DISCLAIMER

The information written in the booklet is only meant to be a

guideline to the sophomore students. It may happen that the
information or rules mentioned in the booklet may face an
amendment or change at any time. Please confirm the
rules/details from competent authorities before making any
decisions.

CONTENTS
Registration

Academic Standing

Normal Load | Over Load

Additional Courses

12

Fast-tracking of Degree

16

Role of Faculty Advisor

17

Reviews of some Minors

18

Branch Change

22

Equivalent Courses for clearing Backlogs

27

Some Miscellaneous Notes

29

BTP | MSP | DDP

30

Journey Reviews

35

AWORDFROMGSAA
Hello Dear Sophomores.
It is so pleasant to see you enter into your second year at IIT Bombay. Hope you had
an amazing and a joyful ride through your first year at IITB and a wonderful summer
break.
Your first year opened you to new arenas, a new culture and a new environment,
things to which you would have become much habitual by now. Undoubtedly you
would have realized the vast ocean of opportunities available to you, may it be
curricular, co-curricular or extracurricular. And how immensely important it is to
balance your academics with your extra currics here at IIT Bombay.
Now, coming into your second year, you will experience a big difference especially in
terms of your academics. Your first year curriculum was very rigid, with you
completing a defined set of courses. As a sophomore, you will be privileged with
much more freedom. Not only do you have the flexibility of choosing your own
courses from a vast pool of running courses, you can now delve into opportunities
and facilities IITB is much renowned for. The foreign exchange program of the
institute (perhaps the best in the country), URA, internship opportunities etc will help
you broaden your horizons both academically and intellectually.
This booklet has been designed specifically to brief you of these topics and much
more, so that you can have a perspective of what all is available and choose to orient
yourselves accordingly. Please read through to learn more and make an informed
decision on how you want to direct yourselves. Do remember that unlike your first
year there are no ISMP mentors to guide you. So the onus to keeping yourselves well
aware rests solely on you.
Lastly, enjoy the sophie year. It's going to be much different than your first year, that
is guaranteed. Your new hostel life awaits you. Many of you must have already
entered the new, and if I may say, the glamorous world of PORs. However, do not
lose track of your academics for the semester is going to become challenging (and full
of quizzes :P ). Those who had a satisfactory first year academically, keep up the good

effort. Those who did not, believe me, it is not late to start.
Wish you all the very best!
Abhishek Khadiya
General Secretary Academic Affairs

CONTRIBUTORS
UG ACADEMIC COUNCIL 2015-16
Abhishek Khadiya (ISAA, Student Support Services)
Coordinators:
Karan Mehta

Gaurav Jain

Shivani Chavan

Aditya Kalra

UG ACADEMIC COUNCIL 2016-17

Ritwick Chaudhry (ISAA, Student Support Services)
Coordinators:
Anmol Gupta

Prakhar Jain

Ranvita Agrawal

Anant Jain

Completing the first year of studies where students study all the
common courses, they move into a world of specialised learning where
the semester curriculum is inclined towards department specific
courses. While this transition occurs, a plethora of opportunities opens
up for the now sophomore students. To name a few will be Semester
Exchange, Internship and Undergraduate research but first lets take a
look at the Registrations, which the sophomores face for the first time.

REGISTRATION
IITBombayfollowsaspecializedcreditbasedsemestersystem,therefore
registrationatthebeginningofeachsemester(lookoutfordatesinthe
AcademicCalendar)ismandatoryforyoutillyoucompleteyourprogramme.
Withoutregistration,anyacademicactivity(course/seminar/projectetc.)
thatyouundergowillnotbecountedtowardstherequirementsofyour
degree.
ThetotalcreditsfortheB.Tech.programmeforexamplevariesbetween
252264dependingonthediscipline.Thisapproximatelyconvertsitselfinto
aboutfourtheorycoursesandoneortwolaboratorycoursesorother
activitieslikeseminar,project,etc.,everysemester.Everystudentinthat
disciplineundergoesthisprogramme;thisminimumcontentmaynothave
muchflexibility.

SEMESTER-WISE REGISTRATION
Youcanregisterforthecoursesyouintendtotakeduringagivensemester
onthebasisoftheprogrammeforyourdisciplineasgiveninyour
curriculumandaspertheadvicegivenbyyourFacultyAdvisor.Youcan
checkaparticularsemesterscurriculumonASCinAcademic>Allabout

courses>BulletinReportsection.
Fromthirdsemesteronwards,
registrationisdependentontheacademicstandingofthestudent.

ACADEMIC STANDING
Depending on the overall academic performance of a student till date,
especially in the two preceding registered regular semesters (autumn
and spring), academic standing of the student is decided. Its
categorized as follows:

CATEGORY I
Astudentwhohasnobacklogcourses(failedcourseswhichhavenotbeen
clearedsubsequentlyordroppedcourses),andhasaCPIequaltoorgreater
than8.0,subjecttohavingclearedthetotalnumberofcreditsprescribedup
tothatsemesterinhis/herdiscipline.

CATEGORY II
Astudentwhohasregisteredforatleast18creditsineachofthetwo
precedingregularregisteredsemestersandnotfailedinanycourseinthese
twosemesters.

CATEGORY III
Astudentwhohasnotfailedinmorethanonecourseinthetwopreceding
regularregisteredsemesters,subjecttohavingearnedatleast18creditsin
eachofthesemesters.

CATEGORY IV
Astudentwhohasfailedinmorethanonecourseinthetwopreceding
regularregisteredsemesters,buthasearnedatleast18creditsineachofthe
semesters.

CATEGORY V
Astudentwhohasnotearnedatleast18creditsineitheroneoftheprevious
tworegularregisteredsemesters.
OnlystudentsofstandingofCategoryI,IIorIIIarepermittedto
registerforNormalload.CategoryIVandCategoryVstudentsshould
registerforlowercredits.

NORMAL LOAD | OVER LOAD

Thereisacreditlimitprescribedforeachacademicstanding,calledthe
normalload.Thesecreditlimitsareasfollowing:
CategoryI:52
CategoryII:44
CategoryIII:44
CategoryIV:36
CategoryV:24
AnyoverloadoverandabovethiswillhavetobeapprovedbytheFaculty
Advisor.Note:Everystudenthoweverisrequiredtoregisterforaminimum
of18creditsinanysemester.Toclarifyabitmore....

NORMAL LOAD FOR B.TECH AND INTEGRATED MSC.

Inthethirdsemesterandlater,normalloadforaB.Tech.oranIntegrated
M.Sc.studentisdefinedastheprescribedloadfortheminimumrequirement
ofthedegreeforthatsemesterandcreditsforanadditionalcourse(68
credits),subjecttototalcreditnotexceeding42credits(44creditsincase
theadditionalcourseisof8credits),andtheorycoursesnotexceeding6.

Forexample,theprescribedcreditsinsemester3foraparticular
disciplinemaybe33.Thenormalloadforthatdisciplineinthesemesteris
therefore3941.Thisloadiscalculatedbyaddingtheprescribedcreditsand
creditsforanadditionalcourse(6or8credits).Thenormalloadsforother
semestersaretobecomputedalongsimilarlines.Studentswithacademic
standingofCategoryI,IIorIIIarepermittedtotakenormalload.
Thosewithexcellentacademicstanding(CategoryI)can,inaddition,
overloadthemselvestotheextentofonetheorycourseequivalent(6or8
credits).Thatis,theycanregisterfortwocoursesinadditiontothe
prescribedload,subjecttototalcreditnotexceeding48credits(50creditsin
casetheadditionalcoursesareof8credits),andtheorycoursesnot
exceeding6innumber.
StudentsbelongingtoacademicstandingIandacademicstandingII
thereforecanreasonablyaspiretoutilizetheadditionallearning
opportunitiestothefullestextent.
CategoryIIIstudentsshouldusetheadditionalcoursepermittedtoclear
thebacklogcoursesifavailableinthesemester.Ifbacklogcoursesarenot
available,theycanalsousetheopportunityforadditionallearninginthat
semester.
StudentsbelongingtoCategoryIVandVcanonlyregisterforreducedload.

