(This is an article I wrote for the Campus magazine a year ago. Just felt like posting it here. )
As I write down this article, I realise that it is the 78th last day of my undergraduate study in IIT Delhi. It has been almost four years, since I, along with 500-odd others, realised my long-cherished dream of studying at IIT. The past four years have been a beautiful learning experience, and I don’t mean academics when I say learning. These four years have taught me, and I believe many of my batch mates, a lot about life itself.
The most important thing that IIT Delhi has taught me is that whatever you do in life is independent of what your GPA is at IIT. I have seen five point someones with no hands-on experience of software, go and work in Software Engineering. I have seen nine pointers going to IIMA and start off on a totally new career field. And there have also been cases where six pointers have managed to do PhD or MS in their respective departments. However, this does not mean that GPA is not important. Its importance cannot be over-emphasised. All I am saying is that a bad GPA is not the end of the world, and a good GPA does not necessarily entail a good technological career.
And what is GPA anyways? Does it anyhow show the true worth of a person as an engineer? I would reckon no. Even though my GPA gives a very fair idea about how much (rather, how little) I know about engineering, a sad trend is that a great number of people with GPA greater than 7 don’t know much more than I do. A lot of my ‘seven pointers and above’ friends feel that their stay in IIT Delhi has been a waste of their four years as well as the taxpayer’s money. This is a disturbing observation. If the best people in the best institute of the country don’t know much about engineering, then who does?
The biggest problem with academics at IIT Delhi is that people who come here through JEE want to leave the intense study hours behind them, and want to enjoy life to the fullest. They feel that their future is secured and that they can now do all that they had missed in their preparation for JEE. Hence studies take a backseat and this leads to the concept of fraud, whereby IITians become experts in eking out the maximum output from minimum input. Only a very low percentage of the students are actually interested in engineering. And not all of them are nine pointers. There are some who are very interested in only a particular field of their study, and get A’s in these courses, but do badly in the rest. They don’t have particularly good GPA’s but their GPA is not a true indicator of either their interest or their technological skills.
The other important issue is that of the people in here (B.Tech at least) studying only for their grades. This is again a very serious observation which leads to people not exactly “understanding” what they are doing, and just cramming up and pouring out on the examination day. There have been nine pointers who have had virtually forgotten everything they have written down on paper after coming back from major. These people have mastered the act of studying for maximum gains. The system encourages them, what with the grading system here not taking into account the actual performances of students in the classrooms. The most common line in our resume reads “The stay at IIT Delhi has helped improve my analytical skills.” I believe there cannot be a bigger lie. My analytical skills have actually come down since the day I came to IIT Delhi. It might be due to my own shortcomings, but when this is the case with the majority, I believe the system might be at fault.
There are people who do nothing else but study all day, and they have low GPA’s. They are very interested in the technical field, but somehow they don’t manage to show it in the grade sheet. BTP is an ideal case in point. The grade in your BTP does not depend on the amount of work you can do, but the amount of work you can show.
Just as they say, “Money attracts money” I would like to add, “GPA attracts GPA”. A good GPA betters your chances of getting a good grade. That is why it is easier to stay at the top than to get there.
However, a good GPA is a must for many reasons. One, it helps to get you short listed for companies during your job hunt. And more importantly, it prevents you from getting sleepless nights trying to find the answer to “Why do you have such a low GPA?” which they ask you if somehow you have been short listed.
My contention is that the system should be revised so as to ensure that only people who actually deserve to be at the pinnacle in this technology institute get there. The grading system should be modified and there should be regular counselling available for different levels of students, especially for the five pointers. The importance of a good GPA should be made clear to all incoming students and there should be regular performance quizzes for continuous evaluation. Maybe then IIT Delhi can actually become a great centre for technical learning, as was envisaged by its founders. But till then, GPA shall remain more a case of fraud than genuine interest and hardwork.
