Fundaspring’s Post

I made a BIG mistake pursuing a DUAL DEGREE at BITS PILANI... 📚 Sunday Synergies. Sunday Stories. 📚 When I got my BITSAT results, I was hit with a dilemma. ➡ My score barely crossed last year’s cutoffs + Enrolled in another college. ➡ Didn’t want Mech/Chem, so the only option left was a Dual Degree. With hesitation, I chose MSc. Maths. (I was good at it, or I thought so😂) 1st Year? MANAGEABLE. ➡ I secured a decent GPA and thought I had most of it figured out. ➡ Little did I know, the real grind was yet to begin. 2nd Year? BRUTAL. ➡ Abstract math subjects drained me mentally—I scored miserably. ➡ My hatred for the subject only grew stronger. (Never want to look at - REAL ANALYSIS and TOPOLOGY again!) 3rd Year? PURE CHAOS. ➡ 34+ hours of classes and labs weekly, YES, that much! ➡ Continuous quizzes, assignments, and zero breathing space. ➡ Add Badminton Captain, Dance Club, Acads — Felt overwhelming. Those two semesters were a blur + physical and mental exhaustion. NOW? 4th Year? ADAPTED I'd say. ➡ The schedule is still hectic, but I’ve found a rhythm. ➡ The journey, though exhausting, has taught me tons! All this pressure that broke me, SHAPED ME. (cringe ik, but TRUE!) I still can't believe only 5-6 months of campus life are left, and I'd give anything to relive them again! The dual degree question? Stopped asking that a long time ago! The toughest and most unexpected decisions, lead to the best of times? #BITSPILANI #DualDegree #StudentLife #BITSGoa #CollegeJourney #TimeManagement #SundayStories #BITSAT #EngineeringLife

🎓Milestone Achieved - Post Graduation Completion🎓✌ Two years of rigorous coursework, countless assignment, late-night study marathons and endless balancing between work and academics - It has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. But today, i am thrilled to share that i have successfully completed my M.tech in Data Science & Engineering from BITS Pilani Work Integrated Learning Programmes ..!!! ✨ This journey wasn't easy. Juggling full-time work, research for my dissertation, experimenting and learning advanced concept while managing personal responsibilities. There were moments of sleepless nights, sacrifices of weekends and so on, but they only made the success feel sweeter. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my professors BITS Pilani Work Integrated Learning Programmes, peers, my mentor Kranthi Kumar Shankar and everyone who supported me throughout this academic journey. 🙏 Your guidance and encouragement have been invaluable. To those who are on their own learning paths — keep going! The journey might be tough, but it's worth every step. 💪 Here's to new beginnings, exciting opportunities, and bigger goals. Cheers to the next chapter 🚀 . #DataScience #BITSian #ArtificialIntelligence #MachineLearning

BITS Pilani’s New Biometric Attendance System—Is This a Game-Changer or a Misstep? Okay, so here’s the deal: BITS Pilani has rolled out biometric attendance, and for the first time, parents will have access to our attendance records. Yup, you read that right—mom and dad will know exactly how many lectures we’ve been skipping. Now, before you panic, let me clarify: BITS hasn’t tied attendance to exam eligibility—that policy still stands. Here’s why I’m not entirely sold on it: 1️⃣ Attendance Doesn’t Equal Learning Let’s be real—not every class adds value to every student. Some of us are out there chasing bigger dreams—whether it’s building a startup, preparing for competitive exams, or creating something meaningful. Forcing everyone into a one-size-fits-all routine might just clip some wings. 2️⃣ Parental Pressure is Real Can you imagine explaining to your parents why you skipped a lecture to prep for a pitch or meet a project deadline? Without context, every absence could turn into a long, stressful debate, and who wants that? 3️⃣ Innovation Needs Breathing Room BITS is known for its independent thinkers and trailblazers. But creativity doesn’t thrive in rigid routines. Policies like this might unintentionally stifle the very spirit that makes BITSians stand out. For me, learning has always been about more than just sitting in classrooms—it’s about exploring, taking risks, and sometimes skipping a lecture to work on something extraordinary. Instead of focusing on surveillance, shouldn’t we aim to build more trust and autonomy? What do you think? Is this policy the accountability boost we need, or could it be a step backward for student growth? Let’s talk 👇 #BITSians #StudentLife #EducationPolicy #Innovation #BitsPilani

