IIT vs Branch: Why do IITians Compromise On The Branch To Get The IIT Tag?

Does clearing JEE have a happy ending or is it the beginning of an end? Do the students get all that they desire in their life? If yes then what is it that students get? If no then why not? There are a gazillion questions that pop up if one clears the exam.

Indian Institute of Technology i.e., the IITs are the Mecca for any student who wants to pursue engineering in India. Being one of the most difficult exams in the world which accepts only 1 in 50 applications, cracking it becomes even more appealing to the students and an achievement in itself. But while many make it to the selection list, they do not get a seat into the desired branch. Thus a paradoxical situation between BRANCH and IIT is created. So why do students compromise while they are selecting their branch after putting in so much effort?

The changing attitude of JEE

In the ’80s when people used to take JEE, many people simply wanted to gauge the difficulty of the exam and merely for academic purposes and not for the alluring placements at IITs. But the meaning of IIT changed its meaning in the course of time. It transformed from one of the places of higher education to merely a place of admission to which would open the door to all the dreams.

The journey of JEE preparation for a 15-year-old kid is like treading deep waters. It starts even before the kid is at the preparation doors of the exam. Nowadays parents enroll their child for JEE preparation as early as 6th standard. All these years that child is bred and fed the very idea of getting into an IIT. 

With a single-track mind, the child prepares and prepares until it reaches ripe age to enroll for a coaching institute. The next 2 years of the life of this student is an arduous journey. Here the student is exposed to the holy trinity of PHYSICS-CHEMISTRY-MATHEMATICS. Life would have been easy if this was to be the end of the road. Blame it on the commercialization of coaching culture and the intense competition, the two years become an endless road for the students.

Selection of Streams

After facing so many challenges, comes the time when a select few students have to finalize the branch of engineering they would specialize in. Here, many intellectuals would argue to pursue what your heart desires or follow your passion. Making such an objective statement is very easy for a bystander. But if one is to think about the student who has to make the final decision of whether to lock a seat in an IIT or not, the world cannot be perceived in binary. 

The big dream of being called an IITian, the parental and societal pressure as well the opportunities that one can get by just being in an IIT cannot be ignored if a student has to decide whether to take a seat in a branch which he/she does not wish to study.

So, it becomes pretty clear for the student the choices present while selecting a branch. 

Stepping into IIT

But all is not gloomy down the road if one is in IIT. It is true that many students do not get to study in the branch or college of their dreams, but various other opportunities knock on the door if a person is an IITian.

An IIT tag, especially the old ones, brings with it a lot of benefits. The most important of them is networking. The alumni base of IIT is the singular most unique point that will help any student throughout his/her life. Once you join an IIT, you become part of a very large family that is scattered around the world at technical, management and even senior management positions. This becomes very helpful in the corporate world. Connections are, in general, much stronger than any other college. They are always willing to help their juniors in whatever way possible.

Another is international recognition. This tag is always going to help in internships and higher studies. Many Indian conglomerates, higher education institutions and other organizations run internship programs which in turn serves as a recruiting and testing platform of whether the students will be able to recuperate in professional working conditions. These organizations and institutions are more than willing to accept the students pursuing their education from an IIT. Additionally, the strong and diverse academic curriculum of IIT helps and prepares the students to perform well in their internships. Institutes providing masters and doctoral courses like MTech, MS, MBA etc. also award brownie points to students who have completed their education from an IIT.

Extracurricular activities are important, and the various committees, societies, clubs and sports provide extra exposure to students. IITs have huge research-oriented capabilities. Students who have an inclination towards research can find numerous opportunities to showcase their talent. 

Zeus’s Thunderbolt of IIT

The one thing that makes IIT stand out-the Zeus’s Thunderbolt of IIT- is its placements. The median salary at IITs for an average engineer is around 20-25 lakhs which is way above the average of any engineering college in India. While it is true that even in the top IITs, at least 15-20% of students do not get jobs on campus, but all the same the students still have a pretty decent chance to land a job.

Recruitment process of Intuit, Walmart, Myntra, TCS, Juspay, Infosys, Accenture and many more (all at one place!)

Needless to say, IIT campuses welcome some great names of the industry. Companies ranging from IT, Engineering, Consulting to some core branch companies like Chemical and Metallurgy visit IITs. And it is no hidden fact that almost all IT companies conduct coding and aptitude rounds for their selection process in the placements. So, any student who has good command over coding be it CS or IT graduate or any graduate from any other stream with a little interview preparation stands to get an equal opportunity in the placements.

In a nutshell, it can be stated that the journey of IIT-JEE is fraught with many difficulties but with the right attitude and right approach the student can bag in immense opportunities without being in the branch that one desires.

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