A first-year perspective

“A first-year perspective”

Change is never easy. Each year, around 160 students join IISc, coming together to form a close-knit undergraduate community. And every year, each student undergoes their own journey of transformation, adjusting to a new environment, meeting new people, adapting to a different lifestyle, and most significantly, evolving as individuals. To understand how this change unfolds, we spoke to our fellow batchmates and asked them to share their experiences and reflections.

How would you describe your IISc journey so far? How has IISc treated you?

“Chaotic, hectic, but at the same time I enjoyed it,” Niranjana commented when asked the question, and that seems to capture the sentiment shared by many students. The first semester at IISc is a whirlwind of new experiences, intense academics, and unexpected personal growth. Being the dream institute for most of us, IISc carries a legacy that continues to inspire and motivate students from across the country to aspire for a place here.

“When I just came to campus, there was a lot of uncertainty about how I’ll make friends, and how the campus will be, and whether I’ll be able to cope…”, a student recalled. For many, it was their first time living away from home, adjusting to hostel life with all its quirks and freedoms, abundant in IISc. Despite the initial hesitation, friendships formed quickly. Shared classes, late-night conversations, mess food complaints, and the occasional movie night created bonds that many now describe as one of the best parts of college life.

IISc also has quite a liberal culture; it is also more sensitive towards the LGBTQ community compared to other colleges, making it a safer environment for everyone.

Seniors played a pivotal role in this transition: “Seniors were very helpful”, and many such comments reiterate their importance. We really can’t thank them enough.

While it has been amazing so far, one of the bitter points was the management on the day of the admission, with many people commenting on how the entire process was a huge, avoidable mess. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a one-off incident. Similar issues have cropped up in interactions with the hostel office as well. Still, despite these hiccups, students agree that these are manageable issues and hope that future batches will have a smoother experience as feedback trickles in and improvements are made.

Overall, it was a transformative experience- meeting new people, living alone for the first time, experiencing independence, and having the opportunity to explore various things.

But why come to IISc in the first place?

IISc offers a unique academic atmosphere that gives equal importance to both science and engineering, bridging the gap between foundational knowledge and practical innovation. With its strong research-driven culture, the institute trains students not just to absorb information but to question, explore, and contribute to the creation of new knowledge.

While research can feel abstract or intimidating at first, it is a part of learning and questioning things, and that’s what IISc teaches. One of our batchmates had the option to take up a B.Tech. degree and pursue Computer Science Engineering at IIT Bombay. Reflecting on that decision, he says, “Living a 9-to-5 life was a repulsive idea. The way I wanted my life to be was driven by curiosity, filled with endless questions, and devoted to uncovering answers that no one had found before.” His words capture the spirit of many who come to IISc not merely to earn a degree, but to be part of a culture where questioning is valued as much as knowing, and where the pursuit of knowledge is seen as a lifelong journey.

How would you describe your transition into life at IISc?

There exists a broad spectrum of perspectives on this question. A subset of interviewees found the shift in academics to be quite challenging, while others considered it a normal transition. On the other hand, the majority faced difficulties in transitioning from their comfortable lifestyle at home to a new one at IISc.

Yet, despite the anxieties and uncertainties, the majority of students found the transition smooth. We heard it in a variety of words: “Not tough, but new”, “went with the flow”, “sudden but easy”.

For many, it was the first time leaving their household and living in a hostel. While some found the academics to be demanding – “Some of our 1st semester courses were probably not the best ones to start with, but even then, within 1 week and 2 weeks, you get the hang of it”, expressed Mukta – others faced obstacles in adjusting to the new lifestyle. “20-30 km per day just walking was hard”, recalled Prince about the first few days of joining.

After 18 years of living under their parents’ care, students suddenly find themselves with a new sense of independence, with no one always around to push them to work hard. But this steep learning curve quickly becomes a foundation: one becomes independent, more understanding and sensitive towards people, and learns how to manage their finances.

Fortunately, in the unfamiliar terrain of college life, senior culture felt like a lighthouse, guiding their juniors through every phase of moving and settling into IISc. At IISc, seniors become your friends, companions and guides. You hang out with them, plan day trips, eat your meals together, and share your life.

“Absolutely, seniors are a very, very great help in IISc. That was like a cultural surprise that came to me,” shared Agrim, responding to “Do you feel like seniors made the transition to IISc easier?”

Well, what about the academics? How’s the workload? What’s the difficulty, and how did you tackle it?