NORMAL LOAD FOR DUAL DEGREE

DualDegreestudentsaretypicallyprescribedonetheorycoursemorethan
theB.Tech.studentseverysemestertowardsthemandatoryhonorsanddual
degreerequirements.Thereforethenormalloadforthesestudentswillbe
theprescribedloaditself.
So,CategoryIIandIIIstudentsfromtheDualDegreecannotregisterfor

coursestowardsadditionallearning.
StudentsbelongingtoCategoryIVandVcanonlyregisterforreduced
loads.
CategoryIstudentscantakeonecourseextraasanoverloadtowards
additionallearningsubjecttototalcreditnotexceeding48credits(50
creditsincasetheadditionalcourseisof8credits),andtheorycoursesnot
exceeding6.

REDUCED LOAD FOR ACADEMIC STANDING IV AND V

STUDENTS
B.Tech.andInt.M.Sc.studentsbelongingtoAcademicStandingIVstatuscan
onlyregisterforatotalofcreditsequivalenttotheprescribedcreditsforthat
semesterinher/hisdiscipline.(Thiswouldnormallymeanfourtheory
coursesandoneortwolabs.etc.)
StudentsbelongingtoAcademicStandingVstatuscanonlyregisterfor
thosemanycreditswhichareatleastonetheorycourseequivalentlessthan
thecreditsprescribedforthatsemesterinher/hisdiscipline,subjecttoa
minimumof18credits.(Thisnormallywouldmeanthreetheorycoursesand
oneortwolabs.etc.)
DualdegreestudentsofCategoryIVandCategoryVareadvisedtoregister
foroneandtwotheorycoursesrespectively,lessthantheirprescribedload
andasadvisedbytheirfacultyadvisor.
Studentshavetoregisterforthebacklogcoursesbeforeregisteringfor
othercourses,ifthosecoursesareavailableinthatsemester.However,
FacultyAdvisorcanrecommendexceptionstoavoidcascadingeffectsdueto
prerequisitesforothercourses.

10

ONLINE REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

OnlineregistrationprocessinvolvesfillingupofanonlineCourse
RegistrationForm(CRF)(asc.iitb.ac.in)statingthecoursesandproject/
seminaretc,thatyouproposetocompleteduringthatsemesterasperthe
prescribedcurriculum.
ThisshouldbedoneinconsultationwiththeFacultyAdvisor,whofinally
approvestheregistration.
Unlessthisprocedureiscompleted,yourregistrationwillbeconsidered
invalid.
Allstudentswithoutbacklogswillbeabletodoonlineregistration.
Studentshavingoutstandingduestotheinstituteorahostelshallnotbe
permittedtoregister.

MANUAL REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Studentshavingbacklogcourse(s)is/arerequiredtodomanual
registrationbyfillinguptheCourseRegistrationForm(CRF)availableinthe
AcademicOffice.
ThestudentshoulddulycompletetheCRF,statingthecoursesandproject
/seminaretc.thathe/sheproposestocompleteduringthatsemesterasper
theprescribedcurriculum,inconsultationwiththeFacultyAdvisor,getit
approvedbyhim/herandthensubmitthesametotheAcademicOffice
withinthestipulateddateforregistration.
Note:StudentsbelongingtoCategoryVandthosewithfourormorebacklogs
shouldadditionallysubmit,alongwiththecourseregistrationform,a
revisedscheduleforthesucceedingsemestersstatinghowthebacklog
courseswillbecleared,inconsultationwiththeFacultyAdvisor.

11

LATE REGISTRATION
Onlyforvalidreasons,lateregistrationmaybepermittedtillthedate
specifiedintheAcademicCalendar,onpaymentofalateregistrationfee.

Course Adjustment
Astudentshasthefreedomofdeletion/additionofonemorecourses(after
discussingandtakingpermissionfromtheFacAd)providedthetotalcredits
donotexceedtheoverloadruleorfallbelow18creditsbysuch
adjustments.Thelastdatefordoingisabout2weeksafterthe
commencementofthesemester.

Dropping of Courses
Ifastudentfindshis/heracademicloadtooheavy,evenafterthedatefor
courseadjustmenthaspassed,s/hemaydroponeortwocoursesoutofthe
registeredonesprovidedtheminimumcreditshold,aftertakingpermission
fromtheFacAd.Thelastdatefordoingsois10daysaftertheendof
midsemesterexamination.

REGISTRATION FOR ADDITIONAL COURSES

MINORS
Completing 30 credits in the area of your interest in another branch.
Anonlineinterfaceismadeavailableduringpreregistrationsthrough
externalASC(www.iitb.ac.in/asc)afewdaysbeforethecommencementof
theAcademicYeartoregisterforMinorcourses.
TheminorcourseswillbeallottedbasedonCPI(Oranyothercriteria
prescribedbytheFacultyIncharge,Prerequisitesetc).

12

HONORS
Completing 24 credits in the area of your interest in your own branch.
ThereisnospecificregistrationforHonors.
YoucanregisterfortheHonorcoursesinAdditionalCourses/Extra
Coursessectionduringcoreregistrations.
Oneaccumulatestherequiredcreditsduringthecourseoftheprogramme,
andtheadditionalcredentialisawardedifthecriteriasetforthemaremet
whenthestudentgraduates.

INSTITUTE ELECTIVES
Compulsory credits although the course is of your choice (there are
some exceptions, however)
RegistrationisdonealongwiththeCoreregistrationatthestartofthe
semesterontheonlineinterface.
StudentsoverloadingtheirSemesterarerequiredtomanuallysubmitthe
CourseRegistrationForm(CRF)approvedbytheFacultyAdvisor,tothe
AcademicOffice
Note:1XXcourses,coredept.coursesandmanyoftheSOM,ENTandIDC
dept.coursescannotbetakenasinstielectives.So,itsalwaysbettertoask
thefacultyinchargeifthecourseyouwishtoregistercanbetaggedasan
instielectiveornot.

HUMANITIES ELECTIVES
PreregistrationneedstobedoneforthecoursesofferedbyHSSDeptas
HumanitieselectiveorasInstituteElectives(HumanitiesInstituteElective)
ontheprovidedinterface.

13

CoursesareallottedontheCPIbasis(Oranyothercriteriaprescribedby
theFacultyIncharge)
Onceallotted(afterpreregistration),theHSScoursewillcomeonyour
registrationinterfaceonASC,andyouneedtoregisteritthewayyou
registerforcorecourses
Note:HumanitiesElectiveandHumanitiesInstituteElectivearenotsame.

DEPARTMENT ELECTIVES
Compulsory credits through a course of your choice from a pool of
courses prescribed by your dept.
RegistrationisdonealongwiththeCoreRegistration.
Incaseofanydiscrepancyfacultyadvisor'sapprovalistobesubmittedto
theacademicoffice.

ADDITIONAL LEARNING COURSES (ALC)

Your course, your choice. Credits not counted towards degree
completion. However, tagging involves ALCs as well - so you might
want to take a look at the tagging rules.
Registrationdonealongwithcoreregistrations.
SubjecttoapprovalbytheFacultyinchargeofthecourseandtheFaculty
advisorofthestudent.

AUDIT COURSES
Wanting just an exposure to a course, without the rigors of obtaining a
good grade.
Registrationsaredonealongwithcoreregistrations.
Restrictedtoamaximumof
twocourses
intheentireperiodofthe

14

programme.
OnlystudentsincategoryIandIIwithCPI>6.0arepermittedtoAudita
courseduringaregularsemestersandsummerterm.

