Getting admission in IITs doesn’t mean your future is secured: Avval Amil, IIT Delhi

Avval Amil is currently pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Delhi. He completed his schooling from Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, Jalandhar. In the CBSE class 12 Board Exam 2020, the 19-year-old scored 100 in Chemistry, 99 in Physics and 99 in Maths. His All India Rank in JEE Mains was 43 while in JEE Advanced he secured an All India Rank of 83. In a freewheeling chat, Avval busts common myths about IITs and talks about how to manage boards & JEE preparation.

Tell us about your preparation.
I was not too serious about studies till class 10. It’s only when I joined class 11 that I became more focused preparing for JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. For the students of Humanities and Commerce, class 12 marks are of massive importance while getting admission to various colleges, but for the students of non-medical stream boards marks carry little or no weightage. The score obtained in JEE decides the future of students who aspire to get admission to India’s prestigious engineering colleges. Also, when you prepare for JEE Mains, Advanced the preparation for class 12 board exams happens automatically.  

What was your key to scoring well in PCM?
The common mistakes students make is that they ignore NCERT Books while preparing for the final Board Examination. To clear all your concepts and lay a solid foundation to do well in exams one should read and absorb everything that’s there in NCERT Books.  It is also convenient to quickly revise basic concepts with the chapter summaries given in NCERT textbooks. Once you have mastered the NCERT books, feel free to switch to other reference books with advanced problems. Secondly, start studying from the beginning. As we know, till class 10, the syllabus is not much, so most of us develop the habit of studying in the last few months before the exams. You should shun this habit as soon as you enter class 11.  Start studying from the beginning of the year.

Is last-minute preparation a good idea?
Cramming at the eleventh hour is certainly not advisable. Before the exam, you are already under some sort of stress. So, whatever you study will not get registered in your brain. Let me illustrate this with an example. In my time, the JEE Mains exam was held in two phases. Candidates have the option of appearing in either or both the exams and the best score out of the two is considered for the ranking. Before the first phase, I was pretty stressed out and cramming notes at the last minute, therefore I couldn’t do as well as I wanted to. But, for the second phase I changed my strategy. I was more relaxed and stopped studying two days prior to the exam. As a result, I secured a good All India rank in JEE Mains. I followed the same strategy for JEE Advanced.  

How was your school journey?
I had an amazing time at school. The teachers were helpful and fun to interact with. Our Principal, Mr. Girish Kumar, was a great mentor. One always learns something new when one interacts with him.

How is life at IIT Delhi?
It is quite hectic as of now (laughs). Normally, each semester in IIT is of four months, but due to postponing of JEE last year it got compressed into two and a half to three months. Last year went by in a jiffy. In IIT, you get to interact with a lot of bright minds from across the country. It really helps broaden your horizons. Though, due to online learning I was unable to interact with more students.

What are the common misconceptions about IITs?
The first misconception about IITians is that after completion of IIT they will pursue a career only in the Engineering field. In reality, most of the IITians go into non-engineering fields such as consultancy, finance, IT or start their own venture. Some of the popular stand-up comedians, singers, actors are from IITs itself. Secondly, IITians often come across as bookworms. It’s believed that they study 24×7, but nothing could be further from the truth. In IITs, there are a plethora of clubs and scope for extracurricular activities. Another myth that needs to be busted is that your future is secured if you get into IITs. You just have to sit and relax. Most of us forget that your success depends not on the brand name but on one’s own capabilities and knowledge.

“My aim from the beginning was not to get into an IIT, but to score well in exams and get into a good college. In India, students are under pressure to opt for Science streams. I opted for the non-medical stream for the love of engineering. When you opt for a stream due to pressure you will not grow in life.”

Avval Amil, IIT Delhi