative marking (now the whole paper has negative marking, so its better to rather avoid guess work)
• You should be able to increase your score by around 10% in round 2. If you are able to solve 80% of the paper, you can be assure of a good rank.
• If nothing works and you are just not getting anything in round 2, don't panic. You can revise the questions of round 1 (especially the lengthy, calculation intensive ones)

Once the paper ends, here comes the most important part:

• Anyhow arrange the solutions/answer keys
• Find out where you lost marks
• Is there a specific subject at which you did really bad ?
• If yes, then did you perform poorly in specific type of questions ?
• Did you commit silly mistakes ?
• Did you read the question incorrectly ?
• Did you misunderstand question's wordings ?
• Did a particular question have a shorter trick which you didn't know ?

These questions help you actually improve. They are the ones which will help you to evaluate yourself. Its your responsibility to ensure that you do not make the same mistakes again.

I hope this article helped you :)

Dummy school or not?

Many of you ask me questions regarding joining a dummy school and so I decided to dedicated a post to this subject.

I will in detail mention my own experience and that should assist you to decide whether to join a dummy school or not.

Here is a link to the video

I was the student of Dr. Virendra Swarup Education Center (ICSE Board) from class 6th to 10. Dr. VSEC is arguably the best school in Kanpur. 75 of us out of 150 scored above 90% in class 10th - the best in the city.

I had initially planned to leave the school after class 10th for JEE preparation. However, 4 days before my board exams began, my (real) sister's marriage was scheduled and so, my parents weren't able to focus at all on my future planning (coaching, school, etc) and so, the only option I had was to join FIITJEE (which was newly opened in Kanpur) and continue with the previous school.

I went to talk to a couple of schools to allow me to join the school without attending. However, all I had was my class 10th pre-boards marksheet - 80.83%. That was the highest in all 4 sections (yes, we have very rigid marking in the internal examinations), but still, I could not convince them that I was the topper. Seeing just 80%, all of them denied admission.

However, finally when board exams results were announced, I managed to top the school again (97.4%) and this time the same schools were all ready to take me. However, they demanded that I must attend the school at least 2-3 times a week, for which I was not ready and so, I decided to continue with Dr. VSEC (along with FIITJEE).

Most of my friends joined Kakadev coaching (which is a huge coaching hub in Kanpur). Even I was told to join Kakadev coaching, but seeing the amount of crowd (1200 students per batch), I decided to join FIITJEE rather (30 students per batch).

In school, I had to face enormous pressure. The teachers knew me (because I was school topper) and so, they had expectations from me. They expected me to attend the classes regularly, which was very difficult for me because I had to go to coaching in the summer heat, which was 10 kms from my home. Moreover, Kakadev coaching was teaching the students well in advance and so, they knew several topics which I was unaware of. So, when I used to ask questions in class, they used to make fun of me - "Aur FIITJEE jao, board exams top kar ke ud rahe hai".

I least cared about what they said. However, this wasn't the end. I used to ask questions in class (out of curiosity) and the chemistry teacher failed to answer them. So, a complain to the principal madam was done saying that I ask too many "rubbish" questions in the class and waste the time of the class.

This really made me irritated and I finally decided to leave the school. A close friend suggested me a dummy school. The next day I went to that school with my father and seeing my 10th class score, they immediately completed the admission formalities and agreed on my terms.

My father went to VSEC to get a TC (transfer certificate) and migration certificate. After too much of haggling and listening to principal madam's sarcastic comments, he was given both of them.

In the words or principal madam - "Goel sahab, mai jis bachche pe haath rakh deti hu, uska IIT me selection ho jaata hai."

However, this time my father really supported me a lot and he silently listened to those sarcastic remarks of principal madam. I really thank him for being so supportive.

However, trouble had no end. Another problem was yet to come to my home - my class 10th class teacher. She brought some random IIT Delhi guy (who was doing some management course at IIT Delhi) at my home to convince me that it would be disastrous for me if I leave school.

Since I was too close to her, she came personally at my home to meet my parents with that guy.

I did not know then that IITs have management courses as well and so I doubted that he was an IITian.

Anyway, she was successful in convincing my parents that I should not leave school else I will be doomed.

In her own words - "Aman, you have to get 90% in class 12th, otherwise they won't allow you to sit for IIT exam". The guy beside her nodded in agreement.

However, at that time the new JEE pattern wasn't announced and the only criteria to be eligible for JEE was to get 60% marks in +2 exams and so I really did not trust her. However, since I respected her a lot, I did not say a word to her and silently agreed.

In her words again (to my parents) - "bachcha hai, abhi samajhta nahi hai, life barbaad kar lega apni, aap hi ise samjhaiye".

