Avadh Singhal

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?

The moments that were most memorable for me are those when I worked in teams, interacted and shared ideas with people from all across the country. There is no specific moment as such which I’ll cherish the most.
After my department change I got a little distracted or got involved in many other activities and secured poor SGPA which was unusual for me considering my previous record. I talked to my parents and some seniors and realized that it had happened because I could not manage my time properly. So from the next semester, I started doing specific activities with focused attention instead of general activities.

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

I personally think I could have given more attention to academics. But having said this, I don’t really regret my participation in extracurricular activities.

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?

I was not very expressive of my ideas before joining IIT. After joining IIT and through my experiences here I have gained confidence and have become expressive.
I was involved in Dramatics club and was a journalist in BSP. These experiences helped in shaping my personality and helped me in improving my people skills.
My both internships were in core sector. One in ST Microelectronics and the other one in Texas Instruments. These internships helped me in applying my knowledge that I have gained here at IIT and the corporate environment improved my presentation skills (not just powerpoint skills :P).

4. What words of advice would you give to your juniors- some things that they should do, some changes in the way of thinking, etc. Any specific advice for students of any particular year?

I really don’t believe in Fundas as some people might call it. I think it is because of this strong influence of seniors on juniors that many students end up making the same choices that their seniors made. I would advise them to explore and make their own decisions rather than following their seniors blindly.
Now that you have asked, I’ll still share some views (follow at your own risk). I recall a friend of mine telling me that if we don’t work sincerely here in college then we are basically making all the efforts that we had put in to come this place worthless. I am not asking anyone to just focus on academics but would advise them to never stop learning.

5. What are some things that you would advise juniors not to do?

I have seen people getting distracted because of smoking/drinking and other substance abuse issues. This distraction should be avoided as much as one can.

6. What projects did you work on during IIT? Any favorite research stream? Did you find Electrical Engineering branch exciting? Any specific advice for your juniors in this branch?

I worked on memory cells during my SURA and genetic optimization algorithms during my BTP. I don’t think I was much of a research kind of person. But these projects always taught me much more than any course.
Though I have stated that I didn’t like the research. But if I compare electrical engineering with the other alternatives, it is more contemporary and was relatable for me. No specific advice to juniors.