Life in an IIT: ‘How choosing IIT Bombay was my best decision’, shares civil engineering student

The campus is always buzzing with activity. Just like the city, this campus also never sleeps. There is always something happening. I am in the college basketball team and have visited other IIT campuses like Delhi and Kanpur. Both campuses are amazing but not as lively as ours. Here we can go out anytime, there is no in or out time.

Even during the wee hours of the morning, you will find students outside — either playing or just taking a walk. There is never a dull moment. It is a world of its own. There are roughly 10,000 students across various courses and then there are professors and other faculty members as well.

Being a small town Ranchi boy, I was a little apprehensive to live in a big city. However, I also wanted to study in one of the best institutions in the country. My initial three semesters were spent online. I came to college in November 2021 after the Covid-19 wave subsided. When I arrived here, I met so many people from different cultural and social backgrounds, people with interests in various fields.

Before coming to IIT, I was a shy teenager. But in these three years, I have become a lot social. I have groups of friends from the basketball team, from my hostel as well as from my class. There are 160 students in our BTech Civil Engineering batch.

What my day looks like

My life at IIT is a lot like how it is shown in the movies. It begins at 8 am. In the hostel, many wake up late and then rush to attend 8:30 am lectures. Nevertheless, since we have a very strict attendance policy (80 per cent mandatory attendance in almost all subjects/courses), so no one bunk classes. The classes usually go on till 7 in the evening.

The college experience gives you exposure and opportunities. The professors are academically oriented and they provide resources and help so that we can excel in our fields. They are welcoming when it comes to joining their research and projects. IITs are good place if you wish to pursue research and study core subjects. We also have MTech and PhD students as teaching assistants. Over here, if I want to apply for Master’s I can apply for it in my third year and then become a part of the five year integrated programme.

Over the years, the gender balance has improved in the IITs. Especially, after the introduction of supernumerary seats by the government, I feel that the gender ratio has improved. There are a good number of girl students in the college.

Friends for a lifetime

Apart from the academics, there is so much more to do. In my first two years, I joined the civil engineering clubs and sports council. Now, as I dedicate most of my time to either basketball or to my studies, I am no longer a part of these clubs. These days, the practice of the college team is in full swing. We devode three-four hours daily. Then, finally at 10 pm I get some time for myself. After getting done with practice, I either study or spend time with my friends. During the exams, you would find all students in one room doing group studies.

The hostel culture is great, we celebrate all the festivals together — be it Holi, Diwali or, Christmas. The celebrations are carried on such a grand scale. All these things make you miss home a little less. I feel the bonding and friendship I have developed over here will go on for a lifetime.

There are around 18 to 19 hostels in the campus out of which 4-5 are are for girls. The students have to stay in double sharing rooms till third year and get single occupancy rooms in the fourth year.

What I do in my ‘me’ time

After college and whenever I get time from basketball practice, I spend time with my friends or study. We don’t go out much, hardly once or twice a month as everything is available on campus. I eat at the mess and canteen both. The food is good. The menu changes on a weekly rotational basis in the mess and the canteens have all sorts of options— such as dosa, frankie, maggi and so much more, that too at very subsidised prices.

In my hostel, the mess shuts down at 9:45 pm and then the canteen opens at 10 pm till 4 am.

Our campus is green and shares a boundary with the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. We have a spot called the boathouse, which has a great view of the Powai lake. There is also the Sameer hill, where we can go for trekking. We even can see leopards from our college boundaries.

The college has given me such a well rounded experience and exposure and opportunities.