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In the 83rd edition of As We Leave 2026, Rashi, a Y22 student in the Department of Physics looks back on a four-year journey of exploration, setbacks, and finding her way. From navigating academics and discovering her interests to internships, research, higher studies, and friendships that became family, her story reflects how the paths we take and leave behind, shape who we become. As she leaves IIT Kanpur, she reminds us to cherish not just the milestones, but the quiet moments and people that made the journey worthwhile.

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.

One of the things I’ve loved about IIT Kanpur is that this place makes you dream big. You enter
the gates of IIT Kanpur, a starry-eyed 17 year old, and leave 4 years later, with even bigger
dreams, people to call your own, and a story to tell. I don’t think it’s the same story your
first-year self would have imagined. In many ways, it makes you proud, in some, it’s tinged with
regret, but it’s a story to tell, laugh about, and remember regardless.

My story here began unexpectedly, and by that I mean it was unexpected for me too. I wasn’t
preparing to leave for college in 2022. I’d foolishly and rebelliously told my parents 2 years
before that, that IIT wasn’t for me because I didn’t want a corporate job because that was the
impression of IITs I had back then. So I decided to give JEE, about 7-8 months before Advanced
and although it was colossally stupid to start so late, I’m glad I started at all. After an intense few
months of hard work, questioning of past choices, and realising I hate studying Chemistry, I
found myself amidst these brick-toned walls.

1st and 2nd year:

I guess for most of us, first year is the most relaxed time here, without a wisp of the worries that
inevitably come later. It was especially relaxed for me because I didn’t concern myself with
anything, including academics. This of course reflected on my transcripts and led to (yet again)
much-needed questioning of my life choices.

Frankly, I didn’t expect people to take first year seriously at all, because most around me
weren’t. It was also a year of frequent HC visits and I felt out of place being surrounded by
people who had prepared for 2-3 years and seemed to have way more background practice
than me.

If there’s one thing I did right in my first year however, it was friendship. Through our shared
timetables during the day, and cycling and walks around campus at night, I made memories with
Ritik, Shreya and Shruti that I will always look back at fondly.

I had joined PHY because I enjoyed solving physics problems, but I did want to explore other
opportunities this place had to offer. In all honesty, my time here has been spent figuring out
what wasn’t for me, long before I figured out what was. I tried music, which although I still love, I
realised soon the MClub wasn’t a place I’d be happy in.

In my second year, I joined Motorsports and ICG. After a short time, I left Motorsports because it
was too time-consuming for me back then. After my secretary tenure at ICG, I realised that
although this data science and consulting work was meaningful, it was not something I enjoyed
much to continue in the future. In hindsight, I do wish I’d joined another SnT club or team which
I liked and would have continued with, like Aerial Robotics because I got into that but had picked Motorsports over it. At the same time, there’s a relief in knowing I did explore these things in my
time here.

By the start of my 4th semester I realised I should buckle up and took 65 credits (!?), leading to
a hectic but rewarding semester. In the summer, I found myself torn between wanting to prepare
for the internship season or preparing for higher studies. I decided to prepare for the internship
season, hoping that more exposure to these fields will help guide my decision later on. It was a
happening summer because I also took on some coursework I wanted to explore for my
research interest direction for the future, and a project. I realised I enjoyed DSA but not enough
for a full-time job, but prob stats was a lot more fun.

The thing about 2nd year summer is that it’s easy to take multiple things on your plate and get a
little lost. It also flies by really soon and before I knew it, Day 1 rolled around. I’ll always
remember the thrill of that morning and video-calling my parents right outside the tutorial block
telling them I got an offer from JP Morgan Chase.

3rd and 4th Year:

In my 3rd year, I delved more into Physics coursework and projects. Realising I definitely didn’t
want to go down the conventional corporate route, I started looking for research internships for
the coming summer. The process was long and mildly soul-crushing, but I soon ended up in
Beijing for a research internship at Tsinghua University.

The image my 2nd year-self had of how my 4th year would go, was very different to what
actually happened. It became the most hectic year of my time at IIT Kanpur, with intense
courses, projectwork and also applications for grad school. I was used to being dept. mentor
since 3rd year, but in 4th year I also took on the role of placement coordinator for the
department. I didn’t want the mistakes of my past to have a significant say on the grad school I
got into, and so that was a lot of added pressure for my applications. This was a strange time,
and I definitely had an unhealthy number of days when doing anything at all felt terrible. As a
cherry on top of this cake, I had a medical diagnosis at the end of my 7th semester (on the day
of a lab exam RIP) and had to undergo surgery soon after.

While looking back at my first-year self and earlier, I used to often be filled with anger and
regret. Over time, though, I’ve come to appreciate that many of those mistakes played a
significant role in shaping who I am today. I guess we grow and become who we are through
both our successes and failures.

Despite everything else and the unholy number of essays I had to write to convince universities
to let me in, I remember March 2026 as one of the most memorable months I’ve spent at IIT
Kanpur. Between all the official and unofficial batch video shoots, the campus seemed to be
running high in nostalgia and feel-good vibes. Shruti made it a point to announce (every day)
the number of days we had left on campus, and everything started feeling more special, with the
what-if of it being a potential “last”.

Those days also made me look back on how my friendships had grown through the years. From
walking around campus till sunrise, participating in competitions together, and attempts at
cooking pasta and pancakes in our hostel rooms, to becoming practically like family who would
accompany each other to the hospital.

During the end of the 8th semester, the results for my MS applications started rolling in one by
one and I ended up getting accepted at 8 of the places I had applied to. After how my last year
had been, this definitely felt rewarding. It was also bittersweet because amidst the excitement of
this dream coming true there was the obvious and growing realisation of another one ending.

Until We Meet Again

I remember discussing an observation with a close friend, the lack of benches on campus, and
we laughed about how IITK always keeps its students on the move, literally and figuratively.
Maybe your time here is just beginning, maybe you’re halfway there, or maybe, like me, the
semesters and days have already flown by. And while most of this journey is spent hurrying and
rushing, I hope we all remember the slow moments, the pointless and wonderful walks around
campus, midnight snack trips, cycling under beautiful skies, nights spent staring at stars from
terracetops, and most importantly, the people we shared these moments with.

I hope we always have each other, and I hope we always find beauty in life. And if the former
remains true, I’m sure the latter will come easier.