Showing posts with label IITD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IITD. Show all posts
Friday, April 07, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Two more interviews,RCA, Degree and quitting.
Two more interviews have passed since the last mail, and while they havent been half as exciting as the first one, I am pretty happy with the way those two interviews have turned out to be. The two interviews were K on the 6th and A today, and I think I have done pretty well in both of them. The only downslide though being that in both these interviews, there was one guy in the panel who had interviewed me before. And I had done badly in my interviews the past year. But I guess they must have had noticed the changes in me as well. I was much more confident, and happy this time around. And that I might make up for that disappointing performance this year. A lot depends on luck as well, but I am much more confident of making it this time around. Aided by the rather superstitious fact that I make it everywhere my brother goes on my second attempt. This happened in RIMC, then IITD, and now I just hope I make it a hatrick by going to IIMA. Touchwood !!!
Among the other events that have transpired during this week long period have been that Kara has won the RCA. It has been like a dream come true, and the only sad part is that it happened after I had passed out of the hostel. However, surprisingly, this feat hasnt brought me as much joy as I thought it would. I guess priorities change with time, and at this particular time, I have two other priorities far greater than Kara getting the RCA. Kara has managed to bag the best hostel trophy also this time around, and I plan to go to the BHM night function, just to finally see the tallest mountain ranges, standing up to its name.
Among other things, I have also been lucky enough to pass out of the institute, after having finally got my provisional degree. It now seems that the last strand of my long (probably too long for my own liking) relationship with IIT Delhi have been cut. And the sad thing is, I dont feel any nostalgia, which is kind of strange. I am probably helped by the fact that I am in Delhi, which assures that I come back to IIT atleast every weekend (I actually am a lot more frequent visitor). Probably moving to some other place (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta hopefully) shall make me feel nostalgic about this place IIT.
It has been a pretty busy week, what with there being interviews, and parties. And I have finally decided to quit. Drinking that is. I realised finally, that alcohol makes me act stupid at times, and so I am ready to give it up. Especially because I am now very wary of doing stupid things while drunk, which can spoil all my relationships. And now I finally know what it takes to keep up a good relationship.
Like they asked me at the IIMA interview, I am happy, happier than I have been in a long long time. And I hope it stays that way. I know the reason of my happiness, and I hope the reason stays as well. Touchwood again!!
Among the other events that have transpired during this week long period have been that Kara has won the RCA. It has been like a dream come true, and the only sad part is that it happened after I had passed out of the hostel. However, surprisingly, this feat hasnt brought me as much joy as I thought it would. I guess priorities change with time, and at this particular time, I have two other priorities far greater than Kara getting the RCA. Kara has managed to bag the best hostel trophy also this time around, and I plan to go to the BHM night function, just to finally see the tallest mountain ranges, standing up to its name.
Among other things, I have also been lucky enough to pass out of the institute, after having finally got my provisional degree. It now seems that the last strand of my long (probably too long for my own liking) relationship with IIT Delhi have been cut. And the sad thing is, I dont feel any nostalgia, which is kind of strange. I am probably helped by the fact that I am in Delhi, which assures that I come back to IIT atleast every weekend (I actually am a lot more frequent visitor). Probably moving to some other place (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta hopefully) shall make me feel nostalgic about this place IIT.
It has been a pretty busy week, what with there being interviews, and parties. And I have finally decided to quit. Drinking that is. I realised finally, that alcohol makes me act stupid at times, and so I am ready to give it up. Especially because I am now very wary of doing stupid things while drunk, which can spoil all my relationships. And now I finally know what it takes to keep up a good relationship.
Like they asked me at the IIMA interview, I am happy, happier than I have been in a long long time. And I hope it stays that way. I know the reason of my happiness, and I hope the reason stays as well. Touchwood again!!
