Achievers in every sense

The results of IIT-JEE, for the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, brought smiles on the faces of many students, their parents and teachers. The successful students were on cloud nine as they spoke about their hard work and determination.  

Ganesh Ajjanagadde

All India Rank - 149
It is one of the happiest moments for Ganesh’s parents as their son’s hard work has paid off and he has got an All India Rank of 149 in the IIT-JEE examinations. He has stood first in the state. “I have already applied to many international universities like MIT and University of Illinois. I plan to pursue electrical engineering and later move into research,” says a beaming Ganesh. Along with studying regularly, he made sure that he took regular breaks and did not get overworked. “More than being happy I am relieved that it’s over. I used to go for bicycle rides in the evening and played computer games when I needed a break. I made sure that I laid equal emphasis on all subjects,” he says. He couldn’t stop thanking his parents for supporting him. Ganesh, a student of Gear Innovative International School, says that he got enough support from his school while preparing for the JEE as well. “I would not have been able to perform if my parents’s support was not there. They helped me in every way possible. I enrolled at FIITJEE in the beginning of the year and my teachers were a big help as well. They were approachable and I never hesitated in taking their help,” he says. For now, Ganesh is all set to fulfill his dreams and pursue a course abroad.

Ajil Jalal

All India Rank -535

Ajil Jalal hopes to get into IIT Madras and pursue mechanical engineering. He is happy with his performance but wishes he could have started preparing right from the beginning. “I put in more effort in the end and my preparations were not that rigorous in the beginning. I made some errors in the paper and lost some rank in some of the papers. I was expecting to be in the top 300 students,” he says. His parents are happy and are confident that their son will get mechanical engineering in IIT Madras. “I studied seven hours a day towards the end. I enrolled at FIITJEE and the teachers helped me a lot. Besides studying regularly, I also played sports to combat stress. I played football on a regular basis and sometimes played squash. Playing a sport increases concentration and I used to get back to studies with more focus and energy. I am happy that I have done well, however I could have fared better,” he adds. Ajil, a student of National Public School-Indiranagar, says that he had to manage school and JEE preparations together which was difficult. His advice for students is to work hard right from the beginning and focus on all subjects equally.

Deepak Dilip Kumar 

All India Rank - 369

Deepak Dilip Kumar was all smiles as soon as he saw his All India Rank — an impressive 369, which makes him the second best performer in the State. Although he was expecting a fairly decent rank, he admits that the final outcome was a welcome surprise. Deepak is a student of  Miranda Composite PU College and attended special coaching classes at Ace Academy.

“I thought I’d get a rank below 500, but I wasn’t expecting this. It’s a fairly good rank, so I’m pretty happy,” says the topper.

He followed a strict strategy when it came to preparing for the exams and made each minute count. “I didn’t want to pressurise myself, but simply reach my potential. I prefer to study efficiently, rather than put in too many hours. I charted out revision plans in the last few months, and took a lot self-tests to stay prepared,” he shares.

Deepak is aiming to get a seat at IIT Bombay and with his performance, this seems quite likely. “I have to attend some counselling sessions over the summer and then I’ll find out. My dream is to study computer science at IIT Bombay, after which I will probably do my MBA,” he says.

His parents, Uma and Dilip, are ecstatic. “He’s always been a very disciplined child — in fact, we had to keep telling him to stay cool. He used to keep updating us on what he was studying each day. Our only contribution to his preparation was to give him moral support,” beams Uma. Dilip adds, “We got up really early to check his results and we were delighted — we’ve been debating among ourselves and thought he might manage a rank of 450. He has surpassed our expectations with a second state rank.”

S Vaishanvi

All India Rank - 1520

She is one of the few girls who will make it to the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology this year. S Vaishnavi, a student of  Gear Innovative International School, is happy about it. Her mantra for IIT-JEE was to study hard and take enough breaks in between.

“I started working from the beginning. I hoped to get a better rank but I am happy and my parents are elated that I’ve done well,” she says. Along with her parents, who supported her throughout the year, her teachers at FIITJEE have been a source of support as well. “We had continuous assessments and my teachers used to keep pushing me and advising me to do better. They were very friendly and were always there when I felt stuck,” she says. She also took some time off her studies to pursue her hobbies and do some yoga.

“The best way to relax is to close your eyes and sit alone all by your self. I would advise students to be confident, to work hard and have faith in themselves,” she informs.
Her parents are sure that she will get into IIT Bombay. “I will choose the best option. Each student has his or her own strategy and way of studying,” she quips.