IITians vs Non-IITians: I am a Snob, I deserve to be Proud

I have recently graduated from IIT Kharagpur and I am proud of my alma mater. Though, there are some great technical institutions in India and abroad, IITians have some good reasons to be snobs they are made out to be. Here are just some of them:

• IITs win you Friends for Life: Out of lakhs of students who appear for IIT JEE exams every year, just a few thousand get selected in the prestigious engineering institutes of India. So, basically you get to pick friends from hundreds of best of the best guys (and rare females) you study with. once you’ve joined. Four years of living together, common experiences, watching each other’s back, and fights make you friends for life. Interestingly, these friends may be from different parts of the country but are still so-much like you! These high-IQ people test your patience and become keys to boosting up your tolerance and understanding levels. Which other institute in India offers you such a great exposure to you?
• Excellent Networking Platform: Besides your peers, the ‘ragging’ called the ‘Orientation Program’ these days, bring you close to some of the seniors that become your mentors in the long run. From IIT hacks to life hacks, these ‘big brothers’ guide you about everything. They can give you a good brief on your professors, tell you some useful insights about subjects you can opt for in the next semester and may even be of great help in getting hold of a good internship or job once you reach the final year of your program.
• Abundance of Inspiration: No matter how many Olympiads you have won or what a champion you have been at school level, you always find someone better than you at IIT. These are people who are really ‘geniuses’ and quite talented too. You learn to respect others for their skills and use them as an inspiration to better yourself. On the other hand, when you mingle with people outside the campus, you get respect just because you are an IITian. This respect is less to do with you but more with the tag of being an ‘IITian’. It helps you cultivate a quiet confidence that becomes a part of your personality over the years. You start living the image imposed upon you – and then, you are called a ‘Snob’. But that isn’t that bad actually – considering the other advantages that it comes with.
• Holistic Personality Development: Besides honing their technical skills, IITs give you an opportunity to discover your other hobbies too – be it dramatic, music, sports, writing or event management. I bet no other Indian university or institute offers you as many extra-curricular options to you as IITs do. So many skilled people in the topics of your interest gathered at one place is something that most people never see during their college time. From time-to-time, LANs and DC++ networks at IITs also organise screening of thought-provoking movies and documentaries or guest lectures that open up your mind and may even provide you with a purpose for life.

In the end, I would like to emphasize that IITians learn to be fearless and face challenges head-on. Most of them live their lives on their own terms. How many non-IITians can claim that?