September 1999
I have friends from home who got into IIT Delhi through the NRI Quota. Here is my take on that: these students get into IIT on the basis of SAT scores, however the rest of the students prepare for 1-2 years for the JEE exam.
The difference is that the preparation for the JEE exam is hard
and "prepares" students for IIT. In IIT, every exam is like taking
a JEE exam. So the people who get into IIT with the NRI quota find it
hard to cope and usually trail the class. This is probably why the IITs
stop offering the NRI Quota now. However, I still think that anyone who
gets into IIT is getting one of the best educations in the world ... so if they
work hard, it will help them in the long run. Also, when you get out
of IIT, nobody knows how you got in - everyone thinks you got in
through JEE ! The best thing these students can do is prepare for JEE
and take it, even though they get in through the NRI quota.
Sumit Gupta
http://www.4bearsonline.com/sumitg
Please feel free to contact me at sumitg at ieee.org
Other Articles I have Written
- Comparison of Indian versus American Education
- My take on Master's versus PhD debate
- My impressions of working in the US and in India
Check out this article in Salon Magazine on the success of IITians