🎯 0% Attendance @BITS PILANI: Blessing or Curse? At BITS Pilani, we have the unique freedom of 0% attendance. Sounds like a dream, right? But here’s the truth: Not everything that sounds good works out for everyone. Here’s my take after maintaining a near-perfect attendance record: ⏩ Structure is key: By attending all classes, I could stay consistent with my work. Instead of cramming weeks’ worth of content at the last minute, I could spend more time solving problems and PYQs, & focusing on extracurriculars. ⏩ Avoid the backlog trap: Many students see 0% attendance as a free pass to skip lectures. Sure, that freedom is tempting, but the reality? Backlogs pile up, and you’re left with immense stress and regret (oh, the “lite le” comment will bug you!). ⏩ Entrepreneurs use it smartly: Some of my friends building startups used the flexibility to work on their ventures. For them, missing classes wasn’t slacking off—it was strategic. They found ways to manage their coursework while growing their ventures, making the most of that freedom. I'll give you an example from both sides of the coin and let you make the decision- 1️⃣ I attended every class of one course this semester and still scored only average marks, while a friend of mine skipped nearly all classes, studied the entire textbook herself, and topped the exam! 📚 2️⃣ I got more time to practice each and every course's PYQs, and scored well in all other courses! 💯 So, while attendance doesn’t guarantee success, it definitely provides a framework that can save you from stress later. 💡 ❓ What’s your take: Is 0% attendance a blessing or a hidden trap?

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of revisiting a place I hold close to my heart – BITS Pilani. For me, it’s nothing short of a magic land, where I learned invaluable lessons about life, love, and friendships. Time truly flies, and it hit me hard as I realized it had been 25 years since I first set foot on this campus. So much has changed – and mostly for the better! The infrastructure is more advanced, technology is woven into every aspect of life, students are dreaming bigger than ever, and yes, the food is tastier too! However, it saddened me to notice a few things that have faded with time. The charm of endless lachha sessions – those deep, pointless, yet bonding conversations – seems to have waned. And the legendary kela rabadi and sam chat that once dominated local redis aren’t as popular anymore. What struck me the most, though, was seeing the declining ratio of girl students. The rising cost of education has made it increasingly challenging for many talented young women to pursue their dreams here. Despite this, I’m incredibly proud of the collective efforts of my batchmates. Together, we’re working to ease the financial burden for deserving girl students through contributions that will help ensure they don’t miss out on the opportunities this institution offers. But there’s still so much more to be done. If this resonates with you, I encourage you to join us in supporting this noble cause. You can contribute to the campaign here: https://lnkd.in/g8QtPNKm The campaign runs until December 31st, and every little bit counts toward creating a brighter future. Let’s make a difference together! #EngineeringJourney #PilaniMemories #Friendships #LifeReflections #25YearReunion #BITSPilani

Had an excellent wide-ranging discussion with LaShonda Rahming today about robotics, the importance of hands-on STEM experiences, how companies and STEM professionals can help students and the importance of real world problem solving in middle and high school. The latter is especially important as it shows students practical applications of technology and coding and gives them opportunities to create and prototype. It turns them from passive consumers of technology to active makers and systems thinkers. I am very impressed at her vision for her students and school and am looking forward to learning more on how to support it. A few opportunities available for students to exercise their problem solving skills are: 1. The Congressional App Challenge - I have been a judge for this competition and have been impressed at the range and creativity of students. It's a wonderful opportunity for all students. 2. BEST Robotics, Inc./BEST OF TEXAS ROBOTICS - this is more than a robotics competition. It's an engineering, marketing and problem solving competition masquerading as a robotics competition. Students get to create a company and present their marketing plans while also designing a robot to solve problems. This year's challenge - Zero-G - is a particularly challenging as the competition surface is non-linear and represents a low-gravity lunar-like surface. 3. National STEM Festival - a nationwide design competition. https://lnkd.in/gJqq2NTa 4. The TI Codes Contest (https://lnkd.in/gpQ4X5FJ) - f/d - I am one of the folks managing this contest but I wanted to include this since it is a wonderful engineering design contest that challenges students to use technology (code, sensors and imagination) to create a functional prototype. You can see winners and finalists from previous years on the website. All of these are in addition to science and engineering fair like the ones organized by Society for Science I hope students and educators all over take full advantage of these opportunities to explore how technology can help make our world a better place.

