Mrigya Gupta is a graduating Y18 student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In this edition of As We Leave 2022, she talks about her experiences, choices and decisions that shaped her undergraduate journey throughout her stay at IITK.
Disclaimer:- The views presented below are the author’s own and are not in any manner representative of the views of Vox Populi as a body or IIT Kanpur in general. This is an informal account of the author’s experiences at IIT-K.
20th July 2018. My journey at IIT Kanpur began on a hot and sunny day. I was extremely excited to see the beautiful campus that would be my home for the next four years. I had never been away from home before, but my apprehensions faded away on meeting my behens, and I knew it would be great fun to live in a hostel. The first week of Orientation was very memorable. I met one of my closest friends during the bank session when we were both feeling cold because of the AC xD. As the shouts of ‘IITK ka tempo high hai’ echoed in the auditorium on the last day of the Orientation, I felt ready for an adventurous four years.
The first semester was a time of exploring and trying out new things. I was fascinated by the vast campus and the multitude of activities always taking place. My Open Mic Performance during Freshers’ Night amid the crowd chanting ‘Simon Go back’, thoroughly exploring the campus during the Treasure Hunt night out, Antaragni pronites, getting lost on my way to the TA lab – it felt like the time of our lives!
However, no journey can be smooth all the time. The first year had been filled with the euphoria of coming to a new place and forming several new friendships. But I could not fulfil one of my primary personal goals.
Before coming to IITK, I wasn’t really sure about my interests and ended up filling my JoSAA choices based on my rank. After talking to seniors and understanding the opportunities within various branches, I wanted to switch to a different branch. So, I resolved to study hard in the first year and aim for a branch change. I tried to be consistent in all my courses while exploring clubs and participating in different activities. I even spent my winter break studying PHY103 and ESC101. Unfortunately, at the end of my first year, I could not change my branch.
My plans for the summer break also did not work out. I could not get any summer project, despite emailing several professors. I applied for the IITK Summer of Code but was not selected. I finally decided to stay on campus and take some courses.
These experiences shook my self-confidence to the core. I entered my third semester feeling rather lost and uncertain. Most of my friends had spent productive summers, while I thought I had done nothing worthwhile. I did not particularly like any of my department courses that semester. In this mode of self-doubt, I started spending a lot of time in the library reading novels. My efforts toward academics dropped considerably. I made a series of bad choices-not attending several classes, studying at the very last minute for quizzes and exams, and missing the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy concert because I was panicking about a quiz the next day…the list can go on. It was certainly the hardest phase of my time at IITK.
I remember receiving the grades for that semester and staring at them in stunned silence. My SPI had dropped considerably. Over the winter, I realized that I was giving up too soon. I spent a lot of time introspecting and decided not to let a few bad experiences cloud my future potential.
The fourth semester began, and I was determined to make things better. Eventually, I made peace with my branch and decided to explore it further. I started working on a project with a department professor and enjoyed the experience. I went to classes enthusiastically, and my performance in courses began improving.
This was a defining experience for me. I realized the importance of accepting that things sometimes go against expectations. Life is not always a smooth journey. There will be challenges along the way. The best way to deal with them is to stay optimistic and never lose faith in your abilities. What may seem like a significant setback at the moment can be a great learning experience for the future.
My experiences in the third semester made me want to help others, and I felt that the Counselling Service would be the best avenue to do that. I applied and was elated to be selected as a Core Team Member. Just as we were in the middle of conducting SG interviews and excitedly deciding dress codes for the Handing Over Ceremony, the pandemic struck. The weeklong midsem break became 1.5 years away from campus.
Joining the Counselling Service has been one of the best decisions that I took during my college life. During my time at home, the regular zoom meetings and planning virtual events helped me to feel connected to campus life. The interactions with several students made me a more empathetic and confident person. CS also introduced me to a fantastic bunch of friends, making the experience more rewarding.
I started preparing for the upcoming internship season. I wasn’t sure about what profiles I was interested in, but I did know that I was not interested in core or software profiles. I decided to aim for data science, analytics and techno-managerial roles. The internship season can often be confusing for many as not everyone is sure about what they want to do in the future. Talking to many seniors and reading up about different profiles helped me get some clarity.
I did not get an offer on Day 1 of the internship season. I continued taking several company tests but wasn’t getting shortlisted. My anxiety and impatience grew with each passing day. Fortunately, I was at home at this time, as my parents and sister helped me stay calm. I finally received an internship offer from Gartner a week later. That was certainly one of the highlights of my time at IITK. I was also relieved as I had almost not taken the Gartner test. I had been exhausted from taking so many tests, so I decided to skip the Gartner test. Fortunately, one of my friends convinced me to at least take the test. I did well in the test, got shortlisted, and eventually received an offer. This was a significant learning for me; you miss 100% of the shots you do not take!
The third-year went by in a flurry of assignments, quizzes, video calls with friends and the occasional hope that we would be called back to campus soon. My summer internship at Gartner went well, and I received a Pre-Placement Offer. I was very happy, as I did not want to sit for placements. However, after talking to some seniors, I felt that consulting would be a good fit for me, and I started preparing for case interviews. I have been lucky to have met some great seniors who patiently went through my resume iterations, gave me useful advice, and helped me with the interview preparation.
The interview day arrived. Bain and BCG interviews were scheduled on consecutive days. After three interview rounds with Bain, I did not get the offer. I was dejected but determined to do my best for the next day of interviews with BCG. After five interviews and several hours of nervously waiting for the results, I received an offer from BCG! I was delighted. The cherry on the cake could now only be a mail calling students back to campus. And a month and a half later, we received the much-awaited email calling Y18 students back to campus!
It was hugely nostalgic to return to campus after so long. I remember entering my old room and feeling that a different version of myself had left that room all those days back. So many significant milestones and changes had happened in the time spent at home. I could feel a catharsis of emotions as I reconnected with friends and hung out again at familiar spots. Soon enough, it felt like we had never left.
The final semester was a perfect culmination of my IITK journey. It felt like living the entire IITK experience in fast-forward mode in four months. The pandemic made it even more special; everyone was eager to soak in every moment. With several night outs, all three fests, and two trips- it couldn’t have been more perfect.
All too soon, the end was in sight. No dues forms were filled, and bags were packed. I will never forget the love, laughter and tears of the final few days. As people left, there were last hugs, promises to keep in touch and sad farewell songs playing in the background. Running high on sleep deprivation and emotion, those last days were a testament to how wonderful the IITK experience had been.
IITK has been a transformative journey for me. It has taught me many things, most importantly the importance of self-belief and the power of optimism.
For my juniors- IITK will offer you many challenges and present you with many opportunities. You have to choose how to navigate through them. It is time-consuming to figure out your interests, and often that process is not easy. You can make a conscious choice to learn from every experience instead of getting bogged down by them. IITK is a place filled with surprisingly helpful peers and seniors, so never hesitate to reach out for help. There may be unfavourable outcomes at times. But with resilience and patience, you will eventually emerge a stronger person.
The best part about my IITK journey has been the amazing people I met. I am so grateful for the friends who were there for me through all the highs and lows. They have helped me transition from a JEE-cleared school kid to an adult ready to go out into the world. Special mention to those who taught me how to become more ‘chill’ about everything 😊.
I will miss going into a friend’s room just to decide what to wear or going to the OAT to grab a roll at 3 AM. I will miss sitting in the mess for an hour just to talk or attending lectures together. Every bit of the IITK experience has been all the more special because of all these people. Though our journeys now diverge, I know that the bonds we share will last forever.
Written By: Mrigya Gupta
Edited By: Ritam Jana, Zainab Fatima
