JEE (Main) 2019 Final Month Preparations

Easy chapters:

Physics: Very Easy: Units and Measurements, Kinematics, Waves, Wave Optics, All chapters in JEE(main) syllabus which are not in JEE (Advanced) syllabus.

Easy: NLM basics, WPE, Gravitation, THermodynamics, KTG, EMI, Ray Optics, Modern Physics

Maths: Easy: Complex Numbers, Matrices and Determinants, Trigonometry, Binomial Theorem, Sequence and Series, Quadratic Equations, Differentiation, Straight Line, Circles, Vectors and 3D, all chapters not in JEE (Advanced) sylllabus and in JEE (Main).

Chemistry: Everything is easy here. Especially learn every reaction in Inorganic and Organic.

Links to important books:

Use past year chapter wise book for question practice.

 


If you want the preparation to be more guided, you can use these books which promise you a selection in 40 days:

All the best!!!

How to become the master of your time?

A huge problem faced by many in this age is 'lack of time'. Everyone has aspirations and wishes, but no one seems to have the time to do it!

Adults wish to give more time to family, travel, etc., kids want more time for playing, and (serious) JEE aspirants need more time for studying. No one seems to have enough of it. No one. 

I myself have faced this problem multiple time, but somehow I feel I have a few principles with me which can enable everyone to become the master of time, and hence carry out all the productive tasks one aspires for in the same 24 hours God has bestowed on each and everyone of us. I spent most of my first year struggling to find a balance between work and play. I never had this issue before college, because my life was restricted to the size of a peanut. The real world is different and demands much more sophisticated planning in order to excel.

So, coming to the issue of tackling this issue, I will mention a few principles (based on my own life) which helped me overcome this issue faced by probably billions of people. First things first, let us focus on the 'why' part. This will probably solve more than half of the issue. Ask yourself-'Where does my time go?' You will find the answer for sure, I guarantee it. You might be ashamed to admit the reasons, but you know them. Mostly, these will make the list-

• Social media
• Unproductive entertainment (TV, Games)
• Random thoughts (leading to procrastination)
• Spending too much time socializing with people.
• Not prioritizing your tasks
• Sleeping too much/too less
• Chatting too much with friends/partners.
• Doing random things at random times.
• Spending time being sad/happy/(insert another emotions here).

 You can definitely reduce your Social media and TV time. To know more about my view of social media and how to remove it, see this answer on Quora.

Unproductive entertainments are okay in a limit. They lead to recreation for a certain time, but after some time, they lead to bad health, loss of productivity and guilt of wasting time. I have recently started to read books for leisure(not academic book). But I do that in a very concentrated way and for less than an hour daily. This isn't much of a time waste as I spend little time and it leads to some good entertainment. Problem starts when you start following too many hobbies/TV series. It's okay to be a cricket fan or Harry Potter fan. It's not okay at all to be a fan of GOT, cricket, football, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Marvel, dancing, music, all at a time and spending too much time on these. Limit your TV/hobby time to a fixed hour daily. This way you'll be able to take out more time both for your hobby and for you job/study.

Random thought and emotional havocs are yet another major cause you of worry to many. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about other's opinion of myself. Some people might be suffering from some personal issues, and hence it's quite possible that they end up overthinking a lot. It used to happen with me too. I spent time talking to positive and motivating people and stayed away from negative people. If you have some personal issues, sharing them with someone close is the best way to tackle it. Talk to your friends/parents/ have some counselling. It's really going to help you.

Now I hope most of the 'unnecessary' and avoidable factors have gone. What's left is planning, and a good schedule. You must make a very tight schedule. You must become concious about your time. Until and unless you put in genuine and concious effort to make better use of your time and get that extra hour, you won't be able to make it.

So let's get to the point and discuss about a good schedule. First thing is to wake up and sleep early, and at least for 7 hours. In my first year at college, I got into this vicious cycle of poor and late sleep. I used to go to bed not before 2 in the night and my average sleep was probably less than 6 hours. I have changed this habit and it has made me much more productive. I wake up at 7 and go to bed around 12 (or at least try to). I sleep more than 1 hour more as compared to last year. This has made me much more energetic, and I hardly feel lack of energy at the end of the day. I get a good night's sleep.

Now, do keep time slots for things other than your job. I do a lot many things apart from studying. It helps me get relaxed and ensures more productivity.

Read this to know more about my schedule and activities.

Try to make a draft of all possible activities you will do during a day, including your working hours. Write it down very neatly somewhere and stick to it. Mention hours when you would do a certain thing. For example, you can say that 8-10 ->study Math/complete assignment/achieve any target. 12:30-2-> take a break/read/sleep, etc. I keep my Saturday for completing stuff left in the week. Sundays are usually free. Make sure to have a day left after putting down all your commitments, so that you don't end up failing to achieve your goals for the week.

I hope this helped. Do comment and share! BTW, I made this post using small bits of 10-15 minutes spread over many days. Time management, folks!!!

P.S.- Now I am active on Instagram again. Check me out!

A special post by AIR 19, JEE(Advanced) 2018

This is a post by a junior in IITB CSE. His name is Shalabh Gupta and he secured AIR 19 in JEE(Advanced) 2018. He will be sharing his JEE preparation story. It's really good and thanks to him for this wonderful post!

"Hey..this is Shalabh Gupta. I am from New Delhi and I achieved an All India rank 19 in JEE(Advanced) 2018. It was no cakewalk for me to do so. Currently, I am in IIT Bombay CSE. Here I am, writing my JEE preparation story!

