From JEE Struggles to UIET: A Journey of Resilience

My Unexpected Journey into JEE Prep

Unlike every Indian parent, my father asked me to go for Commerce. Since, I had no interest in Commerce, I chose Non-Medical. I never liked Mathematics, but, this was my only option. Within 2 months of schooling, I started preparing for JEE MAIN. Honestly, I had never heard of the exam before.

Backlogs, Stress, and Hope: The Road to D-Day

I joined an online coaching program and started with my classes. I had to attend school for 6 hours and then have 6 hours of online classes daily. After all these, I had to do self-study and DPPs for 3-4 hours. I used to have a maximum of 4-5 hours of sleep. Because of this schedule, I got many backlogs in Class 11. I started fresh in Class 12, leaving everything back, with all the stress, school drama, low scores, high hopes, bad health, etc. And, with all this going on, the D-Day came.

From Failed Attempts to JAC Chandigarh: My Journey Beyond JEE

My first JEE Mains attempt mixed with board practicals did not go that well. I scored a 96.4 percentile, which was not good, obviously. Then, I took my board exams. I scored 98% marks in Class 12 board exams. After the board exams, I went for my second attempt. I went to the center and started my exam. Then came the twist—MY FINGERPRINT COULDN’T MATCH! Basically, they scan your fingerprint twice. My second one didn’t match the first, and the invigilator said my exam would not be submitted without this. I had tears in my eyes with my 2-year struggle in my head. After so many failed attempts, and with the destruction of my mental health, the fingerprint match was made when 20 minutes were left for the exam. Trust me, at that moment, I was doing 2+2=5. With whatever strength I had left in myself, I finished the exam and left the hall. I scored a 96.57 percentile and secured a rank of 53180. Leaving everything behind, I started preparing for the JEE Advanced exam. A day before my 18th birthday, I gave the paper and got my mind free from the JEE. I couldn't qualify for the exam. So, the only question that I had at that time was, "WHAT TO DO NOW?"

I did not want to take a drop, and my rank did not help me get a good branch in top colleges. So, I applied to JAC CHANDIGARH for University Institute of Engineering and Technology(UIET) and JAC DELHI for Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW). I also applied to UPTAC, believing I had a strong chance . I thought I would get ECE at JAC Delhi, but, I got rejected. I didn't apply for JOSSA as I had no hopes of getting a good branch. Instead, I went for JAC CHANDIGARH. I got into this college through counseling.

I chose this college because I had heard a lot about the university. This college had decent placements and stuff.

New Friends, Greenery, and Fun: My College Life Journey

I made a friend in the college even before the classes began. The first time I visited the college for physical verification, I was so happy to see so much greenery in the college. I have a lot of fun with my friends during the lectures, in the canteen, and in the library as well. Breaks between lectures are the best time to have fun with each other. There are a lot of extracurricular activities such as sports club, literary club, etc.. I am also a part of some of them. The teachers are very supportive, knowledgeable, and motivating as well. Overall, the college is very good.

About the author:

Shreya is currently a first-year student of BTech in Information Technology department at the University Institute of Engineering and Technology. She tried very hard to score well in JEE and secure a seat in top BTech colleges but failed. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.