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Training and Placement
There are so many articles written about IIT nowadays, and this one is in the process of joining the list. Today I came across a pretty sarcastic blog (and if I werent an IITian, it might have been humourous), which talked about IITians acting like prudes, when infact they are capable of not much. The guy writing the blog had probably been humiliated by an IITian sometime in his life earlier, and despite his best efforts, had failed to clear both JEE and GATE, and what better way to get even with something that has caused you such mental aghast than slamming it on your blog. And he has done some pretty good job of it as well. Because after reading the article, you had probably get down to believe that IITs are institutes producing only self - obsessed bastards, who have nothing else to do except discussing Newtonian laws (oops..he failed to mention Einsteinian), ogling at beautiful women, preparing some brilliant coffee, going to the office place wearing slippers, and making fun of other people.
Now, after 50 years of IIT, if this is the image that is being portrayed to the outside world, then its a matter of deep concern. Especially at a time when IITs are fast losing their importance as centres of excellence in technology. And at a time when the T&P department starts believing that its not their job, in the first place, to get every man a job.
IIT is the stuff of what dreams in a middle class household are made up of. Clearing JEE is often seen as the fastest way of making money. When people come to IIT, its often with the dreams of getting a 30000 + a month job, along with the images of a secure future. And the best thing about IIT is that it helps keep the dream right through the first three years. Things like extra-curicullars, are encouraged at the expense of a good CGPA. And the whole system falls flat in the fourth year, when you seem to be running from post to post to get a good job. And the answer to what becomes the ultimate question "Why do you have such a low GPA?" And you have no answer, because there can be no answer, except for the one which we are unwilling to give, because we havent put in hard enough efforts because we didnt think it was worth it. And then all that IIT provides you after years of toil as an engineer is a software coding job, which tests none of your analytical or engineering skills in the first place.
The worst thing about Training & Placement is that people, because they work on a voluntary basis, and not on an official basis, dont take it as a responsibility. Now what I am going to write is in direct contrast to what I wrote as a comment on someone else's blog the other day, but I guess this is true: Politics in IIT, while not always making the best man incharge, also makes the people work hard towards making a mark. How else would you explain a ceratin 6 point something (and its a negligible something I believe) becoming the G.Sec of AIC (Academic Interaction Council: the body in IIT that runs the academic schedule). His CG and the post he holds seem to be a complete misfit with one other. It would much better be handled by the Institute Rank 1, you will say. But this guy has brought in sponsorships worth RS. 25 lakhs (unconfirmed reports put the figure at Rs. 30 lakhs as well) for Tryst, which otherwise was usually conducted on a Rs. 5 lakh budget. And he is working because he wants to make a difference, which was why he expressed his desire to become the AIC G.Sec in the first place. He also knows that any failure on his part would make him accountable to all those who rooted for him during the elections.
T&P cell, on the other hand, comprises people who think they want to make a difference in other people's life, but who more often than not tend to give up halfway. The T&P cell this year has been hailed for its professional approach, and its because of the perseverence of just two and three men. But there have been black sheep in it as well. I know of a person, one of my good friends, who worked day and night for the placement cell, till the moment he got his job, which was on the first day of campus itself, and then he just stopped. He wasnt motivated enough, he said. There are others who have got jobs and are still working for the cell, but these are too few, and the rest are working outside T&P. T&P, I have heard, buoyed by its new found success, and an all time average salary high, has stopped inviting more companies. And this, at a time when only 50% of the batch has been placed. And of these, some have multiple offers, from companies who have openly recruited off-campus and on campus at the same time.
Now there is even talk of paying a handsome salary to students who are working in the T&P department. This shall make everyone eager to do their bit, which shall further undermine the working of the cell. This, when only two or three people (even this seems to be an exaggeration, probably only a single person ) has worked hard for the cell. And then comes irresponsible statements from students working in the cell, "It is not the T&P responsibility to get everyone a job in campus. We are more concerned with the logistics and planning of companies visiting the campus." This is kind of ridiculous. I have lived with people who werent placed till the day they got their degree. And they werent the worst guys on campus. It was embarrasing, for them to tell everyone they had not been placed. And had the T&P cell be made a political body, we could probably have someone manage things much more efficiently. Then probably people could assure that everyone got jobs, not very high paying, but atleast jobs. The great IIT dream could possibly still be rescued. All it takes are some hardworking individuals. And possibly, some politics, or some accountability.