I had been an average student from the starting. I had no definite plans as to I what I have to pursue in the future. Then in class 9th, I took admission in FIITJEE Dwarka in Delhi. Life was still a puzzle for me but then I realized the faith my parents had put into me and paid a hefty amount just so that I can achieve something even I was unaware of. FIITJEE transformed my mindset towards studies and slowly I developed a taste in PCM and decided to pursue engineering as my field of interest. Through this, I want to convey to all the students out there, that they need to decide what they want to do till class 10th..if not that, then at least midway class 10 should be it. If you are studying for JEE in class 11 but have no interest in it, then it’s probably not your cup of tea. It would be better if students develop a taste for the subjects beforehand.

I started my JEE preparation in early class 11th. As other beginners, I was unaware as to the path to be followed. Everybody used to recommend a hell lot of books which made things really confusing. The material I used to get from my coaching centre was enough, so I stuck to it until I really felt a need to purchase any other book. I strongly believe that doing the material which you get from your coaching centre is enough along with previous year questions and some basic cliché books like hcv for Physics. Literally speaking, I used to do only HC Verma till about complete 11th class. My batchmates used to do DC Pandey and some irodov too (which I also did once I was confident enough in hcv). According to me, if you are thorough with each and every concept and question in hcv, then most of your work is done. You just need to revise them again and again and keep them fresh in your memory. But still, if you find time..like I did after class 11th, you can solve certain recommended questions from irodov(not all). But remember without revision of topics..all the work you do is a waste.

Coming over to Chemistry, I used to learn concepts by heart..and also the reactions. My teacher used to provide me with enough sheets to practice. But if your teacher doesn’t do so , then you can buy some books such as Peter Atkins for physical chemistry(one of my friend who is air 44 used to study from it), Peter Sykes for theory of organic chem and ms Chauhan and himanshu pandey for org chem questions(almost all of my batchmates used to do it) and JD Lee for inorganic(this is used even in our college). But don’t forget that just doing books is not enough..you should remember all the concepts as well as the reactions along with their mechanisms.

For Maths, the previous year questions will be the perfect key to preparation. I bought just trigo SL loney in class 11th just for inverse trigo(but ended up doing some trigo equations etc). Then in class 12th, I bought cengage g tewani for calculus. I believe it’s a must for calculus(or you can buy Arihant too). My roommate (CSE only) used Sanjay Mishra for algebra. There is cengage also  available for algebra if you want to do but I won’t recommend it because it contains a hell lot of questions and you may find yourself in a confusion whether to do it or not. Remember that being confused is the last thing you should do while preparation. It reduces confidence to a large extent. For coordinate geometry, SL Loney again would be a great choice. It covers almost everything.

Also, remember that the archive i.e. the previous year questions are the most important thing to do and should be their first priority.

Coming to my preparation strategy, I can proudly say that I followed the correct path. By correct path I mean the correct planning required. Some students, despite of studying for a lot of hours are not able to perform well because they don’t have any proper planning and management as to when to study, when to relax, when to revise, and many other things. I do not suggest making a proper timetable for studying because most of the time, we are unable to follow it which leads to backlogs. I used to do as much as I could do effectively. It was never fruitful when I used to force myself to study while I was stressed or had my mind wandering over various other things. Aim for small targets(like completing 10 ques in 1 hour or so for eg) and complete them. This was my mantra and I used to gain a lot of confidence from this. I used to study about 8-10 hours on an avg per day. I think any jee aspirant aiming for a decent enough rank should study that much at least.

Lastly, I want to talk about the most important thing, exam temperament. There are many students who study very hard but are unable to produce a great result. All depends on exam temper. I used to remain calm and composed while giving any mock test or any paper. This composure comes by itself when you have practiced enough. Try to attempt as much mock papers etc as you can..make mistakes and learn from them. But I used to do that only after I had revised everything and had full confidence in most of the topics. Also through attempting more test papers, you get to know your weaknesses and are able to focus more on them. So try to develop exam temperament through the tests you give.

Best of luck to all aspirants!!!

Thanks, Kalpit for giving me the opportunity to reach out to many students through your blog."

Thanks, Shalabh!

Feel free to post your doubts here.

Also check : Best books for JEE , A complete JEE preparation guide, Organic Chemistry, Mechanics, Algebra, Motivation

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.

Getting Started with Computer Science-Part 2

Well, so starting with Computer Science becomes really tough, especially because no one knows where to. It happened with me a lot! I really wanted to study programming after JEE, but I didn't know where to. But I will tell you guys so that you don 't have trouble.

First things first, you can't rely on books to learn CS. You need to have access to the internet and online resources. Books are good for the theoretical parts(Data Structures and Algorithms, Discrete Math, theoretical CS, Cryptography, etc. I will tell you about these later on). So, you just need an internet connection to study.

So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, C++ is a good start. It's a good language with various applications, its still in use, and its accepted in almost all programming contests. Python is another good language for beginners, but its easy and has got its demerits as a first language(you will find it tough to move to C++ if you know Python as your first language, whereas learning Python after C++ is trivial). I'll tell you a step by step approach to learn programming.


1. Find a course on C++.

I personally recommend Bucky's C++ tutorials. They are easy to understand and to the point. If you watch and practice 2-3 videos every day, then you can easily finish it in 1 month. MAke sure you implement everything taught either on Ideone or on your Computer's IDE. The first video in this series explains how to install and use it. Follow the instructions well, I don't think there would be any issue. Don't move to the next video without understanding and practicing the previous one on your own.

There are many other courses on Coursera, Udemy, MITOCW, etc. but they are of some other languages. If you find a good one on C++ then its good. You can try it.. But I did this one(this is a pretty informal course, but I feel that formal courses should be done after you are done with the having the basics of one language on your tips. There are many places where you can practice questions. First be clear with all the basic functionalities and learn them by heart.

Another great website is www.learncpp.com. Its like a complete package.