When asked about this central part of life in IISc, students happened to take one of two sides – some said that the courses were much less difficult than what they’d expected, while others held the view that some of the courses lacked a proper abridgement phase and ended up being quite a burden. However, everyone agrees on one crucial point- the coursework is undoubtedly amazing. It is enjoyable, intriguing, and highly satiating.

One of the courses that caused the divide was Mathematics. Many students were taken aback by the new entrance of rigorous treatment into their lives, while others felt it was quite natural. “I felt a very smooth transition from school to here, like it wasn’t really steep”, Shankhadeep remarked, while on the other hand, another student reported that “I found the rigour quite challenging, especially because I wasn’t really prepared for it.”

However, in the end, most of them agreed that “if managed correctly, it is not stressful at all.” While it is most definitely manageable, as we see even first-benchers make time for football, it is important to notice that it might just get challenging. But in any case, it will always remain lovely- after all, it is science!

How has your social life been at the institute? Were there any extracurriculars that stood out to you?

As to social life, each student had a unique appearance. “Social interaction outside the friend group is almost inexistent,” a student humorously remarked, while other responses ranged from “We go out once a week, necessarily” to “I think we went to Bel road once and that’s it.” However, finding people and making friends isn’t that tough a thing. Helpful seniors and genuine batchmates are all over the place!

“Around 5:30, I had to go somewhere, UGCL, I guess, for something related to Pravega. When I tried to open the door (of an isolated place in the MLH complex), it wouldn’t open because it was locked from the outside. Then I posted in the UG group that guys I am locked… called my roommate, called Sarthak, they came, they called the security people, got a ladder from somewhere… got down from there. That was a memorable experience!” shared Vinay.

Consequently, it’s not a surprise that most of us settled in effortlessly, even though many had never lived in a hostel before this. “When you live together in a hostel, you are just bound to make friends. It simply happens on its own, and there’s no need to worry on that part”, Mainak Chandra told the interviewers.

However, not everyone was that happy about the extracurriculars here. Databased, the computer science club, and Vicharaka, our robotics club, garnered great amounts of praise for being accessible, starter-friendly and highly informative. Yet at the same time, many students seemed dissatisfied with some of the other clubs, reporting problems such as infrequent activity and frequent poor pedagogy. Particularly, the non-academic clubs, while everyone was simply fascinated by their sheer skill and talent, were reported by the students to be hard to catch up with for various reasons. “The sports clubs aren’t really regular much”, “Rhythmica and Rangmanch are selective and very time-consuming”, and “Students almost never attend club events” were some of the criticisms that we saw.

Overall, while social life here is not that big of a challenge, and you end up with a great, great bunch of friends surrounding you naturally, navigating through extracurriculars and managing them with studies. That might be a tough one!

After spending nearly 286 days immersed in lectures, labs, problem sets, games, food trips, and endless conversations, IISc’s first-year students share a few words of wisdom for their incoming juniors.

IISc has become a second home to all – a home far away from home. Time flies here, faster than you’d expect, but it leaves you with memories for a lifetime. The panics during mid-semester and end-semester exams will be overwhelming – “I really experienced what tension is for the first time during the exams in here,” stated Niranjana – but with companions like your batchmates and seniors, everyone passionate about science like you, those times will also pass by – “It will be useful if you have someone else’s perspective about a particular problem, even if you can solve it, it is useful to get to know how other people think.” suggested Kishan. One of the pieces of advice we also received was “Just stay focused on academics. A lot of distractions can come in the way.”

To relieve parents of their worries, Rajdeep stated, “One important concern that my family members had was ragging because it is somehow very prevalent in colleges in West Bengal... being from West Bengal, my family literally thinks a lot about ragging, they were very worried... but IISc is a college where we don’t feel any difference between our seniors and us.”

Amidst the stress of clearing the entrance exams and studying in a competitive environment of coaching institutes, many students forget to have a social life. The first time you come into IISc, you will experience a social burst. “After two years of JEE, the first sem came with a lot of social interaction, like a great exponential increase in social life, which was very reviving,” Palak told us. Being the top research institute in India, IISc admits students from all over the country. Hence, you get to interact with people from different cultures, languages and backgrounds. “There are people from all around the country, so it’s like an intermingling of all the cultures, and that is what I really enjoy the most,” remarked Niranjana.

Although the majority of students come prepared to join a particular major, a student mentioned, “Be open to all subjects”. You may find yourself liking some other subjects more. You understand what research in a particular subject is really about, eventually in the first 3 semesters, so keeping an open mind towards all helps in choosing your major at the end. “1st semester taught me how to go about thinking when you are doing research”, remarked Kaustav.

Writers - Aditey, Mihir, Parth, Batch of 2024