SIT THROUGH
Chaaro taraf gyan bat raha hain, jahan se mile lappet lo
Ifyouarereallyinterestedinaparticularcoursebutareunabletoregister
forthesameduetosomeconstraints(generallyhappenswithpopularminor
courses).Butyouarestillwillingtositinthatcoursejustforknowledge,
withoutanyprivilegeforcreditsormentionintranscript,thenyoucanask
forthefacultyinchargespermissiontositthroughthatcourse.

WAITLIST
Waitlist for courses with limited seats:
AcademicofficemaintainsanonlineWAITLISTforcourseswhichhavean
enrolmentcap.(Themaximumenrolmentlimitforcoursesmaybeviewedat
ASC>Academic>AllaboutCourses>CourseswithUpperCappostLogin)
Studentsregisteringforacoursewithregistrationlimitareenrolledforthe
specificcourseonCPIbasisthroughpreregistrationandFirstComeFirst
Served(FCFS)basisduringnormalregistrationsorwaitlisting.Therefore
studentsregisteringearly,standahigherchancetogetconfirmed
registrationforpopularcourses.
Ifacourseenrolmenthasreacheditsmaximumlimit,studentsareallowed
toregisterconditionallybymaintainingawaitlist.Theavailable/Waitlist
statusofcoursescanbeseenattheregistrationpage.
IfastudenthavingconfirmedregistrationDROPSOUTofacourse,the
vacatedseatisofferedtothefirstwaitlistedstudent.

15

Anemail(onGPO)issenttotheconcernedstudentabouttheavailability
oftheseat.Thisseatisblockedforthespecificstudentforaperiodof12
hours.
WaitlistedstudentsareSTRONGLYADVISEDtomonitortheirwaitlist
status,andoptoutofthewaitlistandregisterforalternatecourses,1224
hourspriortothelastcourseADD/DROPdate.
Note:
SUPERNUMERIC
(morethanthespecifiednumberofseats)seats
arepurelyuponthediscretionofthecourseinstructor.Suchseatscannotbe
appliedforonline.Studentshavetoapproachthecourseinstructor,obtain
hisapprovalonpaper,andapplyforsuchregistrationsthroughthemanual
routebysubmittingthepermissionletterobtainedfromthe
courseinstructorattheacademicoffice

FAST-TRACKING OF B.TECH DEGREE

FasttrackingofdegreesisthecompletionofB.Techdegreein3.5orin
exceptionalcases3yearswhenastudenthascompletedtherequired
coursework(creditrequirementsforthatparticulardegree)andwishesto
utilizethelastsemester(s)insomeotheractivitieslikeinternship,
competitiveexamprep,entrepreneurialventures,etc.Thenthestudentcan
getaprovisionaldegreeandleavetheInstituteearlier,althoughthefinal
degreewillbeawardedattheformalConvocationitself.
Thestudents,whocompletetheircourseworkinthreeandahalfyear,will
beeligibletositfortheplacementsinDecemberandstartworking
immediatelytoooncetheyareplaced.
Itisworthnotingthattheaccumulationofcreditsforfasttrackingofyour
degreestartsonlyfromthebeginningofyoursophomoreyear

16

Role of Faculty Advisor:

Asyoumayhaveunderstoodbynow,theFacultyAdvisorhasavery
importantroletoplayfromsecondyearonwards.WhiletheroleofFacAdis
limitedtoafewinteractionsandprovidingacademicguidanceto
academicallyweakerstudentsduringthefirstyear,thesecondyearbrings
intopicturealotofscenarioswhereyouneedtohaveaproperconsultation
withyourrespectiveFacAdregardingregistration,course
adjustment/dropping,additionalcourses,overloadingandotheracademic
opportunitiesavailabletoyouasastudent(besidestakingtheirofficial
permissionatvarioustimes).

17

REVIEWS OF SOME MINORS:

Decidingwhichminortotakeisalwaysaconfusingtaskstudentsoftenfind
themselvesinadilemmaastowhethertheyshouldgoforthe
socalledpopularminorsorsomethingbasedontheirinterest.
Tohelpeaseouttheconfusion,hereresomereviewsonsomespecific
minorsbytheseniorswhotookthem:

MathematicsMinorSanatAnand
TheMathematicsminorcontains5coursesoutofwhich4coursesare
compulsorytocompletetheminor.Itdoesnotreallyhaveanextensive
applicationbutsomeofthepeoplewholikeMA105andMA108andwho
wanttodevelopatasteofrigorousmathematicswillsurelyenjoythis.Itwill
helpyoudevelopanintuitioninabstractmathematics.Mathsminorisabout
puremathematicswhichcontainsthingslikerealanalysis,complexanalysis
andalgebra.Thecoursesareheavyanditreallytakesupalotofeffort,and
onewillhavetobeenthusiasticinordertodomatchupwiththepaceofthe
course.

StatisticsMinorSivaprasadSudhir
OnewouldthinkStatisticsasatoolwhichwouldhelpthemindataanalysis
like,ifyougotoafinancecompanythengiventhedata,youwilllearnhowto
makecertainconclusionsbasedonthedataandstufflikethat.Butstatistics
minoriswaydifferentthanthat.Thecoursesteachyouhowtobuildup
machineryandalotoftoolstoactuallyanalysedatainvolvingalotofmath.A
lotofstudentsdroppedstatisticsminorsafterthefirstcoursejustbecauseit
wasnotwhattheythoughtitwouldbeandcontainedsomeheavylevel
mathematics.Alsoittookalotoftimeastheywere8creditcoursesalong
withtutorialsincludingalabcourse.Soitisactuallyaminorcourseinwhich

18

onehastodevotealotoftimeforadecentgrade.Here,thenumberof
studentsareonly20butifyoucanconvincetheprofessorsaboutyour
interest,hewilleasilyallowyoutotakeupthecourse.

CSMinorSivaprasadSudhir
CSminorgivesoverviewofvariousareasinCS.Itisrelatedtoalgorithm,
logic,operatingsystemsandnetworking.Allofthecoursesare6credit
courses.Outofthe5coursesyouhavetodo4ofthemhavetoberelatedto
theabovetopics.CorecoursesarenotveryeasytotakeifyouarenotCSE
studentsbutalmostalltheprofessorswhoaretakinginstituteelectivesor
honorscoursesarewillingtotakeotherdepartmentstudents.Mostofthe
coursesrunincshavealabequivalentwhicharereallynecessaryfornice
understandingofthecoursewhichinvolveprettyheavyassignments.

IDCMinorRitwickChaudhry
IchosethisminorbecauseIhadahugeinterestinanimationandIreallylike
itandthisbeingaminorcoursewontgiveyoumuchpainsbecauseyoudo
nothavetocareaboutthegradesmuchitismoreaboutyourinterest.Icould
havetakenupthestatisticsminorsaccordingthetrendthatisfollowed
consideringyourCPIbutIdontthinkthatCPIshouldbeaparameterwhich
youshouldhaveinmind.Thisminoriscompletelychillandalotofthe
courseshavenoendsemsormidsems.Allyouhavearetheprojectsandthey
areveryinterestingandwhatmore,theyevengetbroadcastedinplaces,get
implementedinreallifescenarios.SooverallIdsaythatthisminorisvery
good.

MechanicalEngg.MinorYashrajGurumukhi

19

Itconsistsofsixcoursesfromthecoremechanicalcoursesitself.Thebasic
coursesincludefluiddynamics,soliddynamics,thermodynamics,
manufacturingprocesses1,manufacturingprocesses2,kinematicsand
dynamicsofmachines.Theseareprettypopularcoursesandcoverthebasics
youneedformechandalsothesecoursesdonotgomuchintodetails,they
justprovideanoverview.Itsaprettyinterestingfieldandamechanical
minormakesalotofsenseifyouarereallyinterestedinroboticsaswell.

