The MIT Experience

 Being an undergraduate at MIT was an incredibly unique experience. This place will amaze you from day one, and you will feel every possible feeling towards it. You will love it. You will hate it. You will be happy. You will be sad. You will feel connected. You will feel lonely. But you will most certainly feel glad to have lived through it, and you will take great experiences and friendships from MIT.

First Impressions: Prospective Student/Freshman Year

Everything is beautiful. The campus is nice, the dome is awesome. The columns are really cool. If you visit during summer or spring time the grass is green, the flowers grow and the people are happy (The winter, on the other hand is COLD!)

There is a crazy building by Frank Gehry (The Stata Center)

People seem to have a lot of fun. There are a variety of "hacks", one of the recent ones (and among my personal favorites) was the Tetris Building:

(Yes, this is actually a building on campus, and yes, this was playable Tetris! The lights were programmed to respond to a controller!)

From my first visits, I was impressed and very excited. I could definitely see myself here, and I knew that it would be a worthwhile experience.

The Setting: Boston & Cambridge

The greater Boston area is a great place for students. There are multiple universities and colleges around the area as the map shows. MIT and Harvard are nearly neighbors in Cambridge (we are just two subway, a.k.a. T, stops away), but there are also Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, Berklee School of Music etc... (see map for more)

This means there are a lot of young people around, and a good amount of bars and parties.

Transportation is very good around MIT; the #1 bus goes up and down Massachusetts Ave, and there is a T stop on the east side of campus. There are also shuttles that cross the bridge from Cambridge to Boston, to connect MIT to some of the fraternities on the other side of the river. 

The Settling in: Freshman
Once you get into MIT, you have to pick what dorms you are going to live in. Each dorm has a unique culture, and you can check them out here: Undergraduate Residence Halls. Most undergraduate dorms are located close to campus, and you can definitely walk from any of these dorms to classes, but some people choose to get bikes. For reference, I lived in Baker House, my room had a beautiful view of the Boston Skyline, and most of my classes were within a 5-10 minute walk.

Deciding where you live is very important though, and I advise you to check out each dorm, meet the people there and choose the place that matches your culture as well as possible. I do advise incoming students to make this choice based on their tastes rather than their parents'. Sometimes parents will not like a place and try to get you to the dorm they find the nicest. But this decision should definitely be up to you, as a new student, because you are the one that will be living there for possibly the next four years.

Moving was straighforward, and like most big cities, you can get all your things at any of these Bed-Bath megastores. They usually make lists for college students, to help you get everything, so I did not have any issues there.

Fees and Tuition
Most students get some kind of financial aid from MIT. All financial aid is need-based, so every year we have to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) which calculates how much aid you should receive. MIT is not cheap at all (tuition and fees come out to $42,050, plus costs of living and dining), but MIT does try to help out. 

Drinking water from a firehose, Part I:
You are a freshman, have just picked your intro classes (usually first-years take Calculus, Chemistry or Biology, Physics and a Humanities course) and everything is ready to start. And in orientation you get the great news that your first semester is actually Pass/No Record.

What does that mean?

No grades! (insert celebration dance here!)

MIT, in order to help you transition from high school to, well, one of the most intense universities in the world, gives you a "freebie" semester. No grades, if you get above a "C-minus", you get the credit. 

This may seem great, and a reason to party all semester, but it is not that simple. MIT is tough. It is intense, it is challenging, and it will destroy you if you are careless. So people that take this semester lightly and not use the opportunity to get used to MIT's style, often have a tougher time adapting in the following semester.

Once the semester starts, you begin to understand classes at MIT. Freshman lectures are usually in large lecture halls, with sometimes 300 students in a class. But you do get the opportunity to learn from great people in their fields. Many freshman have had the opportunity to take Introductory Chemistry (5.112) with Nobel Laureate Richard R. Schrock, or Introductory Biology (7.012) with Eric Lander, who worked on the Human Genome Project.

These are great opportunities, to learn from people who play a very significant role in their fields. As a freshman, learning about ongoing research of Nobel Laureates is an incredible experience. 

However, the academic part is not easy at all. Once you get your first problem set (Pset) for homework, you notice that MIT is not at all like high school. The questions really challenge you. They are not simple repetition of what you had done in class, but rather, they require you to read additional sources, collaborate with others and ask your TAs and Professors for help. Very few people work on their psets individually, there is a lot of collaboration at MIT.