2. Have a revision tool

After completing the above tutorial, you might wanna have a good revision tool. It can be a book, a website, an app, etc. I personally find books useful. Books have questions in them, and theory too. Reading a book will really tell you much more than what you can learn from an online tutorial. I guess you can start with this very famous book called Let us C++. I never used it, but I think it must be good. It will prove very beneficial after you have done Bucky's tutorials. This is not a very good book according to many people, but it will surely help you get the basics easily.

Also, there is this app called Sololearn, which is useful if you want to catch up the syntax of any language.

3. Get a practice source

There are tonnes of websites out there which contain questions for practice. A good one is SPOJ. I have linked the basic problems section. Solve them in the order of decreasing number of users(click on the users tab to arrange in decreasing number of users order). This can be done while reading the book(step 2). After you are thorough with it, you can move to the classical section and again arrange and solve. These are really nice problems and they are very useful for developing good coding skills. However, many of these problems involve the use of basic Data structures and some Algorithms(sorting, BFS, DFS, etc.), I'll be blogging about it later, for now, the basic problems are a good start.

There are many other sites like CodeChef, HackerRank, CodeForces, HackerEarth, etc. I personally find HackerRank good, but SPOJ is the best, because it requires thinking about the problem from scratch without any precoded stuff.


4. Learn how to use the internet to solve your problems

There a lot of resources online. Learn to google well. USe few keywords. When you see a compilation error, google it out(paste the exception type on search bar). You will definitely find a solution on StackOverflow. Similarly, if you can't solve say problem ID 3458, then google SPOJ 3458. Most probably you'll get an answer. This is a very important tip for aspiring programmers. I have started this recently, I think every one must know it from the start.


I personally feel this is a good strategy to learn how to programme, for the absolute beginner. After this, you should go for studying Data Structures and Algorithms, which I will post soon(once I am done with it :p)

Thanks and all the best!!! Feedback is welcome in comments, and do tell your friends about the CS section of the blog.

Also see-Getting Started with Computer Science- Part 1.

Getting Started with Computer Science- Part 1

I have completed a year at IITB, pursuing Computer Science and Engineering. This post will be for anyone who is interested in Computer Science, be it a middle school student, a class 12 student preparing for his/her school exam, or a college student who is interested.

I am not a 'hackerman type' coder, but I guess I know enough to set up a path for people who are about to start with programming. I know C++ very well, and I am pretty decent in Python, Java, and Lisp(taught in college, otherwise I would never have learned this beautiful language). I have recently solved a lot of competitive programming questions, and have also learned some basic Data Structure and Algorithms. I recently tried my hands on Android and Web Development(didn't go very far though, as of now).

There are always some questions which trouble beginners a lot. I had those questions in my mind too, when I was about to join college. Some of these include-

1. I guess I am too 'young' to do something magnificent like 'coding'.
2. I should wait until college to start. I should focus on my school and 'JEE' for now.
3. I don't know where to start.
4. Which laptop should I buy?
5. Why should I learn to code?
6. I fear I will break something.
7. I don't have a laptop. I guess I should not go into this field.
8. I am not in Computer Science branch in my college, I think I should focus more on my subject instead of learning Computers.
9. Which 'language' should I begin with?

This post will focus on these questions. I will be telling you more about resources, and what to learn first later(in a separate post). This post is more focused towards taking out all your fears out.


1. I guess I am too 'young' to do something magnificent like 'coding'.

Well, this used to happen with me too. Believe me, coding is something which even a class 6 student can do(or at least class 8). it is not a very huge thing. People think coding is something like building Google and Facebook. These companies employ thousands of highly trained individuals(only a few IITians from top colleges manage to land a job there). Please don't think too much in the initial stages, and focus on yourself. It's a skill acquired over years, and it's not tough if you keep yourself motivated. Programming is fun and everyone must learn it. It is a very easy thing, contrary to public opinion.


2. I should focus on school/JEE instead of doing this.

This is probably the stupidest reason for not learning to programme. I personally feel I should have started coding at an early age, say 6th or so, instead of learning Physics and all. I do understand that JEE is important. My advice is that if you are someone who is good at studies and is below class 11, then I guess you MUST take out an hour every day and learn how to code. You can stop if you are serious about JEE and continue it in class 11, and stop for a year, and continue after JEE. But if you are in class 9, and feel that it's too early/I should focus on JEE, then you are doing a huge mistake. I personally feel that these Olympiads and NTSE aren't really great stuff. Not very useful. Better learn to programme, if you are interested. It will help you in the long run. You can go for IOI too, which is highly valued(Adam D Angelo, the founder of Quora, is an IOI medallist too).
Bottomline is that if you are below 11th, start ASAP if you have even the slightest of interest. Else focus on JEE, if not already started.


3. I don't know where to start.

Well, see this post for that(will be updated soon). First, I want you to realize that programming isn't tough or something magical. I'll be putting up the post on resources and where to begin after a few days.


4. Which laptop should I buy?

Pretty much anything will do but have a look at this post to see more about laptops.


5. Why should I learn to code?

Well, I can write a 1000 page book on this. Basically, everything today(and even more in future) depends on computers, and hence on programmers and computer scientists. Your mobile phone works cause someone has coded the software. Heard of those self-replicating robots and all? They involve a branch of Computer Science called 'Machine Learning', which is a subpart of 'Artificial Intelligence'. Your bank details, passwords and login credentials of your Facebook account are secure due to secure Cryptosystems in place(another branch of Computer Science). You might not be knowing it, but you already know a lot of Computer Science! You might be knowing many Algorithms like Eratosthene's Sieve, Greedy Algorithms, Linear Search, etc. without even knowing! Engineers, Medical Scientists, Mathematicians, and probably every imaginable field of science is benefitted from the existence of Computers in some way or the other.

Talking of materialistic benefits(although I am a sophomore), CSE has got really good research and job prospects. Every company, startup and research project needs good quality Computer Scientists/Software Engineers. Computer Science is the future. You can practically go to any field of interest if you are into it. So yeah, it's definitely worth trying!