Now, after 50 years of IIT, if this is the image that is being portrayed to the outside world, then its a matter of deep concern. Especially at a time when IITs are fast losing their importance as centres of excellence in technology. And at a time when the T&P department starts believing that its not their job, in the first place, to get every man a job.
IIT is the stuff of what dreams in a middle class household are made up of. Clearing JEE is often seen as the fastest way of making money. When people come to IIT, its often with the dreams of getting a 30000 + a month job, along with the images of a secure future. And the best thing about IIT is that it helps keep the dream right through the first three years. Things like extra-curicullars, are encouraged at the expense of a good CGPA. And the whole system falls flat in the fourth year, when you seem to be running from post to post to get a good job. And the answer to what becomes the ultimate question "Why do you have such a low GPA?" And you have no answer, because there can be no answer, except for the one which we are unwilling to give, because we havent put in hard enough efforts because we didnt think it was worth it. And then all that IIT provides you after years of toil as an engineer is a software coding job, which tests none of your analytical or engineering skills in the first place.
The worst thing about Training & Placement is that people, because they work on a voluntary basis, and not on an official basis, dont take it as a responsibility. Now what I am going to write is in direct contrast to what I wrote as a comment on someone else's blog the other day, but I guess this is true: Politics in IIT, while not always making the best man incharge, also makes the people work hard towards making a mark. How else would you explain a ceratin 6 point something (and its a negligible something I believe) becoming the G.Sec of AIC (Academic Interaction Council: the body in IIT that runs the academic schedule). His CG and the post he holds seem to be a complete misfit with one other. It would much better be handled by the Institute Rank 1, you will say. But this guy has brought in sponsorships worth RS. 25 lakhs (unconfirmed reports put the figure at Rs. 30 lakhs as well) for Tryst, which otherwise was usually conducted on a Rs. 5 lakh budget. And he is working because he wants to make a difference, which was why he expressed his desire to become the AIC G.Sec in the first place. He also knows that any failure on his part would make him accountable to all those who rooted for him during the elections.
T&P cell, on the other hand, comprises people who think they want to make a difference in other people's life, but who more often than not tend to give up halfway. The T&P cell this year has been hailed for its professional approach, and its because of the perseverence of just two and three men. But there have been black sheep in it as well. I know of a person, one of my good friends, who worked day and night for the placement cell, till the moment he got his job, which was on the first day of campus itself, and then he just stopped. He wasnt motivated enough, he said. There are others who have got jobs and are still working for the cell, but these are too few, and the rest are working outside T&P. T&P, I have heard, buoyed by its new found success, and an all time average salary high, has stopped inviting more companies. And this, at a time when only 50% of the batch has been placed. And of these, some have multiple offers, from companies who have openly recruited off-campus and on campus at the same time.