Things were really going against me because my parents really were convinced by the words of my teacher.

Again in the words of ma'am - "Aman, we were told that you will be the school vice captain for the next session, and you will rule the school".

Me - "Ma'am, I don't want to rule the school."

She (to my parents) - "ise 80,000 per year ki scholarship dilwa denge, wahi jo akhil ko mili hai, aapka load bhi nahi hoga and iski 4 saal ki padhai ki kharcha bhi nikal jayega easily".

With all her energy, she managed to convince my parents and my parents were almost firing against me for my "childish" decision.

However, I was really passionate for a top 100 rank in JEE. From the day one, I wanted a 2 digit rank. I remember my friend's brother got AIR 125 in JEE 2010 and I told him the same day - "Abhishek bhaiya se achi rank layenge hum dono."

Things were going completely against me when something good happened. My mother told ma'am to give me 2 days to make an informed decision. YES! This was really really useful for me!

Ma'am could do nothing, but agree and she left.

After she left, my parents fired on me and tried hard to explain me that I might be on the wrong path.

However, I knew my academic potential, I was very confident of my own self.

I will mention a part of my conversation with my parents :

Mom - tujhe abhi itni akal nahi hai, madam ne kai bachcho ko dekha hai successful hote hue, tu unki baat maan

Me - nahi sun raha kisi cost pe kisi ki baat, mai school nahi continue karunga.

Me - agar meri baat nahi maani gayi, to mai padhai likhai karna band kar dunga, kar lo jo karna hai aap log (this was a really bold statement, but I was in my senses and I knew what I was saying and to whom I was saying)

Listening to that statement, my parents had nothing to say. All they could do is simply follow what I said.

The next day my mother called ma'am and told her that I am not ready to listen and so, I cannot continue the school any more.

Finally, I continued FIITJEE + a CBSE based dummy school.

Why a switch from ICSE to CBSE ?

Well, almost all competitive examinations (be it engineering or medical or commerce), essentially follow CBSE curriculum. Moreover, ICSE English is too hard - Shakespearean stuff, which I felt was useless in life, random poems (I hate literature) and long long stories.

CBSE was relatively easy. I took Physics, Chemistry, Maths, English, Hindi and Physical Education as the 6 subjects.

Why 6 subjects?

Well it was compulsory to take 6 subjects in my new school.

Why not Computers?

Well, I initially took computers, but later changed it to Hindi because I feared that CS might need a good chunk of my time. Also, I was taught a great deal of programming till class 10th. I knew object oriented programming by the end of class 10th (check ICSE syllabus if you doubt my words) and so, I really thought that taking computers will consume time.

Why Hindi and not something else?

Well, the school was too lame to offer more subjects. I had scored 94/100 in Hindi in class 10th without much effort and so, I thought it would be easy. Moreover, my mother could also help me with Hindi (thanks to her that I scored 78/100 in Hindi in class 12th, else I would have failed :P )

How was the dummy school experience?

Well it was dangerous :P

I used to make notes in an executive diary. It was such a village type school that the batchmates were amazed to see an executive diary.

Anyway, I and my friend both joined the school together and so, we used to go together when needed. Moreover, we became friends with a few people. One of them helped us keeping updated with school events and examinations.

Since we had bribed the school, they also used to call me and inform me of the exams (LOL :P)

Did I appear for the exams?

Well the school as I said was lame.

Class 12th preboards - gave Physics, chemistry and maths exams. 3 more were left.

My friend and I met at the usual place (we used to go to school by public transport - 12 kms away). It was too cold - December time, freezing cold, temperature approaching 0 degrees in Kanpur.

Me - yaar bohot thand hai

He - ha yaar jaana to padega hi

Me - agar na jaye to kya ukhaad lenge?

He - hmm

Me - abey ditch na, ghar chal, kuch na kar paye ye log

He - pagal hai kya?

Me - chal ghar chal chup chap

And we both went back home :P

Result: scored 43% (based on PCM score only :P) and ranked 3rd (friend was 2nd :/)

What about practicals etc?

Well, the guy whom we became friends with, gave us physics and chemistry practical notebook. 1 day and we copied all of it :P

Of course, we knew all the concepts and so, nothing wrong in copying (come on, be practical :P)

Physical education?

Well, they asked us to make a project on a particular sport. I was a huge fan of cricket and so opened wikipedia and copied the summary of all IPL events :P

Physical education practical?

Ahh, that was horrible. They made us do sit-ups, push-ups, and what not.

But something amazing happened. There was also an event of short put throwing. I don't know how, I managed to threw it the farthest :P

All my batch mates, who were super strong people were stunned!