And then exams came. You study, do your best, and you get your results back with the lowest grade you have ever seen, and the average score among all students was a 50 (out of 100) or lower. It is a humbling experience. From being among the top students of your high school, used to getting straight-As, getting a 40- or 30-something on an exam makes you realize that MIT is going to be tough. Here, you are no longer the best student, and you need to come to terms to getting bad grades and getting over them by studying harder and preparing better for the next exams.

In the end of the semester, you have your finals. A final at MIT is, jokingly, compared to the following scenario:

You take a class on how to build a house. You learn about walls, and windows and doors and pipes and electric systems. And then your final exam comes and asks you one thing: "How do you build a boat"

MIT finals usually cover a great amount of material, and they challenge you. They ask for applications of what was learned in class, rather than simple repetition of facts. So the exams here actually make you think rather than spit out memorized answers.

This is why MIT is compared to drinking water from a firehose. There is so much happening around you, so much academic material, and you try to grasp as much as you can, but you find out that it is impossible to get it all. 

Drinking from the firehouse: Part II
The rest of my years at MIT required great dedication, but I was able to take all the required classes, get a double major (in Math and Physics) and a minor (in Management Science), I worked as a grader and Lab Assistant (great opportunity to make some money) and I also had the opportunity to do research with great professors (including a brief time at the Higgs group at MIT!) I was also able to get a decent amount of sleep, probably more than the average MIT student, was able to play soccer in Intramural season, and have fun in general.

The main lesson that you take from here is that you have to be balanced. You cannot possibly do it all, and you must accept that. Don't put more on your plate than you can eat. This is just how MIT is, you always have to give something up. Do your work, study, but also go out to eat, go see the Boston Symphony Orchestra, walk around Boston, visit Harvard, go to parties, and you will have a great time.

MIT is a great place. It is very challenging, but you will make great friends, and learn more than you have ever learned. I would not change this opportunity for anything.

I hope this helps to paint a picture of MIT for people that haven't had a chance to come here!

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PS1: One of MIT's informal mottos is IHTFP, an acronym that can stand for many things, but usually meaning "I Hate This F***ing Place", but also used as "I Have Truly Found Paradise". You will use it with both meanings as a student here.

PS2: I love MIT so much that I am doing my PhD here. So this will probably be some 5 more years of MIT and Boston life!

PS3: If anyone has any other specific questions, please let me know and I'll try to edit this answer

Experience at IISc in one sentence

The best you will have in your lifetime.

Expectation Vs Reality:

1. People studying there will be geeks: But the reality is just the other way around. People there are no doubt good in studies but they are equally good in having fun in different activities.
2. The study life will be very difficult: But the reality is that you will have good support of peers, and it will not feel very difficult (but still it will be difficult).
3. Competition among peers: At IISc you don’t compete with each other, rather you grow together.
4. Exams will be serious: Not at all, Your prof will ask the class when do you want to give exams. And even if you get ill, you can take permission of your prof to give exam later in his cabin.
5. Will not find Hardcore Gamers: You will find hard core gamers in your labs. Research in day time and DOTA during night. This was the routine.
6. No time for Cultural Festivals: People from all around India make sure that all the festivals are celebrated with the same vigor and enthusiasm.
7. Hostels will be bad: But they are nice, and food is also respectable as compared to other institutes.
8. After classes you will go to hostel: But after classes you go to your lab and remain there till midnight or late. Even sometimes sleep in lab.
9. Hostel will be fun: But in reality, labs are fun. Maximum time of students goes in labs. Hostels are only to sleep.
10. Life will be boring: But the life is way to exciting and beautiful inside the campus.

To summarize, IISc is a different world. A world of dreams.

Picture Credits: CSA 2011–2013, IISc

-Nikhil Panwar

IISC or IITB?

I will have a totally different perspective in answering this question.

First of all both the institutes are the top notch institutes of India. And if you talk about quality of education, placements, package etc., then both of them are more or less equal.

The real difference which is there is the culture. One of my professors used to tell us that you are not here just to gather the knowledge, it can be gained from the books, online lectures etc. Rather you are here to learn other important life skills, and learn from your peers. Academics is just a path towards your social development at this institute.

Taking forward from the statement of my professor, I will tell my own analysis about both the institutes.

If you are talking about the Bachelors course, then IIT Bombay is a better choice because IISc is still developing its UG course which is considered to be a new feather in its hat (9 years to be precise) as per IISc standards.

But if you are talking about M. Tech or PhD course. IISc will always win hands down. I am not making this statement out of thin air or just because I am from IISc. Let me explain this to you.

The importance of the degree within the institute is the first parameter on which the institute has to be judged for a particular degree.