6. I fear I will break something.

Lol, no way. Quoting Professor Umesh Bellur from IIT Bombay, CSE is one of the few fields where you can't break anything. Every other field includes some or the other physical device, but in CSE, you are just using your computer. Unless you are really unlucky, nothing happens to you or your laptop at all! Don't be afraid of anything and focus on learning.


7. I don't have a laptop/PC. I can't code!

Well, there are many online IDEs(basically a website where you can type code and it will act like a laptop where you are coding) like Ideone. I use this sometimes, and I find it really great. You can use your phone(I assume you must be having a phone which supports Internet) and go to Ideone, and code there while learning from online resources. So, laptops/PCs won't be a real issue, but it's recommended you use one.


8. I am not in Computer Science branch in my college, I think I should focus more on my subject instead of learning Computers.

Well, read point 5 again. I don't know much about placements and all, but I have heard from seniors that even if you are from a non-CS branch, you can get a career in CSE provided you study well. If you are interested, go for it. To learn a skill is better than not learning anything.


9. Which 'language' should I begin with?

This sounds very naive to me now, but there was a time when I used to ask the same question to everyone, and it's perfectly fine. Well, Computer Science is not about learning n number of language. Language is just a means of communicating with the computer. There are hundreds of programming languages, and everyone has its merits and demerits, and different use. Most complex structures like Facebook use many languages. You need to pick up one language first. Once you are good with its concepts, you can pick up any language.

I personally feel that C++ must be your first language. I will put up resources about it in another post, soon. Stay tuned.


So, this was it. I hope all your doubts are clear now. Hopefully, this post must have cleared many of your doubts and misconceptions. You can see this post for the second part, where I'll be telling where should a guy who hasn't touched a computer in his life go to become a programmer.

I hope you liked the introductory post for the Computer Science section of my blog. Do share with anyone who might be interested. Thanks, and feedbacks welcome as comments below.


Also see: Getting Started with Computer Science-Part 2

Strategy to solve I.E. Irodov

You can refer this answer for a discussion on Irodov, my pattern to solve it, and how you should solve it.

You can find the solutions to Irodov in these books. These are in the latest edition, so you can order them from here-



These are the solutions I consulted, and they are really clear and crsip. Note that the second book might get out of stock soon, so you can use the kindle edition. It's economical, and environment friendly. Also, you must try a question on your own until you really need the solution.

Here is a list of problems from Irodov which are in JEE syllabus(sorry for the sideways orientation) :p.

Also see: Best books for JEE preparation, Organic Chemistry, Mechanics, Algebra, Motivation

Informal post(1,00,000 views)

We have reached 1 lakh views on the blog in a very short span of time(i.e. 2 months of active writing). Thanks to everyone who has viewed/followed my blog.

There are many people who visit the blog but don't follow it. If you are interested in the content, do follow it via email/blogger(both the options can be found in the right sidebar and its recommended to do both). It will help you get notified about the latest posts.

Also, today is my father's birthday too!!! All this in one day is huge. And Elon Musk and Helen Keller too have their birth date today.

Anyway, you will be seeing such informal posts time and again, so that you don't get bored :p

Thanks to everyone again!

College101- An Introductory guide for about-to-be college students

So, exams and results over. Most of you would have already decided whether to take a drop or not. If not, see this. So, this post will guide you about the Do's and Don'ts for college, based on many messages, emails, and comments I have been seeing over the last couple weeks. I'll be doing this as a Q&A session, based on the questions most requested to me.

1. Which college is the best for me? I am yet to decide my choices for counselling.
Well, check this out, this is a complete guide to choose your choices. Also, please consult people from all the choices you are filling. You can discuss your doubts here. This group has people from all colleges. Also, see this post. It will help you. Finally, I must say that it's your choice to go for a particular college/branch. I am not at blame if you end up choosing something you don't like. Consult many people and decide.

2. What should I do in the 1-month break I have before joining college?
Well, you had been studying for a long time, so I suggest you enjoy this time. You can pick up a hobby, learn to code, spend some time with family and friends, etc. In my case, I watched a TV Series called 'The Big Bang Theory', learned to play the Guitar, made up my Facebook page(like it for interesting stuff on JEE, college, and computers), visited a lot of places, etc. This time is precious as it won't come again. I strongly recommend learning to code in this break. It is because it is fun, every college has a course on Programming, and it's a must-have skill today.

3. How to learn to code in this break?
There are plenty of resources out there on the Internet. I strongly suggest you to learn C++ as a first step. You can do it first by seeing this playlist by thenewboston(really nice work). You will not get everything in the first try, but keep on trying. You can use this book along with these tutorials. For problem practice, I recommend you to practice a bit on SPOJ. Go to the basic problems sections, arrange them in the order of decreasing number of users, and solve around a 100. If you do this you will become really good at coding and will ace the first year(irrespective of whether you are in CS or not). You should see these articles-Getting Started with Computer Science- Part 1 and Getting Started with Computer Science- Part 2

4. Should I buy a laptop for college?
Well, if you have a financial problem, then you don't need to for now, because every college has a Computer lab, but still having one is immensely useful. Everything in college depends on your laptop, and you must buy a good one. If you haven't thought of buying a laptop yet, and plan to do it later, DON'T. Get it now, and get used to it, code a bit, play with it. A good laptop must have an i3 or above processor(7th gen or above), 4/8GB RAM or more, a decent Graphics card, and a good hard drive(SSD preferred, or 1TB hard drive at the minimum). Currently, many back to college and cashback offers are available on Amazon, so you might want to buy from these links. I have searched for the best laptops available in every range(arranged in increasing order of price). Some of these(the cheap ones) don't have OS, you can install Windows(paid) or Ubuntu(free)

Asus Vivobook X541UA-DM1358D (Intel i3 7100U (7th Gen)/4 GB DDR4/1TB/Intel HD Graphics/DOS) - Silver