ElectricalEngg.MinorVishnuNair
Itgivesanoutlookastohowelectronicdevicesaremade,theirworking,how
tomakeusefulcomponentsusingthem,etc.Italsodealswithsignal
processing,circuitphysics,microelectronics,VLSI,etc.Youneedtohave
somedealofenthutocompletethisminorbutifyoureinterestedin
ElectronicsandElectricalenggingeneral,doingthisminorisagreatvalue
addition.

PhysicsminorVishnuNair
Itistheextensiontothethingswhichyouhavelearnttillnowi.e.quantum
mechanicsandstatistics,andelectrodynamics.Studentswouldhavearough
ideaaboutwhatallliesinthisminoronthebasisofwhattheystudiesinPH
107and108.Thisminordelvesintomorevibrantcoursesthanwhatyou
studiedinyourfreshmenyear.

BiosciencesminorArchitBhatnagar
ThefirstcourseoftheBiominorisbasicallyaboutitsintroduction.Soifone
wantstoseewhethertheyarereallyinterestedinbiology,Biominorstarts
fromtheverybasicandgivesanoutlookofwhatallwillbecoveredinthis
minor.Itsnotallaboutmemorisingstuff.Itincludesmanypractical

20

applicationssuchasthethestudyofthermodynamicsappliedinbiology.
ItismostlybasedonChemistry.Youshouldhavealikingforinorganic
chemistrytocompletethisminor.Italsocoversinterestingbiomedical
devices,sensors,etcwhichrelatestobioengineeringonwhole.

21

BRANCH CHANGE - TO DO OR NOT TO DO

Branch Change - an opportunity given to the to-be-sophomores is a
very important decision in any prospective Branch Change aspirants
life. It has the power to completely change the course of their career
and affects numerous other aspects as well. Hence, here are some
testimonials by students who changed their branch, and by some who
didnt even when they could. These would help you in retrospecting
the consequences of the result and how the coming experience is going
to be like.

RitwickChaudhry(EEDualtoCSEB.Tech)
MydecisiontoBranchChangefromElectricalDualto
ComputerSciencewasnotsomethingIhadplannedrightfrom
thestart.IstartedcodingearlyintheAutumnsemesterand
developedahugecrushonitoverthefirsttwosems.Ididnt
studyjustbecauseIwantedtoBC,butlateron,neartheendsemesterexams,
IrealisedthatifIdsteponthegas,thenIcoulddoit.
Forthefreshmen,IhavesomethingsthatIwouldlovetoshare.
BranchChangemightappeartobeaLeapofFaithbutitisactuallyavery
importantdecisionthatneedstobetakenafteralotofthinkingandtaking
intoconsiderationallthefactors.Awordofcautiontothoseinterestedin
BCingtoCSifyouareapersonwhowantstobethebestinaroom,
ComputerScienceisprobablygoingtogiveyouahardtime.Butyes,itisa
branchwhichteachesyoualotoflessonsandallinall,Ifeelitwasagood
decisiontochangetoCSE.

RishiVanukuru(CivilSophie)

22

WelltobeginwithIprobablywantedtomaketheswitchtoabetter
branchearlyoninmyfirstsemester.Ihadnotionsofwhateachbranch
offered(albeitverycolouredandincompleteones),andIwasoftheopinion
thatIdbedoingwhatIwasinterestedin,equallywellinanotherone.And
backthen,readingpieceslikethis,ofpeoplewhowantedtochangetheir
branchinitiallybutdidntandthenwentontosaythatitwasthebestthing
thathappenedtothemIalwaysthoughtthat,thatwasjusteveryonetrying
toseethebrightsideoflife.AndnowImherewritingthis.Andyes,Imglad
Ididntswitch.
Hypocrite,youmaysay.Butbytheendoffreshmanyear,Irealisedthatwhat
Iwasreallyinterestedindidntfitanybranchdescription.SostayingwhereI
waswouldgivemethetimetopursuemyrealintereststoamuchlarger
degreebeitspendingmoretimeonmyDesignminororlearningand
makingmusic.IreallywasaversetoleavingthefriendsIdmadeinmy
branchtoo.Andnow,ayearlater,lookingaroundandseeinghowthings
pannedoutforeveryone,IdontthinkIcouldhaveaskedformuchbetter.

BasuhiRavi(AeroB.TechtoEPB.Tech)
Foralotofus,JEEAIRbasedbranchallocationisashotin
thedark.Needlesstosay,minemisseditsmark.IknewIwas
interestedinPhysicsbefore,itcertainlyheldmoreallurethan
anythingelseandIthinkthatwasreasonenoughtotryagain,
thistimethroughChangeofBranch.AndIgotit.
Reflectingovermydecisionayearlater,itseemslikeaverynaturalthingto
havedone.NowIlovealmostallmycoursesandfindtheminterestingand
worthstudyingfor,whichIbelievejustifiesanydecisionpertainingto
Academicsonmypart.Earlierlastsemester,inararemomentof
acknowledgmentofmyChangeofBranch,IusedtogetaskedwhyIdidnt

23

chooseB.TechElectricalEngineering,whenIcouldhave:towhichmy
replywasusuallyanoncommittalWhywouldIwantto?andjudgingfroma
coupleofthefiveoddElectricalcoursesEPstudentshavetodotojustifythe
prefixofEngineering,myresponsehasntchangedmuchoverthepasttwo
semesters.
Longstoryshort,BranchChangeneedntbeanotherroundofshootinginthe
darkithelpsifyouenterabranchyouactuallywouldlovetobeapartof.

HarshitSahay(MEMSThirdie)
Iwasneververyenthusiasticaboutchangingmybranch,
primarilybecauseIwantedittobea
decision
motivatedby
genuineinterestratherthanaCPIbasedtradeoff.WhileI
managedtogetadecentCPIthatcouldhaveallowedmeto
switchtoafewhigher(goingbyJEEcutoffs)branches,Idecidedtoremain
inMeta.ThereasonwasmyinclinationtoexploremorethattheInstihadto
offer,sinceIwasyettofigureoutwhatIwantedtodobothinandbeyond
Insti.
Inhindsight,thishasturnedouttobeagooddecision.Backatthetimeof
makingthedecision,Iwantedtokeepmyoptionsopenbetweenanoncore
profileoraresearchprofile,andstayinginMetahelpedmedoso.Iwasable
toimprovemyCPIsignificantly,beinvolvedinextracurricularactivities,take
uporganizationalrolesandalsobeinvolvedinresearchallofwhichhelped
megetamoreclearpictureofwhatIwant.IrealisedthatIwasmotivatedto
studyBiologywhichmeantthatIneededtotakeupseveralextracourses
andspendtimeonmyownfiguringthingsout,anditwasalsocrucialtobe
abletomanagemyUGcurriculumwithit.Thecomparativelylesserloadof
Metahelpedmeimmenselyinthisregard.

24

 AakritiVarshney(AeroB.TechtoMech
B.Tech)
HavingfollowedtheherdintheAIRbasedchoosingofa
branch,achangeofbranchwasalwayslurkinginthebackof
mymindinthefirstyear.Iwasoneofthosepeoplewhodid
nothaveaveryclearinclinationtowardsaparticularbranchthough,so
whenthetimecametofilltheBranchChangeform,talkingtoseniorsfrom
allprospectivebrancheshelpedmedecide.
IguessyoucouldsayIwasluckyinendingupinMechanicalsinceIvefound
aloveformostofthecourseswehave.ImalsorealisingnowthatIdidhave
apreferenceforallthingsMechanicaloverotherbranchesafterall.Apart
fromthecurriculum,thegeneralauraandtheperspectiveofpeoplearound
youtowardsacademicaswellasnonacademicaffairsaffectsyoualot.That
issomethingImgratefultohavefoundinMechanical.Eventually,tome,it
didntmatterthatIdidnthaveadefinitelikingforacertainbranch.Itturned
outwellformeanyway.

