If you don’t try new things in life, you will never learn: Prerita Chawla

I completed my 10^th grade from an ICSE school where one of my electives had been Commercial Applications which was my weakest subject and I never enjoyed it. Hence, the question for me was whether I should opt for Science or Humanities. It was quite easy for me to narrow down on Science because I had always been inquisitive, enjoyed learning about how things worked and functioned whether it was chemistry or in the body. I was passionate about language but considered it a hobby.

Most people in Science opt for either medicine or engineering. However, I never considered myself to be a person who would enjoy working on machines, motors etc. Neither was I the kind who would enjoy learning the human anatomy or physiology. But I did always appreciate Science and had good understanding of the same.

A good way to understand your interests is to keep reading about everything till you reach your passion. After a lot of reading on very diverse topics, I was drawn to the idea of research. I started talking to people associated with that field, read about it and realized it would be the best fit for me.

In India, since research is still in the growth stage, very few institutes offer a good exposure and understanding of the field. The best research institutes in the country are IISc and IISERs.

I opted for a BS-MS integrated programme at IISER Bhopal. The programme directly gives me a Masters, which is essential if I plan to pursue career in pure sciences. It also gives me a much better exposure to all labs because the IISERs are known for promoting interdisciplinary field research. It gives me an edge over a BSc graduate because a BS and MS degree are considered worldwide while BSc’s is only an Indian concept. The curriculum is also designed in a way to provide us with practical knowledge and lab experience in a diverse number of fields across subjects which we may be interested in.

Hence, the curriculum is one of the best in the country for students interested in pure science and I would recommend it to anybody interested in this field.

How I did I crack IISER's admission process?

To get into any of the IISERs there are 3 possible routes and one gets their IISER depending on their preferences and their rank.

1.There is an entrance test held each year around the month of November, for the KVPY scholarship. Students clearing the exam are eligible for IISER.

2. Students with the top 10K ranks category wise in JEE Advanced, are also eligible.

3. Third is the one I got in through, the SCB Entrance exam route. This is held every year in month of June and is conducted by the IISERs’ themselves. To qualify to write the exam itself, one’s board percentage must fall in the top 1% of their respective boards.

Before appearing for my competitive exams, I did go for JEE coaching classes. I know several others who went for NEET coaching as well and a handful who prepared by themselves. So, it completely depends on the individual.

I also gave the KVPY entrance test, JEE Mains, JEE Advanced and BITSAT. However, I was not aspiring for an engineering college. But I earnestly wanted to get into either IISc or IISER.

College life

College involves a plethora of activities apart from academics. A big issue that I faced was that I found it difficult to come out of my little shell of academic life which had become my comfort zone due to XI n XII. Therefore, it did take me a while to start taking the initiative to participate. Try avoiding this, because this way we end up losing precious time which could have been used to learn a new skill or try something different.

Campus life is about creating new experiences. For example, we do have plenty of clubs for people with all kinds of interests ranging from coding, quizzing, gaming, open mic competitions, dance and music clubs. As well as extremely active sports clubs and clubs even for people who are interested in knowing more about Basic Science research in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Earth and environmental science. Despite all these activities it is most essential to maintain a balance between academics and extra curriculars.

At IISER Bhopal, we have a well-designed curriculum which is often quite hectic. In the 1^st year apart from having courses in all the afore mentioned Pure Science subjects we also had a Computer Science and Humanities course. We have extremely well-equipped, state of the art Under-Graduate labs which gives you a hands-on experience with the latest lab equipment in all fields.

I do enjoy attending a lot of the clubs myself such as the biology and chemistry clubs. I am part of the Basketball team and play tennis and volleyball from time to time. I participate in at least one event in each of our on-campus fests, whether it be debate in the Literary fest or events in our Science fest Singularity etc. I did participate in our in-house MUN as well. Each of these serve as great learning experiences and always help me grow a little more. However, I would love to increase my participation in these events as it gives me the opportunity to discover new facets of myself as well as contribute to this wonderful community that I am a part off.

Campus life - in any institute you go to - helps you grow in unfathomable ways. Yes, your concepts get stronger and you become independent which is a great feeling. But most importantly at each stage you learn to make your own choices and stand by them.

One learns to take the responsibility of their decisions and actions as well as the consequences whether good or bad. Which aids in our wholesome development as well as strengthens our character. Our understanding of the real world and people deepens considerably. Living all by yourself in hostel is an eye-opening experience, which everyone should receive at least once in their life. It is essential in today’s world where nothing can happen without human interaction. If you learn to navigate your way around college and hostel life you are already a winner in so many other spheres. 

About the Author:

My name is Prerita Chawla and I am a 2^nd year student at IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education & Research) Bhopal. I intend to pursue Life Sciences. Curious and inquisitive. I enjoy playing with words. I am adventurous at heart and prefer taking the road less travelled. I love learning from everything around me - books, people, art, stories etc. A believer of experientialism my motto is simple- If you don’t try it, you will never know it.