Aman rocked, class mates shocked B-)

What about board exam preparation?

Well, I have written a post on that, please search it in the "all posts" section.

What was my reaction when JEE Main system was announced?

Aha! Now that's a good question. Well, by the time the system came, I had performed relatively well in a few tests of FIITJEE (scoring center rank 1 inspite of getting 153/240). Never mind, parents were happy and so they did not bother me ever for my studies throughout my JEE preparation and so, they did not doubt me about this new system as well.

I always used to assure them that I will manage to be in the top 20 percentile and most of the time, they used to be convinced (except a few times when the aunty next door used to confuse her :/)

Did my temperament change when I heard about the new system?

Not at all. being in the 20 percentile was a piece of cake - and I knew that. I had immense faith in my own self. I was very confident about myself. I rarely trust anyone except my own self (and few others) :P

What to do now? Dummy or not?

Well, I leave that up to you. No one supported me. I was alone and my parents + teachers were against me, but my self confidence helped me to convince all of them. I really have no advice for you all here. I told my story in detail. Now you should decide what suits you. You may show this to your parents to convince them if you want. However, "no advice from my side". So, please do not comment below asking if you should join dummy school or not. Just imagine - when my parents, who were so close to me did not know my potential at that time, how do I know about you ?

Interesting ending -

What happened to the class teacher?

Well, she never picked up my phone when I called her after JEE results were declared.

That's not all.

I went to school to distribute sweets to teachers (of course most of them loved me and were very happy on my success and I am in contact with most of them), principal madam told a peon to tell me and my father that she is ill and so she can't meet us.

Aha, there is more to it.

We both could see that she was chilling in her cabin as usual (I knew everything about the school and went around her office to see her from her office's window :P)

More more interesting stuff! Don't run, read on.

Summer 2014. I went to my sister's home to drop her. As I was driving, I saw my class 10th class teacher. I stopped the car, did a namste respectfully and told her to wait a minute, I will park the car aside and come back. She agreed with a smile.

I came back and boom! Magic!! She vanished!

Ok aman, end this long article now.

Arey wait!

There is more interesting stuff.

She met my mother recently in a mall and silently bent her head and went away after making a moment eye contact with my mom :P

I really do not want to criticize anyone with the sarcasm in this article.

I want to highlight a few points:

• Parents must trust their children. I understand that today's generation is particularly spoiled, but parents must give a chance to students. I understand a parent's concern and I understand that they want our best. But, they must give a chance if they do not have a knowledge here. My parents did not even know the full form of JEE. They had least idea of IITs, engineering or anything. My father is a businessman and mother is a housewife. I do not belong to some highly educated or qualified family. I know that same is the case with most of the parents in India and so, I request the parents to give a chance to your children.
• Self confidence is the key to success. You should learn to stand by your decisions. You should make wise and informed decisions and stand by them, no matter what.
• Teachers can at times fool you. Yes, the school authorities just want board exam results and so, they will focus primarily (or solely) on that. No one in school cares about your IIT result. All they want is a large fraction of students who score 95% in board exams.
• Do not be sentimentally attached to school. Life is indeed a race and if you don't run fast, you will be like a broken egg (3 idiots :P). Learn to move ahead. A few of my friends who had great potential to do well but who did not leave school because they were sentimentally attached to school, could not do well in JEE. Understand that if not after 10th, you will anyway have to leave school after 12th.
• Do not get attached sentimentally to school friends. Yes, that might be offensive for many of you. But note that this is my own opinion. I am not enforcing anything on you. I am just presenting my own opinion and if you find it offensive, skip this point and read relevant stuff. Now why did I say that? Well, remember the people who said to me - "Aur FIITJEE jao". That guy somehow arranged my contact number and called my up after JEE to ask - "Yaar 1 saal FIITJEE join kar lenge to IIT me ho jayega?". Note that there were 3 of them and I am glad to say that 1 of them managed to get a rank in JEE 2014 (yes, I am really glad - no hatred, what he said was just to make fun)

To make this post interesting and to show you how people change, here is something for you:

I hope this long post gives you some motivation and helps you to decide if you should join a dummy school or not.

One more thing. Many of you ask me: "bhaiya, please tell me so and so"

Me: "its there on blog"

You: "I did not find it"

Me: "Check comments on so and so post"

You: "I still did not get it"

Well, note that I cannot help here. I cannot answer same questions again and again. Since YOU post wrong comments on wrong posts (asking about board exams in an olympiad based post), its your responsibility to scroll through the comments and search it.

My job is to help you by writing articles. Its your job to do the rest, I hope you will agree :)