Lenovo Ideapad 320E 80XL0378IN 15.6-inch Laptop (7th Gen Core i5-7200U/4GB/1TB/Windows 10 Home/2GB Graphics), Onyx Black

ACER E5-575G/Ci5-7200U/4/1TB/W10/2GB GRAPHICS/BLK NB (NX.GDWSI.007)

Dell Inspiron 15 3000 3567 15.6-inch Laptop (7th Gen Core i7-7500U/8GB/1TB/Windows 10 with Office 2016 Home and Student/2GB Graphics)

Apple MacBook Air MQD32HN/A 13.3-inch Laptop 2017 (Core i5/8GB/128GB/MacOS Sierra/Integrated Graphics) (If you can afford 60k, do go for it. Apple is a class apart, unless you are into gaming

HP Pavilion 15-CC129TX 2017 15.6-inch Laptop (Core i5/8GB/1TB/Windows/Integrated Graphics), Silver

Microsoft Surface Pro (Core-i5 7th Gen/4GB/128GB/Windows 10 Pro/Integrated Graphics), Silver

2018 Flagship HP Pavilion 14" WLED HD Premium Business Laptop - Intel Dual-Core i5-7200U up to 3.1GHz 16GB DDR4 1TB HDD B&O Play 802.11ac Bluetooth HDMI USB Type-C Webcam Backlit Keyboard Win 10

The list is by no means exhaustive, but I have tried to cover laptops of all range. If you are too lazy to buy one from out, you can order from here, I have taken this list from various tech websites and personal experience. You will find them good. Avoid watching a lot of TV series/movies.

5. How to survive in college?
Every college has a different culture of study, extracurriculars, etc. Talk to seniors and develop a healthy relationship with them. Ask them about the study patterns. And talk to many people. And try to adjust against feelings like homesickness, lack of friends,etc. Develop confidence and avoid bad habits.

This was all. If you have any more doubts, feel free to comment here.

Coordinate Geometry, 3D, and Vectors

This is usually counted among the tough topics. Because it involves a lot of formulae and calculations(at times) and hence costs a lot of time during exam. You might wanna be very fast in calculations before moving here. So prepare your algebra well!

So, the topics will be 

1. Straight Line and Basics- This is the most important chapter because this forms the basis of other chapters. There would be various forms of lines, and you must be familiar with each and everyone of them. There would be lots of definitions in this chapter(orthocentre,incentre,etc.)Lots of formulae, learn them all by heart.  Shift of origin and family of lines are two important topics which will help you solve questions fast. Practice a lot, and different types of question, don't solve 10 questions of the same type. Solve 10 questions of 10 types(i.e.1-2 questions of each type).

2. Circles and Conic sections- You must be well prepared with formulae of equations in standard form, parametric form, positions of foci, vertices, length of latus rectum,etc. tangent, normal, etc. Joint equation of curves and lines is very helpful at times. There are a few special results(e.g. reflection properties of parabola and ellipse). It's tough to remember them all in one go. Take your time and try to apply them in questions to learn them. Do a lot of locus problems. Again, lots of types, and solving many problems of different types will help you.

3. Vectors and 3D- 3D is just a continuation of 2D Geometry. Have a good thinking of the problem in 3D. It will help you. Again, formulae-remember them. You won't face much problem in 3D. Vectors would give you problems :p. Well, try to think of vectors in terms of 3D when in trouble. There are a few standard techniques(taking dot product, cross product with something, etc.) try to implement them and see if they help. Keep on solving a variety of problems. Various lines forms get confusing. Tricky questions can be easily formed in vectors. Try to think of all the formulae available to you. It will surely help. Again, this is mostly based on revising and practicing. 

So, Coordinate Geometry, Vectors and 3D are mostly calculation based, with a handful of central concepts which apply to all the problems and situations. If you study it deeply you would find beautiful connections between various formulae and situations. I'll leave them for you to discover(NCERT style :p).

BOOKS

As usual, if you go to a coaching, follow that book. If you don't you can take this book from Resonance. I can't find the link for other books, so you'll have to take the ones mentioned below(I was from Resonance and found their study material pretty good).

If you want more practice, go for Arihant coordinate geometry and Vectors and 3D.

S.L. Loney is another beautiful book, with some very good questions. It is surely worth solving, if you have time. Apart from this, A. Das Gupta has some really nice questions in 2D coordinate geometry. Do solve them if you want a very good grasp and rank.

So, do well in coordinate and Vectors and 3D. They carry a huge weightage. They need some revision and practice. Give your best, and let me know if you have any doubts by commenting below.

All the best!!!

Also see : Calculus, Algebra, Trigonometry, Best books for JEE

Trigonometry-Tough and easy

This is going to be a short post because Trigonometry is quite a small portions. However, it is fundamental to the rest of mathematics, and you must be good in trigonometry before moving towards other chapters.

The basic rule of Trigonometry is the same as that of Mathematics in general- remember all formulae by heart and practice as much as you can. There are 50+ formulae in my short notes. And you need to remember them by heart(most formulae are symmetric and can be learnt by short tricks). Practice makes you familiar with all the tricks of the game, and you begin to get 'clicks' in your mind whenever new problems come up.

The first chapter is identities. Lots of formulae and tricks. Can't do much apart from practicing a lot and remembering formulae well.

Then comes Trigonometric equations. Almost the same, just few more formulae for the standard solutions. Be careful with intervals of pi and all. And practice few questions based on graphs, pretty common in JEE.

Next is SOT. Very nice chapter. Important from KVPY and Olympiad point of view. Again, lots of formulae, and the trick lies in massive problem solving.

Then comes Inverse Trigonometric functions. This one is easy. Remember the principal values, do a little bit of tweaking by a factor of pi(carefully) and you are done.