There is no doubt that UG students of IIT Bombay have cracked a tougher exam than the PG students. It normally gives them a sense of superiority. Even the professors know this reality and they also act accordingly.

Now, it will not be wrong to mention that in IIT Bombay the most valued course is B.Tech. M.Tech people there have to fight for their existence. Also, UG students outnumber PG students by a huge margin. In IIT Bombay, M.Tech people are nick named as “Matka”. It clearly shows the sense of superiority among the UG students.

Now lets get straight to the point that how IISc wins hands down over IIT Bombay:

Each department at IISc has limited number of PG and PhD students. No UG students at all. IISc admits only one batch of UG (60 nos) students every year and they have completely separate department and building for them. That means UG and PG don’t share any resources.

PG and PhD students are more in number than the UG students at IISc. Hence, unlike IITB, PG people are the king of the institute.

Talking about the student-professor ratio. In IISc it is around 7–8 students per professor. which is around 25–30 in IIT Bombay. Hence, in the most important resource for any institute i.e. Professors, IISc is a clear winner.

Talking about the lifestyle. IISc doesn’t restrict its students in any way. Dining halls are common for both men and women. Women entry is allowed inside the boys hostels. There is no late night entry restrictions in women hostels. The freedom you get at this institute is incomparable. Whereas in IITB, PG students will also be treated like kids coming out of school.

Every department has a huge building infrastructure. M. Tech students get a desk for themselves with a desktop PC, just like you get in a corporate MNC. Even all the PG students spend most of their time in their department labs. We used to go to our hostel rooms, only to sleep. This kind of luxury life, you may not get in IIT Bombay.

I have a lot of other things to say as well, but cutting short to conclusion, if you want to spend your 2 years in PG living like a king then you should definitely join IISc. And it is confirmed that you will be second to UG in IIT Bombay. But you will be second to none at IISc Bangalore.

Last but not the least, the best thing you get at IISc is the peace of life. If you are a peace and nature lover, then definitely IISc is a better place to be at.

PS: Since you are making a life decision. I really advice you to visit both the places before taking any decision. And I hope you will yourself get your answer.

--Nikhil Panwar

Does not cracking the IITJEE make me smaller than those who actually did it?

Does not cracking the IITJEE make me smaller than those who actually did it?

There are a lot of occasions in life where you can feel absolutely worthless.

1. You cracked JEE and joined the best IIT but got 5–6 CGPA.
2. You managed 9+ CGPA but didn’t get a high paying job.
3. You got a high paying job but the work is absolutely boring.
4. You got challenging work but the manager is a tyrant.
5. You got a great manager but the company is laying off.
6. You escaped the layoff but you are unable to find a partner.
7. You found a partner but they can’t stop comparing you with their ex.
8. You found a partner without ex but they don’t love you for what you are.
9. You found a loving partner but have a hard time conceiving.
10. You have a child but they are not healthy.
11. You have a healthy child but they won’t listen to you.
12. You have a lovely, obedient child but you get laid off.
13. You escaped layoff again but your child couldn’t crack JEE.

Life is a giant cycle of ups and downs. The lows teach you humility. The highs teach you thankfulness.

Can my future be brighter than those IITians?

My mother isn’t very educated. She has been a house wife throughout. She managed the limited household budget very well. She nurtured and took care of her children to the best of her abilities. She monitored them during their teenage. As a result, she produced 3 (three) IITians. I think she is more successful today than all 3 of us IITians put together.

Be THAT parent if you want to beat IITians. You will literally become the “mother/father of IITians” :-)

For now, love, respect and obey your parents who have been there for you all along. Their prayers and blessings can take you far far higher than what you and I can imagine.

-Imtiaz Mohammad

Changing the World

Lock in Brain

While clearing JEE is definitely not a clear sign of success in life................

 When I had started my JEE preparation, there were a few students who used to perform exceptionally well in the mock tests. By the time of actual JEE, the set of high performing students had completely changed. Those two years of JEE studies were enough to prove that you don’t need to be a high performer from the beginning to succeed in life. JEE preparation taught me that life is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to consistently work hard to finally succeed in life.

There were times in those two years when I had been extremely frustrated, either because of the increasing stress or because of the difficulty in managing multiple things together. Many of my friends decided to quit in between. JEE preparation taught me to believe in myself and never quit in between. Everything will eventually sort itself out.

JEE preparation is the time when there are multiple distractions in life. The school life is about to end, and there are farewell parties. It is also the time when you start becoming mature enough to go out for movies or outings with friends. It is not easy to say no to such distractions, but JEE preparation taught me to always keep my goal in mind, and never get distracted from my ambitions.