Now there is even talk of paying a handsome salary to students who are working in the T&P department. This shall make everyone eager to do their bit, which shall further undermine the working of the cell. This, when only two or three people (even this seems to be an exaggeration, probably only a single person ) has worked hard for the cell. And then comes irresponsible statements from students working in the cell, "It is not the T&P responsibility to get everyone a job in campus. We are more concerned with the logistics and planning of companies visiting the campus." This is kind of ridiculous. I have lived with people who werent placed till the day they got their degree. And they werent the worst guys on campus. It was embarrasing, for them to tell everyone they had not been placed. And had the T&P cell be made a political body, we could probably have someone manage things much more efficiently. Then probably people could assure that everyone got jobs, not very high paying, but atleast jobs. The great IIT dream could possibly still be rescued. All it takes are some hardworking individuals. And possibly, some politics, or some accountability.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Of CG and other demons
Another placement season is here. Another season of hope. And despair. Another season of someone ruing the fact that "If my CG was a bit better". It is a thought that is realised a bit too late by most students. And irrespective of all that I might have written earlier, if you are looking for the more materialistic pleasures of life, all you require is a good CG. Like the good old Metallica song, "Nothing Else Matters." With a good CG, a bit of aptitude (now considering you have made it to IIT, this should not be to hard) and smartness (now thats a bit tough, especially if you are one of those good for nothing maggus) nothing can stop you from getting a "good", highly paying job. And no, irrespective of the JEE which filters student (it used to filter students this way, but now apparently it has stopped doing even that) on the basis of their levels of understanding, CG in IIT is more an indicator of your slogging abilities than anything else. While JEE tests your "intelligence" (I wont shy away from use of that word) the exams at IIT are nothing much than testing an ability for rote learning.
The most successful people, they say, are those who are able to change with the times. It means, consequently, that the most successful people are those who dont stick to anything, who are unable to stick to their principles. Surely there are exceptions (and I really respect people who reach the top sticking to their principles) , but thats the general rule and I will stick to it. And are the most successful people also the nicest people? I believe (I just dont think, I believe) that its rarely the case. And the most succesful people are also not the "best" (this refers to being the most talented) people. Success is a combination of many factors, of which luck probably is on the top. I just read one of my most respected seniors (Lets call him B) writing this about another person, one of my better liked juniors (lets call him A) , (and who happens to be one of the best friends of the senior guy) who has just got an offer with one of the top consulting companies, and was close to securing a job in the other big consulting company as well (Forgive me if this sentence has become too complicated) : "If nothing else, there is one quality that I know I possess, and that is being a good judge of people. Yesterday, two of the world's leading consulting firms happened to concur with me." (Hope I am not infringing upon the copyright). And this set me thinking:Does B judge people by how successful people will turn out to be, or do companies choose someone on the basis of how good the person is? The second surely cannot be the case, I think, for otherwise B would have been the foremost candidate for the two companies. And he wasnt even shortlisted, because again, his CG happened to be on the bad side of seven. The former also seemed unlikely, because I cannot imagine someone like B judging people on how successful they are going to be. So I guess he was wrong on that account: The company had not offered A the job because he was a nice guy (not that he is not a nice guy), but because he was the best guy: That he had a pretty good CG. And a fabulous co-curricular record.
Now, coming back to the point, here is what it seems to me: irrespective of whatever crap do companies speak about selecting all-round talents, what they want are people who are ambitious (and their definition of ambitious is just : Having a good CG. You might have plans, and the right ideas, for moon travel, but if your CG is not good enough, you are not ambitious enough). If you dont have it, you might be good enough to crack 100 percentile in DI in CAT, but even then these so called Data Analytics companies wont take you because you dont have a good CGPA.
What exactly does CGPA measure. Nothing more than how much can you be a constant slogger and your ability to be in the good books of your professors. I have been lucky that most of my professors have been pretty good. So my bad CG can mostly be explained by my lack as a slogger. Because I believe myself to be one of the most "intelligent" persons around (As in, I believe myself to be one of the more intellifgent persons on this planet. So if you dont want me, F*** you, Mckinsey!F*** you BCG! And F*** all those companies that make such a big deal about attracting all-round talent!Be honest to yourself, and to the students you come to recruit. And if you are still about attracting "highly ambitious" guys, take my middle finger. Up Yours!! You might be the most presentabler guys around, but neither are you the best, and deifinately not the nicest. And I care only about nice persons, which means I dont care about anyone, because I am also the nicest. Just f*** off! Like the brilliant REM lyrics of Ignoreland,
If they weren't there we would have created them. maybe, it' true,
But I'm resentful all the same. someone's got to take the blame.
I know that this is vitriol. no solution, spleen-venting,
But I feel better having screamed. don't you?
And I feel better as well, already.