Basically, trigonometry is an easy portion. But question wise, it can be tough as hell. The only thing you can do is practice, practice, and practice. From the books below.

BOOKS

As usual, coaching books are the best for maths. If you are studying on your own, get the book by Resonance. For extra practice, Arihant is the best. If you want more practice of a basic level, go for S.L. Loney(its a bit old fashioned though). For those who love challenges, go for A. Das Gupta. It has the toughest questions from trigonometry among all other books(even I had tough time solving them).

So, as usual, study hard, practice a lot, and comment down your queries below.

All the best!!!

Also see: Motivation, Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, Vectors and 3D, Algebra, Best books for JEE, Organic Chemistry, Mechanics,

Algebra-Where it all begins...

This is a portions which is divided between 11th and 12th. Anyway, I'll go chapterewise-

1. Basics of JEE Mathematics- This basically involves stuff like Logarithms, Graph making, equation solving, polynomials, identities, etc. Now this is really basic stuff and you must practice it really well in order to do well ahead. It might be tough for some students in the beginning, but make sure that you keep on trying it. Eventually you will have a good grasp on it.

2. Sequence and Series and Quadratic Equations- These two are relatively easy chapters and you just need to be good with formulae and practice well. It will seem tough, because you aren't used to this stuff(class 10 habits), but just keep on trying and you willl do well.

3. Permuations, Cominations, Probability, and Binomial theorem- Well Binomial isn't that tough a thing. There is just one formula, some calculations, and a few question types. Master them all. And remember the summation formulae for various types of series involving nCr. The real challenge comes in P&C and Probability. There are lots of tricky questions. Its completely based on your thinking skills. Here too, the key lies in practicing and trying to remember the approaches behind everything. This helps a lot. And try to solve tough questions, and then make sure you see where you went wrong(if you did) and remember the approach. Probability is the same in terms of strategy. Give importance to Conditional Probability and Bayes theorem.

4. Matrices and Determinants-This is quite a straightforward chapter. Simple concepts and calculations. Just questions can be tough, which can be the ones involving calculations on equations like A=BC, etc. Use properties of inverse and practice these kinds of questions well. Some good questions can be formed by involving previous topics. Prepare well for these.

5. Complex number-This is a good one. Be used to polar representation. It helps, and use concepts of Binomial Theorem and Trigonometry here when needed. Again, practice.

As you can see, Algebra is pretty straightforward. All it needs it regular commitment from you and practice. Maintain short notes to list important formulae and concepts. And revise it and questions regularly to get a good grasp.

BOOKS

Go for a good coaching material as your main source. You can use these books by Resonance if you don't go to coaching. I used these and found them pretty useful.

For extra practice, you can solve books by Arihant. If you need even more practice/alternative practice book, then you can refer to A Das Gupta's book. It has some really great questions, and they are much better than any other study material. Must solve if you are aiming for a rank in top 50/100.

You must refer to previous papers too, so I have attached the Kindle edition of past JEE papers too. Kindle edition is easy, and you can use the Kindle app for reading it.

All the best, and comment out your queries!

Also see: Trigonometry, Coordinate Geometry, Vectors and 3D, Calculus, Best books for JEE

Calculus-The toughest portion in JEE Math, let me make it easy

This post will be about calculus- considered to be the toughest topic in Mathematics. I'll be covering what all must be taken care of while doing it, and the best books to be followed. Remember that calculus, and Mathematics in general is a deciding factor in JEE(Advanced). Physics and Chemistry can be done easily by a student who has studied well in 11th and 12th. Mathematics needs lots of patience and practice, and critical thinking skills.

If you are in 11th, then pay special attention to Mathematics, because it is the most important, if you aim for a top rank(but don't ignore other subjects). If in 12th or dropping, don't worry, you still have a lot of time.

So, topicwise discussion-

1. Functions- Well, since Mathematics is more about practice, all I can say is to practice a lot. Still, in this chapter, make sure you know the definitions well. Make sure that you know the graphs of various functions, and know how to plot graphs and solve equations.

2. Differentiation-Relatively easy. Lots of formulae, but they are used so often that you easily become used to them. Revise the formulae for standard derivatives and rules to remember them well. Application of Derivative part is really very important. It is linked with Coordinate Geometry and so carries even more importance. Practice all kinds of questions well. Another important type of questions involves using Rolle's and Lagrange's theorems. They are tricky, and understanding the derivation well helps.

3. Integration- This is easily the toughest chapter in JEE mathematics. It involves all chapters of mathematics- Trigonometry, Coordinate Geometry, Algebra, etc. So, first things first-rememeber all the formulae pretty well. Be regular from day 1. Most students don't learn formulae well, and as a result, they feel that their Maths is weak. It is not the case. There are perhaps 50-100 formulae in Integration, and you must learn them all. Practice helps in this. Another thing is strategies. There are lots of problem-solving strategies in this chapter, and revise them regularly. Then comes practice. Tough things become easy only through practice. Use your coaching material and revise well using these books.


 BOOKS

The best book for Calculus is one issued by coaching centres. They are quite comprehensive and have all the concepts, and all types of questions. I used Resonance material and found it pretty good. You can use it too(if you are studying on your own)-

Coming to books for extra practice, you should definitely go for Arihant. I used it and found it pretty awesome. Apart from these, I don't think any other book is required. Foreign author books aren't useful for JEE. Do past papers as mentioned in the books post.

Do let me know if you have any doubts in the comments section.

All the best!!!

Also see: Algebra, Trigonometry, Coordinate Geometry, Vectors and 3D, Best Books for JEE

Physical Chemistry- The easiest numericals you'll ever find

Yeah, you heard it right! JEE is well known for its tough numericals- Be it Physics, Mathematics or Chemistry. But Physical Chemistry is the easiest of all three, because most questions asked from Physical Chemistry in JEE(Advanced) are simply based on formulae.

