Electrical Engineering Society

   

IIT Delhi

Akshat Srivastava

Electrical Engineering Society brings to you the interview of our very own General Secretary, Akshat Srivastava. He did a research intern from NTU Singapore and then an Industrial intern at ITC. Also, he was selected for the Foreign Exchange Program. Currently, he is an associate at Boston Consultancy Group. In this interview, he shares his pearls of wisdom for his juniors.

Image Of Akshat Srivastava

1.What were your most memorable moments at IIT? Could you describe any moments when you felt low at IIT and what you did to get back to normal?

Life is full of ebbs and flows and like most people in IIT, I have experienced both. One of the most memorable moments of my IIT life was when I saw the grades of my last semester. While most of my friends were enjoying their last semester, I was striving to get myself over the 9 CG mark, which I had lost in the 7th semester. A semester of hard work, uncertainty, doubts over choice of courses and I managed to secure my personal highest ever SGPA, highest in 4 out of 5 lecture courses (Never before had I got highest marks in a course in IIT :P)
The moment when I felt low: I was facing problems in securing an intern for the summer break after my 2nd year. I was not getting any positive responses, moreover my minor 1 exams didn't go as expected. That was the time when I felt a bit low but then I suddenly got three intern offers in three days!!! That turned into a marvelous experience.


2. Do you have any regrets from your time in IIT?

I could have tried my hand at Debating and some other Literary activities. I had some past experience in debating, elocution but since I was trying for a Department Change, I focused all my energy on academics in my first year. Later on, other commitments stopped me from participating.


3. What changes did you notice in your personality before and after IIT? How have your extra-curricular activities and internships been instrumental in causing this change?

Before IIT, I purely focused on academics. Now I believe I am more outspoken and have learnt key lessons of teamwork and leadership. In IIT, I was deeply involved in Electrical Engineering Society. I was also BSP journalist in my 2nd year.
While on FOREX, I realized that I like travelling, exploring new places and unique experiences, and it also enhanced my personality. Internships taught me the values of ownership, taking up responsibility and differences between academic and corporate life.


4. What words of advice would you give to your juniors - some things that they should do and things they shouldn't, some changes in the way of thinking, etc. Any specific advice for students of any particular year?

I think that CGPA is important. Not the most important, but a threshold value should definitely be maintained. This threshold can be determined based on your future goals. I have seen many good students suffer due to a low CGPA. I would like to advise my juniors to do internships to know their interests and broaden their horizons. IIT definitely gives you a perspective of the outside world.


6. Did you find Electrical Engineering branch exciting? Any specific advice for your juniors in this branch?

I think there are many diverse areas/fields included in Electrical Engineering branch. It is in some sense the "Mother of all branches". Students can pursue various interdisciplinary areas with EE. There is a lot of diversity and students can pursue diverse careers in the streams of Electrical, Computer Science and Robotics.




7.Have you been to any other IIT in these 4 years?

I have not visited other IITs but I went to INSA Lyon, France for foreign exchange and NUS, Singapore for research intern. The research facilities at both places are similar to IITD. The overall infrastructure at both places is better than that of IITD. LHC can be compared to other college buildings there but the blocks and hostels do lag far behind.


8. Have you found your passion? Many people face a dilemma over "what is that they would love to do in life". How did your time at IIT help you realise your future goals and what is it that you want to do in life?

My passion is exploring new things and new experiences. Therefore, I did my interns in different domains. I have taken a consulting job in where I can explore different sectors of the industry and may settle down in the future.


9. Many students find it difficult to balance academics and extracurricular activities. How were you able to achieve this balance?

I have held various PORs in IIT and have been able to successfully manage those with my academics. I tried to strive a balance between both by focusing on either of the two depending on the semester schedule. While close to exams I focused on acads, I worked wholeheartedly for clubs when I was slightly relieved of academic pressure. Working at EES became more of a passion for me rather than a mere CV point so the motivation came automatically and hence it never felt as a burden. This really helped me balance the two and get back to studying without feeling exhausted from EES work. So if any extracurricular activity develops into a passion for someone, they will not find it too hard to balance acads and ECA.