The most successful people, they say, are those who are able to change with the times. It means, consequently, that the most successful people are those who dont stick to anything, who are unable to stick to their principles. Surely there are exceptions (and I really respect people who reach the top sticking to their principles) , but thats the general rule and I will stick to it. And are the most successful people also the nicest people? I believe (I just dont think, I believe) that its rarely the case. And the most succesful people are also not the "best" (this refers to being the most talented) people. Success is a combination of many factors, of which luck probably is on the top. I just read one of my most respected seniors (Lets call him B) writing this about another person, one of my better liked juniors (lets call him A) , (and who happens to be one of the best friends of the senior guy) who has just got an offer with one of the top consulting companies, and was close to securing a job in the other big consulting company as well (Forgive me if this sentence has become too complicated) : "If nothing else, there is one quality that I know I possess, and that is being a good judge of people. Yesterday, two of the world's leading consulting firms happened to concur with me." (Hope I am not infringing upon the copyright). And this set me thinking:Does B judge people by how successful people will turn out to be, or do companies choose someone on the basis of how good the person is? The second surely cannot be the case, I think, for otherwise B would have been the foremost candidate for the two companies. And he wasnt even shortlisted, because again, his CG happened to be on the bad side of seven. The former also seemed unlikely, because I cannot imagine someone like B judging people on how successful they are going to be. So I guess he was wrong on that account: The company had not offered A the job because he was a nice guy (not that he is not a nice guy), but because he was the best guy: That he had a pretty good CG. And a fabulous co-curricular record.
Now, coming back to the point, here is what it seems to me: irrespective of whatever crap do companies speak about selecting all-round talents, what they want are people who are ambitious (and their definition of ambitious is just : Having a good CG. You might have plans, and the right ideas, for moon travel, but if your CG is not good enough, you are not ambitious enough). If you dont have it, you might be good enough to crack 100 percentile in DI in CAT, but even then these so called Data Analytics companies wont take you because you dont have a good CGPA.
What exactly does CGPA measure. Nothing more than how much can you be a constant slogger and your ability to be in the good books of your professors. I have been lucky that most of my professors have been pretty good. So my bad CG can mostly be explained by my lack as a slogger. Because I believe myself to be one of the most "intelligent" persons around (As in, I believe myself to be one of the more intellifgent persons on this planet. So if you dont want me, F*** you, Mckinsey!F*** you BCG! And F*** all those companies that make such a big deal about attracting all-round talent!Be honest to yourself, and to the students you come to recruit. And if you are still about attracting "highly ambitious" guys, take my middle finger. Up Yours!! You might be the most presentabler guys around, but neither are you the best, and deifinately not the nicest. And I care only about nice persons, which means I dont care about anyone, because I am also the nicest. Just f*** off! Like the brilliant REM lyrics of Ignoreland,
If they weren't there we would have created them. maybe, it' true,
But I'm resentful all the same. someone's got to take the blame.
I know that this is vitriol. no solution, spleen-venting,
But I feel better having screamed. don't you?
And I feel better as well, already.
Friday, May 27, 2005
For all incoming freshers
This bit is for the guys who are coming in to IIT Delhi after cracking the JEE. Congratulations for successfully clearing one of the toughest examinations in the world. It must have been a tough last two or three years for you and now that your efforts have borne fruit, you must be looking to celebrate this moment with family and friends. Making it through IIT deserves accolades but you must also realise that all of your batchmates in IIT Delhi have done the same. The journey only gets tougher from herein, and I would like to guide you with what all to do at IIT Delhi.
Most of you would have been the best students in your respective schools, but now the level of competition is much higher than what it used to be. So please prepare yourself to be among the "average" or "low CGPA" students. The faster you can make the transition from the relatively easy school phase to the competitive IIT world, the better it would be for your four or five years in IIT Delhi. This is an appeal to also the parents to stop pestering their children now for more marks, they have made it through IIT and I believe IITD itself shall groom them to become successful in life.