But this is where things get tough- there is no good book available in the market for JEE! This is in contrast to other subjects where there is at least one book available in the market which can be your god book. So, you might need to resort to coaching class material for this. Anyway, I'll come to that later.

So, topic wise, majorly we have the following to be covered-

1. Mole concept- This is the first chapter(and probably the running chapter for class 11 students). This is a simple chapter(although it might be looking tough right now). Be clear with balancing equations, and various methods for that(you might be taught redox stuff later, but if you are being taught redox reaction now, then do remember the rules well). This chapter is nothing but simple balancing and simple mathematics. Be quick with calculations. The key to this chapter is massive practice. Practice a lot. As much as possible. This chapter is the starting point of many chapters and you must do it well in order to understand future topics well(for class 11 students). Solve a lot of questions from coaching/books.

2. Atomic Structure- This chapter is immensely important. There was a paragraph of 3 questions in 2017 from this topic. Also, this will come again in 12th in Physics, so it well now, so that you can do well in 12th. There are a lot of formulae. Make sure that you are thorough with them, and make their list. Revise t daily when the chapter is going on, and half the job is done. This is a fundamental chapter, be clear with electronic configurations and exceptions(Copper and Chromium I guess :p). This is a big chapter and usually takes a month or more to cover, so be patient and do it regularly or you will be stuck. The questions are usually conceptual, and don't need much(don't misread it, I mean less, not none) practice except for getting used to formulae, but read theory well. Don't ask too many questions in Quantum Mechanics, and be ready to accepts facts and formulae(Heisenberg, De Broglie concept, etc.). Chemistry Olympiad has some really good questions from here.

3. Gases- Closely linked with Mole Concept, just one equations. Practice a lot, as there are many types of questions in this topic. Also, do some graph based problems too(very common in JEE. e.g.- draw a P,V graph for T= constant/ some function of P,V). Van der Waal equation looks scary, but its easy and remember the concepts of non- ideal gases well.

4. Chemical Equilibrium- A very important chapter. It links with it around 50% of Physical Chemistry. This chapter is highly conceptual, and requires good understanding. Clear every doubt which comes to your mind. Practice a lot of conceptual questions, specially from Le Chatelier principle. Olympiads have a good number of questions from Chemical Equilibrium.

5. Ionic Equilibrium- Based on Chemical Equilibrium, but has many formuale and conditions for acids bases. Practice and revise a lot. Be careful about which cases apply(strong acid/ salt/ buffer etc.) This chapter will fool you a lot. Apply approximations carefully. Sometimes they can be wrong. Practicing numericals is the key here. Some really good questions can be formed from this chapter. Writing down all possible equations helps(acid/base, buffer, solubility, etc.).
 
6. Thermodynamics- Another highly conceptual chapter. This is related to Physics, so study it well. Some conventions are different in both chapters, so be clear about them. This is linked to Chemical Equilibrium, so be ready for mixed type questions. There are a few equations in this chapter, and remember them well. Practice questions well, like in Hess' Law and different types of questions using First Law. Second law has many conceptual questions, so practice conceptual questions well from this part.

7. Solid State- Relatively easy, but requires good 3D sometimes. There is a tiny bit of memorization(voids, free space, geometry, coordination number, etc.). Learn  it well. It will boost up your speed. Remember the facts about defects and all. BE clear with radius ratio calculations and all those concepts. Practice and learn them for once, and they will stay for long.

8. Solutions- Easy one, there are a few formulae(Raoult's law, Henry's Law, and Colligative properties). Remember them, read NCERT, and practice a few questions.

9. Surface Chemistry- Very few concepts, and is mostly based on learning the stuff in NCERT. Just learn well, and be clear with the (small numb er of) concepts(calculating charge sign using the type of suspended particle, etc.) involved.

10. Electrochemistry- Have a thorough understanding of Ionic Equilibrium before you move here. Lots of concepts and formulae, and be clear with them. It is easy to get confused between positive and negative terminals. Practice a lot, and understand the derivations well. There are a lot of tough questions and that too of many types. Be clear with every type and do it again and again until you are crystal clear. Mixing of ions Ionic conduction, and Kohlrausch's law are few more topics which need practice. Overall, this is relatively challenging and requires lot of revision. Be patient and give some time to it. Important from Olympiad point of view too.

11. Chemical Kinetics- This is mostly mathematics. Do a few questions on calculating rate laws,etc. Not too tough, but important(specially for Chemistry Olympiad). Then there is Arrhenius equation and collision theory and related theory. Read it a few times, solve some questions and you are done.

12. Nuclear Chemistry- Again, linked with Physics. Mainly has questions from radioactivity and stability. For stability, remember the rules(magic numbers, even odd, etc.). And then there is some theoretical stuff. Study it well from some good books.

This was the topic-wise analysis of Physical Chemistry.

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BOOKS-

To be honest, there aren't many good books available for theory out there, so your coaching teacher/sheet has to be your godbook. If you study on your own, then you can use the study material of a coaching. I was from Resonance and found it pretty good, so I will recommend their material. It was upto mark and had good questions. If you have access to some other material then you can do it too.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     
For practice I recommend P. Bahadur. I have heard that R.C. Mukherjee is another good book(I didn't solve it). You can see Wiley's book which a friend used. It might be good too(it has theory as well as questions). I won't recommend too many books, as it confuses students. Buys either Resonance material/ Wiley for theory and P. Bahadur/R.C. Mukherjee for Practice. If you are interested in theory, you can go for Bruce Mahan. It has awesome theory. Bit off-track for JEE, but builds concepts well(specially Atomic Structure is given really well in this book). Reading NCERT is a must.

                                                               

So, basically Physical Chemistry has easy numericals and little tough conceptual questions. So, practice well where needed, and revise well where conepts/formuale are many. Reading NCERT, and making good class notes is highly advised.

