<p>I’ve read a lot of that (and the more I hear about IIT, the less I like it, really). And I’m not surprised at that ranking information – Madras is probably marginally less tough, but still awful. (Er, thirty years ago, my uncle was 21st or 22nd, and couldn’t make it into CS in Madras – he did EE, then unofficially switched and wrote a CS thesis because he’d managed to get the CS professors to like him. And things have probably gotten worse since then, really.)</p>
<p>Yeah, and the reservations are just aggravating. There’s a rationale for some amount of affirmative action, I suppose, but this is a bit ridiculous. (Also, amusing factoid – IIT’s trying to attract women, right? 'Cos its gender ratio sucks a bit. So it thinks the right way to do that is charge women Rs. 500 to apply, instead of 1000. Wow, how helpful.)</p>
<p>I wanted to go to IIT when I was an innocent little thirteen-year-old. Two years and a lot of experience have successfully cured me of that. :D</p>
<p>Wow, you guys just refer to IIT like its some sort of state university.</p>
<p>Here the news and other media just glorifies IIT and says things “They are all geniuses!” </p>
<p>I visited the IIT campus in Madras over the summer and well, it didn’t really look that great -> it looked way better than Anna University though!</p>
<p>Heh, I have a crazy family. AIIMS dad, CMC Vellore mum, IIT uncle(s), BITS cousins. Aargh, in other words – I knew what IIT was when I was *six<a href=“and%20hadn’t%20even%20seen%20India!”>/i</a>, I think. (Of course, I also knew what MIT was, but that’s another matter.)</p>
<p>naidu90 – we might be just bitter. (Nah, that isn’t really the case. More likely, it’s disillusionment re. this country’s education system (wot sucks).)</p>
<p>I actually liked the campus, rather – one of the nicer Indian ones, at any rate. (And I’m Tamilian enough to sort of like Madras, though I usually deny this and profess undying hate for the place.)</p>
<p>Yeah, I guess my family places a premium on education as well (not as crazy as Noldo’s though). My grandfather was a professor at Villanova. Dad and both uncles went to IIT. I wish my cousins were a little older though (they’re stilling learning to toddle) :)</p>
<p>Hmm, I was thinking…AIIMS is probably the hardest school to get into. Thousands of people competing for 50 or so spots. Your dad must be brilliant.</p>
<p>I have a friend who got a full-ride scholarship at BITS Pilani. He always ranked first in Science competitions and projects held in India, and was the state topper in his 12th.</p>
<p>He got a 2380 in SAT, but didn’t apply to any US Univ. He was, what you’d call, a nationalist.</p>
<p>CMC Vellore’s actually tougher, if you aren’t Christian and want in on merit (Mum was a Hindu girl – there were about five seats for general-category women, in her day. Cripes.). But you can probably guess how terrifically intimidated I am by my family. </p>
<p>Pyrotechnic, your friend sounds…er, odd. Though I do know insanely patriotic people of that sort, yes – personally, I don’t have many nationalistic feelings towards anywhere, though I do support Boson Rights. :D</p>
<p>Howdy TiTans?! (I refrain myself from saying ‘tities’…:D)</p>
<p>Looking at this discussion, I would like to share 2 videos, which u might have seen bfore, but they really show the standard of creativity in IIT :(</p>
<p>Wow, you guys have some pretty distinguished families. My dad and uncle went to IIT Madras (dad was class of 84). He got like 540 something, and had to take EE, but when it is IIT, just getting in is enough</p>
<p>I knew all about IIT when I was like 9. That was because of my dad though.</p>
<p>IIT was a dream school for people of our parents generation. But nowadays, when other colleges are easily accessible, and in many cases, better education, IIT is unneeded. Especially when you consider that to get iinto IIT with a good rank, you lose a lot of fun in life.</p>
<p>@Pyrotechnic,
You are absolutely right. With IIT being linked to the government pay scales, Professors will obviously quit when there are better opportunities in other colleges. Not to say that my dad didn’t like his one year at teaching in IIT, but yea.</p>
<p>@naidu90
Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I feel that IIT Madras is one of the most beautiful campuses. Very verdant, serene, and tranquil. At the very least, it is much better than, say, IIT Delhi. (Yech. So antiseptic and spartan)</p>
<p>Oh, my Dad never went to IIT or any other distinguished university. Didn’t stop him from being a millionaire though ! [I don’t like talking about his riches, but there you go.] Another example of someone who started from scratch and made a name for himself. Love ya Dad !</p>
<p>i perfectly understand the pressure most of u face…i too have IIT and nuclear physicist or doctor or diplomat uncles and aunts. my father’s a doctor who actually did award-winning neurometabology research at NIH in the US. his father was a doctor. his father was a teacher…and so it goes on and on…in the last 14…yes that’s right 14 generations…everybody was either a teacher or a doctor of some sort…and that’s just my father’s side…</p>
<p>and i also have my fair share of cousins in good universities…IIT, IIM, Cornell, UCB…and even friends at harvard.</p>
<p>so noldo i understand what you mean, although you shouldn’t feel any pressure at all now having got into caltech…while i wait for the morning of the 30th…</p>
<p>IIT sucks… (plz don’t use this to question my patriotism towards this nation of a billion) It’s just the hype… I was allured to it as a kid mainly 'coz of the challenge of cracking the JEE… Come 9th and I knew I’ll prefer an American college any day… IITs just can’t match them… </p>
<p>My parents got me to join this institute, F<strong><em>IITJEE (asterisk’s inconsequesntial) that has reduced everything to 3rd rate muggin… no creativity, nothing… Most of the so-called IITians these days seriously lack that spark… 'coz they’re just coached by F</em></strong>TJEE et al</p>
<p>I’m happy I got rid of the whole mess. I’ll be on a really charged campus for the next 4 years! :)</p>
<p>OH MAN MIT!!! and i have to keep waiting for the 30th…
i was never interested in engineering. so i thought why not try out medical (my dad’s a doctor). i tried…and i JUST COULD NOT TAKE THE MINDLESS MUGGING…i mean even the ISC is way more conceptual and interesting than these stupid medical prep. questions…and when i saw the whole quota controversy i basically thought ‘screw it!’ and put my heart and soul in preparing my application for the 10 places that ive applied to…</p>
And things have probably gotten worse since then, really.)</p>
:D</p>