I get this question from various aspirants who are preparing for JEE, or those who are already studying in engineering colleges but couldn’t get into an IIT due to various reasons (not getting the desired branch or location). I even get this question from students of various streams like commerce and the medical field. So I decided I should write a blog post so that people always get a detailed and realistic picture of life at IIT.
To give a brief introduction about me, I have completed my B Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay. I did my BTech from 2016-2020 and after spending the wonderful four years in the most prestigious institute in the country, I started my journey as a Quantitative Trader in a High-Frequency Trading Firm. So I believe I have experienced life in an IIT pretty well and would like to share it with you guys.

Joining an IIT : IIT Bombay
I joined IIT Bombay in 2016. Entering the dream college of JEE aspirants felt exactly how it seems. It was ecstatic. With this started my journey at IIT Bombay and my first year.
Life in the first year is pretty chill. Even the IITs want the freshers to explore various stuff after continuous hard work for multiple years to enter this prestigious institution. The programs and various other plannings are made keeping in mind that the student should get to explore about the institute, about the cultural activities, the clubs, sports and make friends so that they know each other well and get to know about various things that the institute offers.
The usual routine involved going to classes or skipping them if the attendance was not compulsory. Yeah, no one studies until there are only two days left for the exams. After the academic session is over for the day, students went out to play in the hostels or in the gymkhana which provides world-class facility to its students. Usually, there were a plethora of events organised in our first year, and hence we were mostly busy enjoying ourselves. This happens in all the IITs in their first year.
Vacations
There are two vacations that students get in a year, summer vacation and winter vacation. Summer vacations were two months long and winter vacations were around one month long. These used to be the time students went home to spend time with their families but this was also one of the most boring time away from all the fiendsd and fun. In vacations too there were multiple events organised like college fests and summer camps as well as work from home projects in case students want to do something while spending some time with parents.

Second year to final year
From the second year to the final year, it’s not as chill as the first year especially if you are in the computer science or electrical branch as most of the competition is in these branches. But you also connect with a lot of friends and the bond becomes deeper which makes life enjoyable at this point. Daily activities like sports and chilling out are common. Also, students study a day before exams and not before that.
During the third year and final year, there is also a lot of pressure for internships and jobs or research positions. This is the time when students and to make a firm decision on how they want their life in the next few ear to be. Do they want to go for a job, do research or start their own company. After deciding they go on to prepare for the various tests that they have to give in order to achieve their goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to say that in comparison to most of the engineering colleges in india, life in an IIT is full of opportunities and experiences. That being said, there is an immense competition going on among the students in almost any field given that the students have probably been toppers all their life and don’t know how to give up.
People at local engineering colleges might have a chill life in comparison to IITs but as they move close to their final year, the realisation that their future is less secure than the students at IIT is more stressful than the academic stress that students at IIT feel.
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