RaunaqBhirangi(MechSophie)
Choosingabranchwasnottoohardforme.Ihadalways
beenenthuforElecorMechEngg.AndwhenIsawIcouldget
IITBMechwithmyrank,itwasastraightforwardchoice.
WhenIcameinIhadntthoughtaboutaBranchChange.The
thoughthadntevencrossedmymind.Preferredbranch,preferredinstitute,
Iwasset.CS101,though(YesthesameCS101whichpeopleaccuseofkilling
anyenthuforprogrammingtheymighthavehad),nurturedinmean
inclinationtowardsCSE.Thisincreasedwithtime,andbytheendofmyfirst
yearIwasconsideringCSEasaBranchChangeoption.

25

Aftergivingitsufficientthoughthowever,IfeltComputerSciencewas
moreofahobbyofsorts,andnotsomethingIdliketopursueasacareer,
andhenceIdidnotfilltheBranchChangeform.Ayeardowntheline,Ihave
absolutelynoregretsaboutnotchangingmybranch.Ihavethoroughly
enjoyedthecoursesinMech,andaminorinCSEhasreaffirmedmyideasof
itbeingmoreofahobbyandlessofacareeroption.

26

EQUIVALENT COURSES FOR CLEARING BACKLOGS

Forthepurposeofclearingbacklogs,alistofequivalentcourseswhichcan
bedonehasbeengivenbelow:
Backlog

EquivalentCourse

ME346HeatTransferII

CL246HeatTransfer

MM152Materials&technology

CL346MaterialScience

CE201SolidMechanics

CL231SolidMechanics

CE201SolidMechanics

ME201SolidMechanics

CE205FluidMechanics

ME203FluidMechanics

CE221SolidMechanics

ME201SolidMechanics

AE460HeatTransferAerospace
Applications

ME346,HeatTransferII

AE102DataAnalysisand
Interpretation

MM217DataAnalysisandInterpretation

CL202IntroductiontoDataAnalysis

EP219DataAnalysisandInterpretation

AE102DataAnalysisand
Interpretation

ME102DataAnalysisandInterpretation

AE209SolidMechanics

ME201SolidMechanics

AE102DataAnalysisand
Interpretation

CS215DataAnalysisandInterpretation

EN206PowerElectronicsand
Machine

EE222ElectricalMachinesandPower
Electronics

27

AE308ControlTheory

EE302ControlSystems

ME346HeatTransferII

AE460HeatTransferAerospace
Applications

MM203MechanicsofMaterials

EN211MechanicsofMaterials

EN201BasicElectricalEngineering

EE111IntroductiontoElectricalSystems

MA214IntroductiontoNumerical
Analysis

CL244IntroductiontoNumericalAnalysis

CL417Processcontrol[8credits]

MM451[6credits] Instrumentationand
ProcessControlTheory

Thestatisticscoursesofvariousdepartmentsare:AE102,CS215,EE223,
EP219,ME102,EN207,MM217,andCL202(8credits).

28

SOME USEFUL NOTES:

Ifyouhavesuccessfullydonethepreregistrationofacourse(Minors/
HSSElectives),thenatthetimeofregistrationtheallottedpre
registeredcoursecomesundertheheadingPreRegisteredCourses
onyourascinterface,andyouneednotregisterforthecourseagain
underanyotherheadingsayInstituteelective,NonCreditCourse,
Additionalcourseetc.
FalsebacklogsIfyouarebeingshownafalsebacklog,thenvisit
AcademicOfficeandgetitresolved(fastestmethod).
SlotclashPleaseaskyourDGSectogetitchangedthroughtheTime
TableCoordinator.
MissedPreregistrationRegisterforthecourseonlineandgetthe
overrideformsignedbythecourseinstructor,andsubmititto
AcademicOffice.
CoursenotlistedIfyougetamessageontheinterfacesayingthatthe
courseisnotrunningthissemestereventhoughitis,pleasecheckthe
division(M,S1,etc.)inthelistofrunningcoursesandenterthe
correctdivisionontheinterfacewhileregisteringforit.
EnteringthedivisionasMwillnotchangeyourtagtominor(All
aboutcourses>RunningCourses)e.g.CE310M,MM474M,CS
101D1/D2/D3/D4,etc.
PrerequisitespainsIfthereareerrors,pleasesendamailto
asc.help@iitb.ac.inwithascreenshot,ifthegradefortheprerequisite
courseisnotoutorifyouwanttotakeacoursewithoutclearingthe
prerequisite,pleasetakepermissionfromthecourseinstructoronan
applicationandsubmitittoAcademicOffice.

For further information on registrations and related topics you can visit

29

UG Acads wiki.

BTP | MSP | DDP

In this section, we have tried to give you an overview of final year
projects and some related details about them. (The actual guidelines
may vary from dept. to dept.). The details provided in this section may
not seem relevant to you right now but you may want to revisit these
before your project selection.

BTP I
1.FacultyadvisorscoordinatestheBTPactivity.Thestudentshavetoinform
theirfacultyadvisorabouttheapplicationafterthepermissibledropadd
periodisover.
2.Facultyadvisorthenannouncesadatebeforewhichtheexamination
shouldbecompletedwhichwillbenolaterthanthelastdayofthe
endsemesterexam.Thisannouncementisgenerallymadeduringthe
midsemweek.Theactivityofschedulingthedate,timeandselectionof
examinersshallbetheresponsibilityoftheguideofthestudent.
3.Attheendoftheconductoftheexaminationthegradeawardedare
submittedtothefacultyadvisorwhoannouncedtheexamination.
4.ThefacultyadvisorthroughtheHODsendsthegradestotheacademic
office.Thestudentswhodonotmakepresentationswillautomaticallybe
givenII.
5.Intheeventthatastudentdoesnotmakethepresentationbythe
scheduleddatewhatevermaybethereasonforthis,thestudentgetsan
automaticextensiontillthelastdayofwinterbreak.Thehighestgradethat
studentcannowgetisBC.

30

6.TheoptionofdroppingtheBTPisgiventothestudenttilltwoweeks
fromthecommencementofclassesfortheJanuary(spring)semesterwith
thepermissionoftheguide.

BTP II
1.WithinoneweekfromthebeginningoftheclassesfortheJanuary
(spring)semesterthestudenthastoinformtheconcernedfacultyadvisor
thatregistrationhasbeendoneforthis.
2.ThefacultyadvisormaygiveFRifitem1hasnotbeendone.Thefaculty
advisoragainannouncesthedatebeforewhichthefinalexaminationmust
becompletedwhichwillbenolaterthanthelastdayoftheendsemester
exam.
3.Sameassteps3,4ofBTPI.
4.Intheeventthatthestudentdoesnotmakethepresentationbythe
scheduleddate,whatevermaybethereasonforthis,thestudentgetsan
automaticextensionof30daysfromthelastdayoftheendsemester
examination.ThehighestgradethatthestudentcannowgetisBC.
5.Intheeventthatthestudentdoesnotmakethepresentationevenafter
the30daysextensioninsummer,whatevermaybethereasonforthis,the
studentgetsanautomaticextensionforanother30days.Thehighestgrade
thatthestudentcannowgetisDD.
6.Afterthe60daysextensionthestudentisautomaticallygiventheFR
grade.
7.ExceptionsareentertainedbyDUGConlyformedicalreasons.
Project Stage I is primarily for literature survey. Written report should
include a comprehensive survey of literature, objectives of the project
and proposed methodology. Results and discussion, if any, also have to

31

be included.
Project Stage II is primarily for results that you got as part of your
project work. Written report should include only relevant/pertinent
literature and only in brief, objectives of the project and Materials &
methods, Results and discussion.