For Olympiads, see this.

All the best, and do let me know if you wanna know something more in the comments!

Also see: Books for JEE, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry.

After JEE 2018 : Choosing branch and college, and taking a drop

Disclaimer: The views presented here are mine(and based on some facts in few cases) and I would not be responsible if anyone ruins his/her future by reading this. Choose carefully and consult multiple people.

See opening closing ranks of previous years here : JoSAA site. Take a look and look at the seats available and possible at your rank.

So JEE 2018 is over and results are out too. Congratulations to all those who did well. Now comes the real dilemma. Which college to choose? Which branch to choose? Should I drop? Should I take a partial drop?

First, I'll come to droppers. You might be thinking that taking a drop is a waste of an year. While its true in a sense, but if you feel you can score more next year, then surely go for it. It won't make a difference in the long run. Plus college life is tough and you get to stay in coaching(the best phase in my life till now) for another year. Its a blessing in disguise. Droppers know what all mistakes they committed and can easily make up for it. You don't have boards and all. If you feel you can improve your performance significantly, then do go. I have seen people achieve a lot in drop year. However, if you are getting an IIT/ BITS with a good position(compared to your potential) then you should join it. Drop only if you feel you didn't study well in 11th/12th and are willing to study now. Or if you messed up the paper real bad, and will ensure you won't do it the next time. If you studied hard enough and still didn't make it, there isn't much point in repeating as you probably won't make a difference in another year. People will call you dropper, get over it and don't listen to them. Prepare well. You aren't wasting time if you are studying well in drop year. Try to get into a coaching class if possible. Partial drop isn't recommended because it is really tough to study for JEE in college. But some people have done it in past. A friend of mine changed from BITS Pilani to IIT B Electrical. But again, better focus on one goal.

Coming to those who won't be dropping, I recommend you to read the above paragraph too, so that you will understand that dropping isn't a bad idea if you can improve your rank. Anyway, coming to the point, I guess the preference of choosing a branch and college should be-

Old IIT 'good' branch >BITS Pilani 'good' branch=Old IIT 'okayish' branch> New IIT 'good' branch= BITS Pilani 'okayish' branch= top NITs > New IIT okayish 'branch'=other BITS.

Note that this order is pretty rough, and consult seniors from colleges for more information. But this is the general guideline. Some more myths which have to cleared are -

1. IITB= IITD= IITK So if you live in Delhi and feel that you would waste your opportunities by not joining IIT Bombay, it's a myth, and stay in Delhi if you wish to stay close to home(only if your branch is better/same). Last year a student in top 5 AIR chose to stay in IITD as his home is near it. And IITD has the almost the same prospects as IITB.

2,. While IIT tag is important in society, BITS Pilani has a very good research/placement/future prospects. So join BITS Pilani if you are getting it, instead of joining new IITs just for the IIT tag.

3. If you don't have an idea of what to do and have a good rank, opt for CSE/ Electrical because these have good prospects in future. You can always change your branch after first year to 'lower' branches, but changing branch to CSE is tougher than shifting low.

4. Please don't join IIT Bombay 'low' branches instead of say, BITS Pilani CS, thinking that you will change your branch to a good one. IITB has many top 3000 AIRs in it, and to change branches you need to be in top 1000 or below of 10000 IITians. It is tough. Only 10-12 students get into CSE after branch change, and you have to be top 10 in a college which has many top 100 AIRs in it. Still many have done it, and it is not impossible. So go for it if you feel like, and take an informed decision.

5. Top IITs have a good reputation everywhere. IIT Bombay boasts of a rich culture and is quite active in many fields like Entrepreneurship, Cultural activities, Tech clubs, etc. If you are into one of these things, IITB might be suited for you. But it is competitive too. If you join Old IITs 'okayish' branches, you get to stay with people who are better than you at that point(almost all top 50 rankers would be there). It causes some people to move into depression, and on the other hand it gives a healthy competition to many people. Many people who get into IITB regret it, because its too competitive, and even after getting good JEE ranks, many are unable to cope up. People who take up CSE/Electrical in new IITs are happier. Because they are the toppers in their college, as compared to the case where they would be last rankers in IITB or IITD, and get more time for other stuff. New IITs although having relatively poor infrastructure and opportunities, give more peace than the highly competitive old IITs. These things are important too.

Coming to my college(IIT Bombay), if you are someone who is into cultural activities/technical clubs/startups, someone who can deal with pressure, and someone who can manage time well, then IIT Bombay is for you. But don't get too lost into other activities too much, this is not your aim.

If you are someone who is 'different' and want to pursue research/non ' conventional' branch(like Aerospace engineering/Aeronautics/Physics/Mathematics etc.)then I highly encourage you to pursue it. Try to get the best possible college for these topics(if you are clear with your goal). You will simply love your job/branch. Don't listen to others saying that you should join this/that branch. Follow your heart, but again, think wisely.

There are some other good colleges like IISc, IIITH, IISER, CMI, etc. I have no idea about them, except for the fact that they are really good and reputed.Consult people from these places for more information.

This was all I had to say, and  I'll sign off with these words which many elders say that college/IITs/branch are temporary things. What matters is your dedication and hardwork. And it really doesn't matter which college are you in as long as you are happy. A happy person in a private/local college is much better off than a sad/depressed person at IIT Bombay : )

P.S.- I'll say it once more, I am only one year into college, and I might have been bit biased towards IITs. This is what I had inferred from the internet and seniors. Sorry for any wrong information, and do consult people from your possible colleges and research well. Ask as many people as possible and don't get confused. Take your time and discuss with your family members too. And finally, it's your call. You are responsible for taking your life's choices more than anyone else. Also, no offence meant to any college. 'Good' and 'Okayish' are the branches labelled by society and the trend, and not me.