As a passing out student, I believe that the past four years have been the best ever in my life. And I am not a nine pointer, but a rather disappointing five point someone. And even though I dont regret anything I did during the past four years, I just wish I had a better CGPA. A good CGPA makes a difference between a job at ITC and Infosys, between a final call from IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Lucknow. Hence the most important thing while at IIT Delhi is to have a good GPA. A good GPA is anything more than 7.0. Make that mark, and you wont lose out on the companies shortlisting and MS calls.
Having said that, CGPA is not the only aspect of life in IIT Delhi, and I am not advising you in any way to become complete maggus (a term for 24*7*365 sloggers in IIT Delhi). I am asking you to make a balance between the co-curricular activities and your academics. Contrary to popular belief, IITians are not nerds, and there are plenty of scope of all round personality development in IIT Delhi. Try out new sports, participate in the various clubs activities, try catching up on all that you missed while preparing to come in here. And build up enthusiasm for atleast something; for your hostel, for your departmental society, for some club or board, for SPIC MACAY, but please do something that will help youto make a mark in the campus.
Coming to IIT Delhi will in itself ensure you of a bright future. Even if you dont manage a good GPA, it doesnt really matter. If you have the potential(and all of you have it as you have made it through JEE) you are going to be successful, in every possible connotation of the word, soon, somewhere.What really matters is, spending the time in here in a manner that will make people take notice of you. This is where you make a transition from teenagers to adults, and coming in as brilliant brains, I hope you go out as responsible citizens. The best thing about IIT Delhi is that you are never judged by yourCGPA or your extra curricular activities, but by the kind of person you actually are. And believe me, this is the only thing that matters in life. Become worthy of IIT Delhi, by becoming world class human beings.
Most of you would have been the best students in your respective schools, but now the level of competition is much higher than what it used to be. So please prepare yourself to be among the "average" or "low CGPA" students. The faster you can make the transition from the relatively easy school phase to the competitive IIT world, the better it would be for your four or five years in IIT Delhi. This is an appeal to also the parents to stop pestering their children now for more marks, they have made it through IIT and I believe IITD itself shall groom them to become successful in life.
As a passing out student, I believe that the past four years have been the best ever in my life. And I am not a nine pointer, but a rather disappointing five point someone. And even though I dont regret anything I did during the past four years, I just wish I had a better CGPA. A good CGPA makes a difference between a job at ITC and Infosys, between a final call from IIM Ahmedabad, and IIM Lucknow. Hence the most important thing while at IIT Delhi is to have a good GPA. A good GPA is anything more than 7.0. Make that mark, and you wont lose out on the companies shortlisting and MS calls.
Having said that, CGPA is not the only aspect of life in IIT Delhi, and I am not advising you in any way to become complete maggus (a term for 24*7*365 sloggers in IIT Delhi). I am asking you to make a balance between the co-curricular activities and your academics. Contrary to popular belief, IITians are not nerds, and there are plenty of scope of all round personality development in IIT Delhi. Try out new sports, participate in the various clubs activities, try catching up on all that you missed while preparing to come in here. And build up enthusiasm for atleast something; for your hostel, for your departmental society, for some club or board, for SPIC MACAY, but please do something that will help youto make a mark in the campus.
Coming to IIT Delhi will in itself ensure you of a bright future. Even if you dont manage a good GPA, it doesnt really matter. If you have the potential(and all of you have it as you have made it through JEE) you are going to be successful, in every possible connotation of the word, soon, somewhere.What really matters is, spending the time in here in a manner that will make people take notice of you. This is where you make a transition from teenagers to adults, and coming in as brilliant brains, I hope you go out as responsible citizens. The best thing about IIT Delhi is that you are never judged by yourCGPA or your extra curricular activities, but by the kind of person you actually are. And believe me, this is the only thing that matters in life. Become worthy of IIT Delhi, by becoming world class human beings.
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