While my teachers and mentors had helped me a lot by explaining the concepts to me, most of my JEE preparation had been through self-study. I had coaching classes only once a week for three hours. The rest of the week was spent on self-study. JEE preparation taught me that while there might be mentors to guide you in life, you have to completely own your goals. You, and you alone, are finally responsible for your performance.

The JEE preparation time was extremely stressful. However, I found a medium to release my stress through badminton. I used to play for a couple of hours every evening, and that helped me relax my mind. JEE preparation taught me that however busy you are, it is important to maintain at least one hobby that you really enjoy. A hobby not just relaxes your mind, but also helps you perform better in life.

I really respect the students who have cleared JEE, because they have gone through two intense years of struggle. While clearing JEE is definitely not a clear sign of success in life, it surely imparts immense learning to the candidates undergoing that journey.

-Rohan Jain

Do IITs Take Only Very Intelligent People ?

One of the easy jobs in India which ensure a decent salary is......

 Software Engineer

I guess there is no question about Software Engineers getting a “decent salary”. The question is whether it is an easy job or not. Having studied Computer Science and Engineering myself, I think I am well qualified to talk about that.

Let’s first understand the (wrong) perception that most people carry:

1. When it comes to Software Engineering, most people only know about IT Services firms. People talk about Infosys, Wipro, TCS, CTS, etc. These companies hire Software Engineers at a certain price and staff them with clients at a higher price. That’s how they make money. To make more money, they can’t randomly increase the prices for the end clients. So, the only way for these companies to make more money is to pay less to the Software Engineer that they hire.
2. Most people have faced a terrible Computer Teacher in school and so, they fear Programming. It is sad and unfortunate that Computer Science is seen as an inferior subject in schools. It is taught as a memorization subject where you cram the full form of CPU and ALU and get marks. In the name of Object-Oriented Programming, people are made to learn the definition of Abstraction, Encapsulation, and Polymorphism. That’s not how programming is.
3. Most people think that programming is taught rather than learned. This is an extension of my point above - people think that their teacher will teach them to write code and because their teacher is bad, they never learn the right approach to learning Computer Science and Programming.
4. Most people fear maths and so, they think that they cannot be Software Engineers. Definitely, some portion of Computer Science involves mathematics, but the maths that maths requires and the maths that Computer Science requires is not the same.

Because of all of this, people think that Software Engineering is difficult and is not meant for them. The reality is quite different though.

1. There are amazing product-based companies that pay quite well. These companies do not staff you at the client site. Product-based companies have a Product and Engineering team that works on building a scalable Software Product that can be sold to multiple end customers. Selling an extra copy of the Software Product involves almost negligible Engineering costs and so, the gross margins of these product-based companies are high. Accordingly, these companies are able to pay quite well to Software Engineers. The starting salaries at Product companies are quite high as compared to IT Services firms.
2. Because of the gazillions of educational resources available online, it has become extremely easy to learn programming on your own. One can spend literally ZERO money and learn programming as per industry standards. There are so many online courses on Web Development, Android App Development, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Crypto, Web3, Blockchain, and whatnot. To learn to program, one simply doesn’t have to rely on teachers or even college professors.
3. There are so many domains of Programming that do not require a deep knowledge of mathematics. A high-level understanding of some of the basic concepts along with skill in problem-solving is sufficient. These things can be developed with practice. If one simply picks up an online judge like CodeChef, SPOJ, Codeforces, etc., and solves the first 100 or so problems, they would be 70% there. If one isn’t able to solve a specific problem, there are 100s of tutorials, explanations, and solutions available online. All it requires is a sincere effort of 3 - 4 months.

The best part of all? Most Software companies, especially product-based companies, do not care about your educational background. You crack their interviews and they will hire you. They don’t care whether you are a male or a female or a CS grad or an Electronics grad - you crack their interviews and they will hire you!

So, getting into Computer Science and becoming a Software Engineer has become easier than ever before. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection and sincere efforts and you can change your life forever. It is arguably the best time to be a Software Engineer. The demand is high, the resources to learn programming are infinite, and the pay scale is excellent. On top of that, most companies today are offering work-from-home to Software Engineers so, you can travel the world and keep earning money and doing something you love.

-Aman Goel

Btech to Msc in Physics ( IITB ) and then Phd in Physics via IIT JAM

Yes, it is certainly possible. I have exactly been in this situation and I have seen the struggle, especially when your engineering college’s rigid policies give you no freedom of taking physics courses outside your engineering branch and next to nil research opportunities in physics and a research reputation abroad.

