For IIT Bombay UG Freshers

Many freshmen have been pinging me for advice for the first year. I feel it would be better to make a post instead of saying the same stuff to everyone. I recommend sharing it with your friends as well. I know many sophies who give' idiotic fundae' to freshies and misguide them. I will try to give you a good and balanced overview of the first year, and acquaint you with all the mistakes which I did, and the things I missed out. I'll be covering academics and some misconceptions which prevail among freshmen.

1. Academics

Many people will misguide you that academics at IITB is chill, or that you had been studying very hard for the past two years, and so you should chill a bit and do cult, sports, tech, etc. This is utter BS. First year is easy and you are quite free. Even if you attend all the classes regularly, and solve all tuts, you will mostly cross 9 (which is really good), and you will have lots of free time on the top of that. Try to maximize your CPI in the first year. It will relax you a bit for the coming years and help and you get a good intern in the second year (to be covered later). Many people stop attending the classes and chill out all the time, and study a night before. While many people do this and still manage to do well, nothing can replace regular classroom studies. As of books, you must solve the book of your DIC, book for CS101, and MA105. There are other books as well, they can be solved using the PDF, or they can be covered by slides. Seeing past papers before the exam is really important. Bottomline is, try to score as much as possible in the first year. This should be your first priority (unless you are really interested in something else, and maintain a decent score even then).

Those aiming for branch change need to be extra focused on acads. Study more than others, and you will get it easily. I know people who have changed branch from Meta/Civil to CS (however, you will realize soon that all branches are really good and interesting).

Study material for freshmen- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15YVL5Ge0LrVm71T2Jh8f2Y-0q6B0b41D

2. Extra curriculars

There are many extra currics at IITB, but many freshies tend to get lost in them completely. And many end up not doing any extra currics, and both the situations are equally bad. I recommend, as recommended by almost everyone, to decide what interests you and participate in a few activities for an experience. NSO/NSS/NCC can be helpful here as well (covered later). Do not start something new just because others are doing it. Do something only if it really interests you. I was interested in music, so I learned to play the guitar, and it turned out to be pretty good, as I learned something I had always been wanting to do. If you have an interest in robotics and all then you can maybe join the respective clubs. Don't overdo extra currics, or acads might get affected. There are lots of events in the institute, and you can attend them for a break from the schedule. You won't get much time next year onwards (as I have heard from my seniors).

3. The concept of 'Machau'

There is this slightly weird concept of machau in the Institute. People who have PORs, a good intern, have a girlfriend, or even just popular are seen as 'machau'. You must not fall into these traps and focus on having a good time here, and stay happy. I feel that a happy person is the most 'machau' person in the insti. In my 1 year stay here, I have seen many people whose sole motive was to distract others and move ahead of others. I learned to not look at others and focus on myself. Looking at others will only cause you pain. This was the biggest lesson I learned in my first year. One must be focused on oneself instead of just blindly following others. Never let an inferiority complex form inside of you because of the 'machau junta'.

4. Some misconceptions, corrected

• NCC is a really great place to be. If you wish to learn a sport or something, then you can go for NSO, but NCC is really great as it combines elements of NSO and NSS as well. Many people think that NCC is very hectic, but it is not the case. It is pretty chill. There is a camp after endsems, and at least I found it fun. There were lots of cult and sports activities in the camp. 
• You will still have to study a lot if you wish to stay at the top. This is the truth. Anyone saying otherwise is fooling you.
• All sophies are NOT idiots. Some of my best friends in insti are sophies(now thirdies). Admittedly, they know much less compared to thirdies and fourthies, but I guess they know enough to set the freshie on a path. Plus they are almost your age, so you'll blend better with them. But there are lots of sophies who deliberately misguide freshies, stay alert.
• MI and TF are really great, but working in them as an orgi won't make you great. Most people do all this because others are doing it. Many seniors in MI take advantage of the naivety of freshers. Instead, enjoy it(if you wish to). You can join the orgi team if they interest you, and for an experience. But please don't do MI work just because others are doing it or because someone told you that 'MI is machau'.
• PORs are not important during placements(unless you are aiming for a non-core job). They are for fun and experience. I don't have much idea about it, I am just repeating what passouts told me. I was the CR of my batch, and it was a good experience. 
• There is no ragging in insti. Don't be afraid of talking to seniors.
• In case you are looking for some entertainment, do check out the IITB confession page on FB :p.
• Don't judge others, specially on the basis of ranks.
• Don't multitask. Pick only as many activities as you can handle. Many people tend to take up lots of PORs, courses, cultural and sports activities, and end up doing nothing. Know your limits, and don't succumb to peer pressure.

5. Miscellaneous

• Don't do drugs and alcohol. 
• Stay VERY CLOSE to you ISMP MENTOR. My mentor helped me a lot. Build a good relationship with him/her.
• For homesick people(happened with me), talk to your parents and mentor whenever you miss home.
• There are some terms called 'interns' and 'placements'. You don't need to worry about them. Ask passouts/mentors for that. Sophies(including me) know nothing about them.
• Sem starting is chill. You can hang out as much as you want.
• Try to get in contact with some passouts or super seniors if possible. It always helps to know more people. You will be surprised that they actually reply and help.
• Personal issues are common. Don't succumb to loneliness, and talk to people. At least I am there to talk to anyone. I faced some personal issues too(especially in sem 1), and my mentor and parents helped me. 
• Many seniors(from certain councils and clubs) fool freshies for their selfish works. Don't get into their traps. Many freshies were successfully fooled in MI. You will be made to work like laborers. There is nothing but foolery here(unless you are really interested). Many cult clubs will force you to participate in events. Seniors hostel guys will force you to participate in GCs. Participate only if you are genuinely interested. Say no to them. This is probably the most important piece of advice for anyone.
• It is OK to be a maggu. They will be the machau ones in the end.

FINALLY, and most importantly, do justice to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Don't indulge in something which could defame the insti. Try to make every second productive. I don't suggest studying all the time, but one must focus on becoming a better person each day.

Hope you have a great year ahead!

-Kalpit Veerwal,
Sophomore, Department of Computer Science and Engineering.