DDP (SIMILAR CASE FOR MSP)

Allthefacultiesofthedept.submitatleasttwotopics.Abriefstatementon
scopeofworkisrecommended.Thisismeanttohelpstudentswiththe
selection.Studentsarealsoencouragedtodiscusswithindividualfaculty
membersandknowmoreaboutthetopics.
Allfacultymembersareallottedatleast1DDstudentandatmost2DD
students.Itispossiblethatsomefacultymemberswillbemarkedasthose
whomustbeallottedexactly2DDstudentseach.Thisinformationwillbe
sharedafterallotmentofMTPtopicswhichisscheduledbeforetheDDP
allotment.
TheAllotmentisdonebasedonCPIRankoftheeligibleStudentsinthe
batch.Thestudentsareallowedtodiscussamongthemselvesandarriveata
consensus.However,thiswillhavetobedemonstratedduringtheformal
allotmentprocessscheduledonthefirstdayofinstruction.
Evaluation:

1)Evaluationofallthestudents(ofadept.)isdonebyasinglecommittee.
Guidesmaysuggestinclusionofanadditionalexaminerforevaluationof
his/herstudent,iftheyfeelso.
2)Grading:(marksoutof10)>=9,AA;>=8,AB;>=7,BB;>=6,BC,etc.3)
Dateoforalpresentation:asdeclaredintheTimeTable/Academic
Calendar;rollnumberwise

32

4)Duration:15minpresentation,10mindiscussion.Pleaserehearse,if
necessary,butensurethatyoucompleteyourpresentationwithinthe
allocatedtime.
5)Evaluationscheme:20%writeupeditorialaspect,20%writeup
scientificcontent,30%oralpresentation,30%discussion.
Somewriteuptips:

1)AWriteupgenerallycontainsthefollowing:Titlepage,letterof
acceptancebyguide(s),contents,acknowledgements,listofabbreviations,
introduction,methods,resultsanddiscussion,conclusions,workproposed
forStageII,appendix,references.Resultsanddiscussionmaybecombined
intoasinglesection,ifnecessary.

Very Imp:
Writeupshouldbeyourownandshouldnotbeplagiarizedfrom
anysource.

2)Introductionwillincludeliteraturesurveyandobjectivesofthework.The
lattercanbeaseparatesection,ifsodesired.
3)Tablesshouldbenumberedsequentially(i.e.,intheorderinwhichthey
appearinthetext)andshouldhaveashort,descriptivetitle;footnotesmay
beincluded,wherenecessary.EveryTableshouldhaveareferenceinthe
textatleastonce(andviceversa).
4)Figuresshouldalsobenumberedsequentiallyandeveryfigureshould
haveanappropriatelegend.Figuresshouldbeyourown;iftakingfrom
publishedliteratureorfrominternet,includethecitationorthecomplete
URL.
5)Whilecitingreferencesinthetext,followthisstyle:
Single author publication: authors last name, year (do not include
initials). Two author publication: last name & last name, year (without

33

initials). Three or more author publication: first authors last name

et al., year.
6)References:Shouldbelistedinalphabeticalorder.Everyreferencecitedin
thetextshouldbeinthereferencelist(andviceversa).Thetitleofthe
article,thevolumenumberandfirstandlastpagesshouldbecited.
7)Journaltitlesshouldbeabbreviated,e.g.Sanger,F.&Coulson,A.R.(1975).
ArapidmethodfordeterminingsequencesinDNAbytheprimedsynthesis
withDNApolymerase.J.Mol.Biol.94,441448.
Articlesinbooksshouldincludethetitleofthearticle,thenameofthebook,
editor(s),editionnumber,firstandlastpagenumbers,thenameandthe
locationofthepublisher;e.g.Hanks,S.K.&Hunter,T.(1995).Theeukaryotic
proteinkinasesuperfamily.InTheProteinKinaseFactsBook:ProteinSerine
Kinases(Hardie,G.&Hanks,S.,eds),pp.747,AcademicPress,London.
Utmostcareshouldbetakentoverifytheaccuracyofcitationofreferences
andsourcesoffiguresandtables.Beawarethatreproducingtextortablesor
figureswithoutpermissionislegallyprohibited.

34

JOURNEY REVIEWS:
Some bit of advice from someone experienced always helps, so we
asked a few of your seniors about their journey and a few things that
theyd like to tell you...

PulkitTandon
EmbarkingonmyJEEjourney,Ialwayswantedto
joinIITBandhenceneedlesstosayIwasvery
excitedtojoinEEIITBin2012majorlybasedon
diverseopportunitiesthatanEEgraduatehas.
Beingseriousaboutacademicsandhavingstudied
inKota,IexpectedIITBtobeasimilarcutthroat
placebutIverysoonrealizedthattheruleofthe
jungleisdifferenthere.ThoughthewordRGisverycommonhere,Ifound
thatmostthestudents,beitbatchmatesorseniors,aremorethanhappyto
help.Notonlythis,themajordifferencewhichIfeltwasinthemethodof
teaching.Thespoonfeedingwasfinallyoverforgoodandtheemphasiswas
insteadonhowtoteachyourself.Iverysoonrealizedthattotamethe
system,mylearningmethodologieshavetochange.
MymentorprobablyhadthebestgoldenwordsinthisregardAttendance
isthekey.ProbablyItoohavelaughedatthislikeyouifIwasntanave
freshmanatthattimebuttimeandagainthissinglemantrahaskeptmy
academicsonline.Trustme,justattendingtheclassissufficient(not
necessary:P)todosufficientlywellinacourse(doesntmeanyouhaveto
keepyoureyes,earsorevenmindonwhiledoingthis!).Duetolackofspace,
IwillnotgoonjustifyingthispointbutIurgeyoutotakealeapoffaith

35

especiallyinyoursophomoreyearwhenpeoplegenerallylose
enthusiasminacademics.
Afterfreshmanyears,havingtriedmyhandinlotofextracurricular
activities(whereIfailedmiserablybutnonethelesstried!),Imostlykeptmy
focustoacademicsandresearch.IITBwasaharshteacherbutnonetheless
thetoughcourses,theexcruciatinglabsandthetediousassignmentsalldid
theirjob(Well,dependsonhowyoulookattheirjob!),Imaynothave
understoodalltheconceptsletalonerecallingallofthem(orevenanyof
them)whilewritingthispiecebuttheytaughtmehowtoworkhardand
howtogetthejobdone.Awisesenioroncesaidtomethatyoubecomean
engineerattheendofthirdyear;Ithinkshewasright,becausenobodyfaces
thesameproblemagaininthefieldbutwhatIITBacademicshadtaughtme
wastoteachmyselfandhowtoapproachtoasolution!
IITBisprobablythemostflexibleofallIITs,whereyoucanchooseyourpath
fromamultitudeofoptionsquiteeasily.Ialwayslikedtheacademicsetting
fortheflexibilityitprovidesandhenceIwentforuniversityinternsatthe
endof1stand3rdyear.ItookuparesearchprojectunderProf.Rajendranat
theendofsophomoreyearandstayedbackintheinstitute.Icouldntdo
muchresearchinthesummersandendedupwastingmostofthetime
regrettingmydecisiontostaybackbutinhindsightIthinkitwasoneofmy
wisestdecision.Iworkedontheprojectfor2yearsandlearnttoNeverGive
up!EventhoughIwasconfusedwhethertogoforajoborfurtherstudies
evenattheendof3rdyear,myinternatEPFLafterjunioryearkindofsealed
thedeal.IlovedmytimethereanddecidedthatIshouldapplyto
universities(orappasitisfondlycalled).Thoughpagescanbewrittenon
advisinghowtohelp,Iwouldparticularlyliketobringtonotice2points
firstappingrequires3lettersofrecommendation(LoR)andastrongLoRisa
mustforagoodapp=>startworkingwithaprofessorearlyandsecond,one

