Better placements, high pay packages, diverse working opportunities in new age technology and a seemingly secure future are among the major driving factors behind computer science (CS) being the topmost choice of engineering aspirants across the spectrum. The core engineering courses such as civil, electrical or mechanical have apparently become a resort for those with lesser ranks.
News18 spoke to five toppers of Joint Entrance Examination (Main) (BE/B Tech) from across the country, results to which were announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) a few days ago. These are students having scored from perfect 100 to the next best 99.996 percentiles and here is what all of them aim for, along with tips for their fellow test takers.
JEE (Main) is a qualifying criteria for JEE (Advanced), based on which, students can take admissions to the premier Indian Institute of Technology (IITs).
Malay Kedia
Among the top five scorers in JEE (Main), who got a perfect NTA score, Kedia is busy preparing for JEE (Advanced), putting in extra hours of study each day. He said his ultimate goal at the moment is to crack the exam to get into the IITs with an All India Rank (AIR) 1 for which he has put up a poster of the same on his cupboard. “This is because the first 50 All-India rankers get computer science at IIT-Bombay. This is the top course on offer and every aspirant is aiming for the same,” said Kedia, who is based in Ghaziabad.
Why not any other core engineering course? Kedia said today computers are present in every sphere of life be it the emerging technologies such as AI or robotics or any other sub-fields of the discipline. Pursuing this could open up better future prospects as compared to other courses, he stressed.
“Also, there is a huge variance in placements and packages offered to students of computer science and to those from other conventional branches. For CS students, most top companies offer Rs 1.5 crore-Rs 2 crore while for core disciplines it’s in the bracket of Rs 15- Rs 18 lakh, that’s why, it’s so sought-after (course),” said Kedia, whose father works with an IT firm in Gurugram while his mother is a homemaker.
His final goal is to pursue research in AI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). To fellow test takers, Kedia said he would only give one tip that they must never lose focus of their goal and give equal time to self-study, alongside coaching.
Ridhi K Maheshwari
The only female candidate to have scored cent percent among the total 43 students who got 100 percentiles this year in JEE (Main), Ridhi said it was her love for mathematics that made her opt for JEE and she wants to pursue computer science at IIT once she clears Advanced exam.
“Though I took JEE coaching only after Class 10, it was my love for maths that made me opt for the same. I had initially thought of pursuing commerce, but I found it was exhilarating to do coding and finally sit for engineering entry-level exam,” said, Ridhi, who hails from Bengaluru.
CS is one of the top branches of study at IITs, which has the best future prospects and that is what I aim to pursue. However, as a back-up option, she said she could go for maths in scientific computing, which is a relatively new discipline being offered by IITs.
How is she preparing for Advanced? “I study 5-7 hours on my own besides attending the coaching classes. There are moments when you feel like you won’t make it, but one should never give up on themselves. To relax, I just listen to music or go for a walk, which helps me clear my mind,” she said.
Kaushal Vijay
When News18 contacted Kaushal, who is also preparing for JEE (Advanced), he was at his coaching class and his mother answered the phone. Since he could not be disturbed, his mother, also an engineer, said he plans to pursue computer science at IIT-Bombay, which is his top choice. Getting into IIT has been a thing in the family with Kaushal’s elder brother also studying in one.
“His brother also studied from IIT-Kanpur and is now pursuing M Tech from IIT Delhi. He wants to pursue CS as that is what the market is driven by and has scope for creativity,” said his mother Madhubala Vijayvargiya, 52. His father is a bank manager and the family is based in Ahmedabad.
She added that Kaushal is a lively person, who doesn’t look too studious, but has a very good concentration. He has a huge friend circle and he likes to de-stress watching comedy shows and South Indian cinema.
Ishan Khandelwal
“We had hoped for a good score, but we didn’t think that Ishan would get the perfect 100 NTA score. Cracking JEE (Advanced) to get into an IIT is his dream. He plans to study computer science engineering for which he is studying hard and get an even better rank in the upcoming exam,” said Ishan’s father, Mahesh Gupta, a government school principal in Rajasthan.
While Ishan too was away at coaching, Gupta said Ishan has been preparing hard and puts in 10-12 hours of study in total in a day. “As a back-up, he has also secured admission at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru through Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY),” his father said.
Suyash Kapoor
Also preparing to study CS at IIT-Bombay, Suyash said getting into an IIT has been a dream and he is working hard to fulfil the same. “It needs the best rank to get into CS at IIT-Bombay and I want to be the one holding that rank. It is about being the top amongst the best,” said Kapoor, who hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Preparing for the exam takes a lot of focus and self-confidence. However, Kapoor believes that once you have put in your hard work, you shouldn’t worry or get tense, rather just enjoy the process.
Registration for JEE (Advanced) is open while the test is scheduled to be held on June 4, 2023.
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