IITs preferred choice for AIEEE toppers

Questioned about the choice of institute, they said their preferences lie with the IITs, which provide better opportunities.

Mardava Rajugopal (Rank 1) and Vidya Muthukumar (Rank 3) both saw AIEEE as a backup than their first preference. “I had already made up my mind to go to IIT Chennai even before the AIEEE. The latter was more of a backup,” Vidya said.
Abhinav Deshpande (Rank 4) and Vageesh D C (Rank 5) too had already chosen their streams in engineering at the IITs well before the AIEEE results were announced. “I do not intend to continue in the engineering field and am more interested in Science, which is better at an IIT,” said Abhinav Deshpande.

An indicator of the shortfall in their curriculum or academics that is perceived among students and the valuable stamp of an IIT, students seem to be driven away from reputed institutions such National Institute of Technology (NIT) Suratkal and the IIITs in the country.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Purshottam, Head for Corporate affairs, BASE, said students generally preferred IITs over NIT or the IIITs in the country and the State in particular. “I was myself a product of the Regional Engineering College (REC), Suratkal which is a reputed institute. But there is this perception that shows among students over the past few years about the NITs or the IIITs falling short of their expectations,” he said.
Purshottam states opportunities and the peer group have influenced students to choose IITs. “Most students who prefer the AIEEE institutes are those who do not get a better ranking at the IIT-JEE or those who do not get their preferred branch at the IIT institutes,” said Purshottam. Meanwhile, the story seems to resonate in Deeksha Centre For Learning which also has seen 50 percent of the students securing a high ranking at the AIEEE opting for the much famed IITs.

Deeksha Centre For Learning, Principal, Dr Sridhar states that the industry is yet to consider NIT, the more prominent of engineering schools on par with the IITs. “The industry is still looking out for the IIT graduates and has more weightage than NIT,” he said.

Topper took entrance exam for ‘time pass’

Seventeen-year-old Mardava Rajugopal Gubbi appeared for the prestigious AIEEE entrance exam this year for “timepass.” He topped it.
Mardava has already decided to join the league of IITians. Ranked 867 at the IIT-JEE, Mardava is hoping to join the Department of Electronics at IIT Madras. He has a keen interest in Physics and Mathematics and got the ‘Bright Student Award’ (along with English) during his schooling days in the US. Mardava was also ranked 60th in the CET-Engineering and 31st in CET-Medical list. Both his parents have degrees from IIT, Madras.

So why did you attempt your hand at AIEEE?
Frankly speaking, it was just “timepass”. I had already made my mind at joining the IIT and did not have anything else beckoning me.

What was your parents’ reaction and the role they played in your success?
My father Dr Rajugopal Gubbi, is amazed by my results. Although an independent child, I always needed someone to guide me. My mother Prabha Mysore who was a software employee at iTrust quit her job to help me with my studies. For six months before the exam, she was like an alarm clock to me.

The one thing you would like to change about the Indian system of Education will be?
I want every citizen of this country to get free education up to the level he/she wants to study. In the Right to Education Act, I want the age limit to be changed to 6-17 years, till at least one passes 10+2.

What do you do in your free time?
I have been learning to play the flute along with Carnatic music for the past eight years now. I have recently developed an interest in solving the Rubik’s Cube and I love reading books. Due to hectic study schedule, I recently finished reading ‘The Lost Symbol’ by Dan Brown. I liked his other books, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels and Demons.’
(As told to Lekha)