36

easywaytodistinguishyourselffromyourpeerswhoarealsoappingto
sameplacesis(naah,itsnotgrades)publication!
ThoughprimarilyinvolvedinacadsceneatIIT,Ilovedspendingtimeoutside
myroomfromplayingbadmintontolearninghowtodrum.Diversecourses
availableinEEdepartmentatIITBgavemerequiredexposuretochoosean
areawhichIlike.IhadawonderfultimeatIITBandIthinkitpreparedme
forthehardpartsoflife,muchmorethanthecakewalks(buthonestly,who
needsguidanceforthem:P..)
DeepShah
Firstofall,congratulationstoallyousophomores
forsuccessfullycompletingonerevolution
aroundtheSun,whileinIITBombay.Hopeyou
allhadagreatfirstyear,academicallyaswellas
tryingtoexplorethewidevarietyof
extracurricularactivitiesthatthisinstitutehasto
offeryou.Iamalsoconfidentmostofyoumight
befeelingrelievedtohavefinallygottenridof
theFreshietag.Itsureisawonderfulfeelingwhenyourealizethatyouhave
nowsteppedupontheladderandwillsoonbeimmediateseniorstoafresh
batchofyoung,enthusiasticfreshmen.
Illstartwithashortintroductionaboutmyself.IamDeepShah,afinalyear
DualDegreestudentinMetallurgicalEngineeringandMaterialsScience
department.Iwasmajorlyinvolvedwiththeculturalactivitiesherethrough
thefouryears.
Inmyfirstyear,Iwasintroducedtoalotofactivitiesbyorientations/clubs
activities/seniorswhichIfoundinterestingandenjoyedbeingapartof
them.Ialsotriedmanyactivitiesfortheveryfirsttimeinmylife.Tobe
honest,Iwasneverreallyinclinedtowardstechnicalstuff,somuchsothatI

37

didnotevenparticipateinXLR8,whichgenerallymostfreshmenenjoy
doingasitistheirfirstexposuretotechnicalsideofIITBombay.Iwasnot
involvedwithsportseither,andwasapartoftheNSS.Butcomingtocultural
activities,IalwaysfoundthemfascinatingandsomethingwhichIwouldlove
tobeapartof.IwasactivelyinvolvedintheLitClubandlikeddancingasa
hobby,regularlyparticipatinginallthedanceevents.Ialsolikedperforming
indramaticseventsandthePAF.
DuringmystayatIITBombay,Ispentaconsiderableamountoftimeand
effortworkingasapartoftheinstitutesannualculturalfestivalMood
Indigo,firstasaMarketingCoreGroupmemberandthenastheOverall
Coordinator.Theformergavemeanopportunitytoworkwithprofessionals
inhighrankingfirms,developonskillslikepresentationsandstrategic
negotiations,andalsoanearlyexposuretocorporatelife.Duringthetenure,
Ienhancedmypressurehandlingandtimemanagementabilitieswhile
expandingmycommunicationskillsduringmyinteractionwithsponsors.As
theOverallCoordinator,Ihadtheresponsibilityofformulatingavisionfor
thefestwhilemanagingateamof22talentedindividualsandcollaborating
withtheinstituteauthorities.Whilemotivatingmyteamtobringoutthe
bestinthem,Igainedsubstantialexperienceofworkingwithpeopleand
honedmyteamleadershipskills.
WhileacademicsatIITBombayareregardedveryhighlyworldover,what
reallydistinguishesourinstituteisitsabilitytoprovidethestudents
opportunitiesforallrounddevelopment.AndthisispossiblebecauseIIT
Bombayworksonaverysolidpeertopeersystem,wherestudentswith
similarinterestscanmeetandfurtherdevelopcohesively.Whileacademics
andagoodacademicstandingisthesinglemostimportantthingfora
studenthereandlater,theopportunityonegetstodevelophimself/herself
inanextracurricularfieldofinterest,isimmense.Beitsports,technical,

38

cultural,socialserviceorevenfashion,youwillalwaysfindpeople
sharingcommoninterestsandenthusiastictodosomethingforthesame.
NowIwastoldtoadviseyouguyssomethingtowardstheendofthis
address.Notreallysureifaminaplacetoadviseyousomething,butId
liketoshareafewpointswhichIfeelcanhelpasophomoreinsmooth
transitioningandreapthebetterfruitsahead.
1. Academics
Nomatterwhatonesays,academicswillbethemostimportantthing
thatwillhappentoyouwhileinIITBombay.Itisthatonethingwhich
stayswithyouwhereveryougoaftergraduation.Whileitisvery
helpfulifyouexcelinextracurricularactivitiesaswell,butneglecting
academicsforthemisoutofoption.
2. Itisnevertoolate
Thereisthisgeneralbeliefthat
onceyouvescoredverylessinthe
firstyear,thereisnochanceforyou
tocopeup.Ibegtodiffer.Itisvery
muchpossibleifyouarereadyto
streamlineyoureffortstowardsthe
academics.ThosewithgoodCPI
needtomaintainitthroughout,
thosewithnot,thisisthetime
(sophomoreyear)whenyoucan
takecontrolofthingsbeforeyoure
unabletomakemuchdifference
later.Iwontsaymuch,butwillonlyshareascreenshotofoneofmy
friendsasc.Hopeyougetmypoint.

39

3. Jackofalltrades,MasterofOne
Thefreshmanyearisgenerallybelievedtobetheoneinwhicha
studentexploresvariousfieldsofinterest.Onegetstodowhathe/she
likesorwhattheywouldwanttotryoutforafirst.ButIITBombay
beingahosttopracticallyanygenreyoucanthinkof,itmightbecome
difficultforyoutokeepdoingeverything.WhatIdrecommendisyou
focusonacoupleofactivitiesthatyoulikethemost,digdeeperinto
themandenjoydoingthemtothefullest.Youdrealizeitisbetterthan
doingalotofactivitiesatthesametime.
4. ForaFirst
Tryoutanewactivityyoualwayswantedto,butnevergotachance.
Whileyouarefocusingonexcellingatsomethingyoualreadylike,in
thepointabove,itisalsogoodtogivesomethingnewatry.Itagaincan
beanythinglearningaforeignlanguage,pickingupasport,givinga
shottoanewartformormaybesomethingyoudwanttodooutside
yourcomfortzone.
5. InteractwithSeniors
Thisisoneaspectwhich,Istronglybelieve,isseeingadilutingeffect
overtheyears.Mainlyduetotheseparatehostelsysteminplacein
yourfreshmanyear.Onceintothesophomoreyear,youllrealizemuch
morehowtheIITBcommunitythrivesonapeertopeernetwork.The
seniorsherehaveseenacoupleofyearsmorethanyouguyshave,and
itsurelyaddstotheirexperienceandmaturity.
Beitacademicsoranyotherextracurriculargenre,youwillalwaysfind
seniorswhoareverytalentedandalreadyexcellinginwhattheydo.It
isalwaysaplusifyoucaninteractwiththemwheneveryouneedhelp,
andtrytolearnafewtricksofthetradefromthem.Eventheseniors
wouldlovetohelpyouifyouapproachthemgenuinely.Butthatisif

