An Interview with Mr. Sanchit Mall, IIT KANPUR(AIR: 3317, JEE ADV 2013)

1)      Hello. Thank you for talking to ComfiStay.com. How are you doing these days?

I’m put up in Gurgaon these days. I’m assistant Manager, Operations at Zunroof Tech Pvt Ltd. This is my first job post my college days.

2)      Let’s start from the beginning. How was your academic and social life before you shifted to Kota?

I did my schooling from Gorakhpur before moving to Kota. I was an above average student at my school and was into sports a lot. The school was primarily focused on academics and left too little scope for extra curriculars.

3)      What was going through your mind when you were deciding on moving to Kota?

The selection ratio of the coaching institutes in Gorakhpur was not motivating and that left me with only a couple of options. I had even considering moving to Hyderabad in 8^th standard but the cultural difference was something I found it very difficult to cope with back then. Moving to Kota after 10^th boards was the only option I was left with.

4)      What factors did you consider while choosing your coaching?

One of my close friends had been in Kota for the past two years and I had been in constant touch with him over the course of his stay. He had joined “X” when he moved to Kota but switched to ”Y” later. He warned me that getting admission in the institutes wasn’t going to be easy as there were only a few batches of students that they were planning to take in and the entrance test wasn’t going to be easy either.

5)      What were the initial changes that you encountered when you moved to Kota?

During my initial days in Kota, the only human interaction that I had outside my coaching classes was with the Mess workers. It dawned on me that I barely spoke to anyone at my PG or anyone outside the coaching. I had a couple of close friends in the coaching too but they stayed in a hostel which was located at a fair distance from my PG.

6)      How did you manage to maintain the academic and entrance preparation simultaneously?

I barely studied for my board exams to be honest. I always thought that the gap before the board exams would be enough to prepare for the exams. My sole focus was on the entrance exam. During my first attempt, the eligibility criteria for JEE was 60% in 12^th boards and that was pretty easily achievable.

7)      How was your social life at Kota? Do you want to give any advice to the thousands of aspiring engineers who come to Kota every year? What to do and what not to do?

There is a plethora of distractions that are there in the city which will deter a child’s motivation and deviate him from his path. Thankfully, I was well advised by my seniors to stay away from Cyber cafes. Anyone who loves online gaming, you’ll have enough time for that when you enter an IIT. The internet bandwidth is super awesome too. One must refrain from visiting the cafes to either watch TV series or movies. Spending time with friends at hostel/PGs is a much better option. Going out to play football/cricket or any other sport is also a good option. Even thought the majority of eating joints in Kota are strictly vegetarian but I still miss the sandwiches and kachoris that I used to have with my friends.

A time table is a must and a student cannot afford pending homework. Completing the homework on a daily basis is of utmost importance and I cannot stress on it enough. I suffered because of it during my first year and it took me quite some time to recover. I suggest all the incoming students to make it a point to complete homework on time.

8)      If its not too personal, what was your lowest point at your life in Kota? How did you redeem yourself?

I started out in P1 batch at Vibrant. The entrance exam segregates students into batches based on their scores. P1 was the best batch and the HODs taught the top batches. The batches were shuffled every 6-8 weeks based on our cumulative performance in the review tests. By the end of first year, my cumulative percentage dropped from 60% to 30%.

The last couple of review tests were disastrous for me. I had no clue what was going on in the Maths classes and Chemistry has never been my strong suit. I felt left out and was apprehensive of my chances in the JEE and that terrified me. Even though I was just an above average student, I never ever doubted that I wont make it to an IIT. The dismal performance that I had put up in Kota during my first year had broken my spirit and I was doubtful for the first time ever. I tried to make amends during the second year but the damage was too much. As a result, in my first attempt, I got a 5 digit AIR. That got me nowhere. My parents were not too sure about the second attempt but when I decided to go for it, they supported me. I was much more disciplined during my third year in Kota and it paid off.

9)      For majority of the society, you are a success story, thanks to the fact that IIT is your alma matter. What role did IIT play in your life? Or do you think IIT is just another milestone, albeit a better one?

During the orientation period at IIT Kanpur, we were told from day 1 that being at an IIT is no big deal as everyone around you is the same. What we did in college would define us and make us stand out of the league. IIT is just first of the many milestones I wish to achieve. My college, apart from giving my career a path and direction, has made me a much more confident and cognitive person.

10)   What are the 5 commandments that you live by in your life?

That’s a tough one really. I have only one motto that I live by and that is “NO REGRETS”. I like to live in the present. I believe that we keep chasing our dreams and want to be someone who is an embodiment of our aspirations. By the time most of us become that person, we forget why we started out in the first place. The rat race has blinded most of us and has rendered us incapable to appreciate the smaller things in life. I could go on and on about it but the bottom line is, I believe in doing things that make me happy and not what the society expects me to do.