Getting into IIT doesn’t really matter if you can’t make the best of it. When you come from a small town with limited resources, the stakes are higher. You aren’t just working for yourself—you’re working for a generational shift. That mindset stayed with me throughout my time at IIT Bombay. Looking back, I can hardly believe what my final year there looked like. I took on more responsibilities than I ever imagined, but I knew this was my moment to push my limits. In an year alone, I: ↳Represented both MSc batches as an elected Master’s Representative. ↳ Served as the Academic Representative in the Post Graduate Academic Council (PGAC, IITB). ↳ Played a key role in organizing Genvision, the annual biotech festival of IITB. ↳ Organised Department Reunion Convocation for the batch graduating during COVID lockdown. ↳ Organised one more Department Convocation for our immediate seniors in the same year. ↳ Participated in cricket tournaments, despite an overwhelming academic commitments. ↳ Coordinated Ramadan Sehri for the fasting students at IITB and engaged in other cultural events. ↳ Successfully built and led Alig Mentors, during my time at IITB. ↳ Stayed at IITB during winter and summer break to give myself more time to explore research. ↳ Immersed myself in technical and cultural programs wherever it happened in the campus. All this while maintaining a 9.23 CPI. Because I knew it matters too barring few instances. But of course, all of this came at a cost. Weekends were tightly packed, and I had many sleepless nights to manage my academics alongwith everything I did. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Despite the challenges, I wouldn’t change a thing. The experiences and growth far outweighed any temporary discomfort or sacrifice. Did I want more time at IIT? Yes, without a doubt. The year flew by, leaving me wishing for more—more opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to that incredible community. Here’s what I walked away with: ↳ Invaluable exposure and experiences. ↳ A network of peers, mentors, and industry professionals. ↳ Time management and prioritization skills that comes so handy. ↳ Better self-awareness and an understanding of my potential to perform more than I could imagine. ↳ The satisfaction of making a positive impact through leadership roles within the academic community. The lessons and growth from that time have stayed with me. I'm don't regret the sacrifices and the missed weekend, as they laid the foundation for who I am today. What about you? Can you share an experience where pushing through discomfort led to your biggest growth? I’d love to hear your story. Image: A moment from the Farewell Program. (I'd to repeat a dialogue).

🚀 My Second College Technical Fest Experience: IIT Bombay Edition! 🎉 I'm thrilled to share my amazing experience participating in my second-ever college technical fest, and this time, it was hosted at IIT Bombay—one of the top institutes in the country! 🌟 The energy on campus was contagious, the atmosphere buzzing with innovation, creativity, and a drive to excel. I had the privilege of participating in an event called Code Decode, where my team and I gave it our all. Though we didn't make it to the top 5, the experience itself was incredibly enriching. 🧑💻 What I learned: 1. Accuracy is Key: As time goes on, I realized the importance of not just solving problems but doing so with precision and speed. Every second and every line of code counts. 2. Exposure Matters: Being in a setting like IIT Bombay opens your eyes to how much there is to learn. It pushes you to step outside your comfort zone and compete with some of the brightest minds. 3. Collaboration & Teamwork: Working alongside my peers taught me how crucial teamwork is in solving complex problems efficiently. 4. Resilience: We faced challenges, but those hurdles were stepping stones to learning something new. Sometimes, it’s not about the outcome but the journey that shapes you. This event has fueled my passion for coding and problem-solving even more, and I'm excited to take the lessons learned forward. Can't wait for the next challenge! 💪

🚀 Aspiring STEM students, it's time to level up your extracurricular game! 🌟 Whether you're into biology, coding, or robotics, there are endless ways to explore, innovate, and create. 💡 From interdisciplinary projects to citizen science, tech challenges, and beyond, our latest blog has you covered! 🔬👩💻👨🔬 Check out 10 Innovative Extracurricular Ideas that will boost your skills, expand your network, and help you stand out! 🙌 🌐 https://lnkd.in/gr8mgcdK #STEM #Innovation #TechChallenges #CitizenScience #Research #STEAM #QuantumComputing #FutureScientists