40

youdoapproachthem.Buildastrongnetworkofpeoplewhoshare
interestswithyouandgoodrelationswiththemwillhelpyoubigtime,
shorttermandlongterm.
6. Trytoavoidtheratrace
Thereisnotaniotaofdoubtthatthesystemcanbeverycompetitiveat
times.Fromthesecondyearitself,youmightseepeoplearoundyou
preparingforsomethingwhichisabouttocomeacoupleofyearslater.
Averycommonpracticeisdoinganykindofinternship,justbecause
othersaredoingandyoumightmissoutonthem.Butyoushould
realizethatmostothersaredoingsojustbecauseeventheysaw
someoneelsedoingit.Andthisdominoeffectslowlysetsofftherat
race.
Atleasthaveathoroughlookatwhattheinternshiphastoofferyou.If
itisofsubstantiallearningvalue,thenitmightbeunderstandable.But
onthecontrary,mostsophomoresendupdoingsomesortof
internship,insomerandomcompanywhichhasverylesstoofferin
termsoflearning.Itisbettertodothingsyoudlike,asyouwillagain
getachancetodointernshipattheendofnextyear,whenyouhave
muchmoretooffertothecompanyyoudbeworkingforandthereby,
eventhelearningreturnsforyouwouldbehigher.Ifyoustillpersiston
doinganinternship,Idrathersuggestyoutryforsomeuniversity
internabroad.Theglobalexposurewouldbeworthitandwillbea
totallydifferentdimensionforyou.
7. TheOnebeforetheLastOne
Dowhatyoufeelyoushouldbedoing.Therewilldefinitelybetimes
whereyoudbeconfusedastowhattodonow,whichoptiontoselect,
whatpathtotakeaheadandsoon.Andtoaddtoit,therewillbe
suggestionsandfundaefrompeoplearoundyou.100differentpeople,

41

100differentopinions.Butwhatreallymattersiswhatyouthinkis
right.Whatactuallymakesyouhappy?Justdothat.Evenifitturnsout
tobethewrongdecision,workhardtomakeittherightone.
Everythingelsewilltakecareofitself.
8. Dontleaveanyregretsbehind
ThisisoneformulaIhavepersonallyfoundveryhelpfulindeciding
whetherIshouldbedoingsomethingornot.Ijustaskthistomyself
laterinmylife,wouldIberegrettingnotdoingthis?WouldIcryover
thefactthatIhadanopportunity,butcouldntcapitalizeonit?Ifthe
answerisaverystrongYes,justgoforit.Thereisnopointhaving
regretslaterofnoteventrying.Theworstthatcanhappentoyouisyou
fail.Failbadly.Verybadly.Fairenough.Atleastyouwouldknowthat
youtriedandfailed.Andwouldnotendupregrettingwonderingwhat
ifIhadtried?
ThisismostofwhatIcouldthinkof,atthisverymoment.Butfeelfreein
caseyouneedanykindofhelporifyouwanttodiscussanything.Would
lovetohelp.Cheersandgoodluckwiththesecondseason!

NihalSingh
ImajorlyparticipatedinAthletics(runningevents).
IwasequallyenthusiasticaboutdancingI
participatedinFreshiezzabutlatercouldnt
continueduetomycommitmentsforAthletics
practice.Ialsojoinedtheskatingclubinmyfirst
yearandcontinuedskatingtilltheendofmy
sophomoreyear.
From3rdyearonwardsitwasjustAthletics.Inmy4thyearIbecamethe
overallcoordinatorof50thInterIITSportsMeetandgotinvolvedin

42

Organizationalworkaswell.AndlaterinmyfinalyearIbecamethe
GeneralSecretaryofSportsAffairs.

IITBombaygivesyouenoughopportunitiesinanyfieldyouareinterested
in.ForsportsyouhaveInterIITSportsMeet,whichisagreatplatformfor
youtoshowcaseyourtalents,firstbypracticingforitandlaterperformingin
thesportsmeet.
IneverusedtoparticipateinAthleticseventsbeforecomingtoIIT.Its
actuallytheconceptofmandatoryNSO/NSS/NCChereinIITswhichpushed
metopursuesportsfromthebeginning.SinceIwasregulartoAthletics
practice,IsomehowmanagedtocrackInterIITinmyfirstyear.SincethenI
havebeenattachedtoathleticsthroughoutmystayandhavesecured4
golds,2silverand1bronzemedalsinInterIITSports.Itstheopportunities,
facilitiesandcoachinginIITBwhichtransformedmefromabeginnertothe
BestAthleteacross16IITs.ItisthisattachmentwithsportsandInterIIT
whichmotivatedmetoworkfor50thInterIITSportsandthusItookthe
opportunityandbecametheOverallCoordinator.
BeingtheOverallCoordinatorIgotgoodgraspofsportsorganizationandI
lovedtheworkIdid,soIcontestedforGSSportsthefollowingyearandwon
theelection.
TosummarizehowIITgroomedmesportsherehastaughtme
determination,disciplineandmadememoreconfidentaboutmyself.If
youreasportspersonofanindividualgame,youllunderstanditbetter.On
theotherhand,theorganizationalrolesmademehardworking,enhanced
mycommunication&leadershipskillsandimprovedmyinterpersonal
relations.
IfIhavetodescribemylifehereatIITB,itwasgreat.Youmakegreatfriends
throughoutyourjourney.Today,allthepeoplewhoareclosetomewouldnt

43

behereifIwerentassociatedwithsports.Youlearnalotbeinginvolved
insuchactivitiesanditgroomsyouasaperson.Icanseehowithas
transformedmecompletely.Thesewerethebest5yearsofmylife.
Fortheadvicepart,Iwouldaskyoualltodontrestrictyourself,justdo
thingsyouwishtodoandeverythingwillbefine.IITBombaygivesyou
enoughsupportbothincurricularandextracurricularactivities.Dontworry
aboutyouracademics;ifyouareverymuchinterestedinsome
extracurricularactivities,youwillbeabletomanageitandcouldexcelin
both.
Imyselfdidprettygoodinacademicsaswell,IreceivedtheUndergraduate
researchawardamidstallmycommitments.Sojustdontrestrictyourselfto
oneparticularaspect(curricularorextracurricular)
Talkingabouthowthispartofyourlifeisimportantforyourfuture,letme
startbytalkingabouttheplacements.So,twothingsareimportantfor
placements,yourskillsandyouraccomplishments.Theaccomplishments
andawardsyoucandirectlyputitinyourresume.Skillscanbefurther
dividedintwoparts,onearethoseskillswhichyoucandisplaythroughyour
resumeandotherskillsarethosewhichwillhelpyoucracktheinterview.So
myresumehelpedmetogetshortlisteddirectlyforinterviewforseveral
companiesfromDay1Day3.Andmyaccomplishmentsandbeinghard
workingaswhatfinallygotmethejob.Butwhatmattersmoreishowyou
transformyourpersonalitywhichhelpsyouinseveralaspectsinfuture.

44

 KaranGupta
Ihavealwaysbelievedinmaintainingagood
balancebetweenbothacademicsandsportsand
IITBombayexposedmetothebestofboth.
Copingupwiththeacademicpressurewasnever
aproblemwhichgavemetimetoexploreother
areasofmyinterest.Ieventuallydeveloped
interestinswimming,thankstoourexcellent
coach,DrReddy.Ithusspenttheremainingfour
yearsofmylifeatIITtryingtoimprovemyperformanceandcontributing
towardsAquaticsasasport.Inmyfinalyear,IwasalsotheheadofAcademic
mentorshipprogrammeintheDepartment.
IITBombayhasplayedaveryinstrumentalroleingroomingme.Ididnot
qualifyfortheInterIITTeaminthefirstyearandwentontobecomethe
teamcaptaininthefinalyear.Igotanopportunitytoexplorecoursesfrom
completelydifferentdepartmentsandanoutstandingforeignresearch
exposure.Theprofessorsherearestudentfriendlyandalwayswillingto
extendhelpwheneveraskedfor.UndoubtedlyIcouldhavenevermadeitto
suchanesteemeduniversityformastershaditnotbeenforthewaymyalma
matermouldedme.
Myadvicetoyouwouldbetoexplorethewideseaofopportunitiesthat
IITBhastoofferandpursueonetillexcellence.Thiswayyouwillbeableto
bringoutthebestinwhateveryoudo.Howevereverythingsaidanddone,
nevercompromisewithyouracademicperformanceasitpaveswayfora
comfortablefuture.

45