I have been fortunate enough to be offered admission to a few top PhD programs in physics in US and consequently, I will be joining the physics department at Cornell University for my PhD. I can advise on how a transition can be made even when your undergrad engineering college has no resources to offer in physics. Clear information was not available in my time and I hope can change that thing.

I had already lost most of my interest in mechanical engineering near the end of my second year at Delhi Technological University. I instead enjoyed learning physics and continued doing so, when at the end of my third year, I realized that I wanted to become a physicist instead of an engineer. I had two options in front of me, one was to apply for PhD programs straight-away and the other was to instead do a master’s degree In physics and then apply for PhD. I chose the former though ended up doing the latter.

I decided to get some research experience in physics. Since my college wasn’t the right place for getting physics research experience, I started applying to internship programs for the summer, both via official portals and by mailing professors. I was rejected by almost all places (lack of physics coursework maybe or not enough marks?). Finally, some luck landed my way when I was accepted by a professor at IISER, Bhopal to work during the summer. I ended up spending my summer there and came back even more excited to pursue physics.

Now, my college had no provision of taking any electives outside my department and thus I had no official physics coursework. (A hat tip: If you are from a college where you are allowed to take courses in any department (like IIT), definitely take physics courses and build up a physics profile) I then took the general GRE, the physics GRE and the TOEFL, and did pretty well on them. Since US allows you to apply directly after bachelor’s for a PhD, I naively thought my credentials are probably good enough to get into a good program directly (mostly on the back of my GRE scores).

Requiring three letters of recommendation (LOR), I managed to get two from physics profs at IISER, Bhopal and one from my engineering prof under whom I did a project. I applied to 8 places. The LOR from my college prof turned out to be the weakest and he did not even send it to most places, and as a result, I got rejected from every place. In hindsight, even without this fiasco, any top place would have rejected since I really had zero physics coursework and PhD admissions are much more stringent.

Lesson learnt: Physics coursework is important, choose LOR profs carefully)

I had already made a back-up plan of pursuing a master’s degree in physics from India, in case things do not work out. I gave the IIT JAM exam and was able to do well enough to be accepted to IIT Bombay’s MSc physics program.

(Common Misconception – B.Tech students are not allowed to take JAM or offered MSc physics admission. Well, IIT Bombay certainly allows B>tech students in their MSc Physics program)

This in my opinion, turned out to be the best decision I took. The academic experience at IIT Bombay was polar opposite to what I experienced in DTU. Not only were the physics professors awesome, but there was plenty of opportunity to get involved in good research. I took a variety of courses in physics, was allowed to freely choose courses, gained research experience in both experimental and theoretical physics (astrophysics, condensed matter, particle physics), collaborated and interacted with professors both from India and abroad of different institutions, and learnt more physics than I could imagine. It was here I realized how less physics I knew and how entrance exams are a terrible way to gauge your knowledge of physics.

This time I applied to the top PhD programs in US again. Not only did I know more physics, I was better prepared, had actual real physics coursework (good GPA) and research experience in hand, and amazing LORs from IIT profs. Needless to say, I was accepted to several places with fellowship (Cornell, UCLA, Penn, John Hopkins, Bristol (UK) ) among which I accepted Cornell’s offer for doing a PhD in physics.

PhD in India: India is also a great option to do a PhD, especially in theoretical physics. I was going to apply to Indian programs as well. TIFR, IISc, IUCAA, ICTS and HRI are among many top institutes where you can try for a PhD. For Indian PhD admissions, you need to clear entrance examinations. There are multiple exams to do that including the CSIR NET, JEST, and the GATE exam in physics. TIFR has its own entrance exam too. A good rank in these exams gets you an interview call from these institutes. One has to then clear the interviews to get admission.

My advice would to be gain sufficient experience in physics before going for a PhD. This includes quality coursework and research experience. PhD admissions are tougher and at top places, GRE scores do not even matter much. It’s all about coursework and research.

I feel that doing a master’s degree put me in a better position to pursue a PhD. However, if your institute allows physics courses to be taken along with engineering courses, and you can gain valuable research experience in physics, then you can apply for a PhD directly too after B. Tech. And for Indian PhD programs, prepare well for the entrance exams and study physics to be able to clear the grueling physics interviews.

You can also check out this blog where I have written about my experiences: http://physicsafterengineering.blogspot.com/2018/06/my-journey-into-physics-after.html

-Vaibhav Sharma Phd in Physics , B.Tech in Mechanical