Cracking engineering and medical entrance examinations has been a dream for many students. Every year, several aspirants apply for JEE and NEET. Thus, it’s not easy to edge past all competitors and secure a good rank in these competitive exams. While some succeed in getting admission to their favourite colleges on their first try, many students opt to go through the hassle for a few more years. But what’s next for those, who have been struggling to find a way out of the loop?
Hritwik Haldar, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate, has now addressed the topic in a LinkedIn post while sharing his own experience. Like many youngsters coming from a middle-class family, Hritwik also had a dream to become an engineer or a doctor. He studied in a Bengali medium school and opted for science stream after tenth standard.
“I lacked proper guidance on effective studying methods. Rote memorisation didn’t appeal to me, and I grew to dislike studying. However, things began to change during my 10th class when I shifted my focus to understanding concepts rather than memorising them. This shift in approach made learning more enjoyable for me," he wrote in the post.
Hritwik has credited his chemistry teacher for encouraging him to explore things beyond the syllabus. As he started finding interest in science subjects, Hritwik decided to sit for engineering and medical entrance examinations. He secured 93.4 percent of marks in 12th boards but failed miserably in JEE and NEET.
“The transition from board exam preparation to exams like JEE, JEE Advanced, NEET, and KVPY SX proved challenging, and I struggled to perform well, failing miserably in all these exams, which shattered my confidence," Hritwik noted.
That’s when Hritwik got an opportunity to study at the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira (RKMV) in Belur, West Bengal which later proved to be the “turning point" of his career. He began to focus on self-study. He spent the majority time of his college life at the library and it allowed him to develop his “own learning methods and perspectives."
Hritwik then decided to pursue higher studies in IISER Pune and somehow managed to crack the entrance exam. He wrote in his LinkedIn post, “My academic journey reached its peak at IISER Pune, where the research environment taught me invaluable skills in critical thinking and hypothesis building."
While doing an undergraduate in Chemistry at the IISER Pune, Hritwik started to write thesis papers on research topics and some of his writings also got published in famous journals. “Maintaining a high GPA of 9.1 further bolstered my credentials. These experiences were instrumental in securing admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology," Hritwrik wrote.
Before signing off, Hritwik labelled Virat Kohli as his “role model" who taught him that continuous hard work can only bring success. He qualified for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after securing the first position in the QS World Rankings. Hritwik’s story can boost the confidence of many students who have become under-confident after failing competitive exams.
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