Hi everyone,
I am Sakshi Joshi, currently pursing my MS CSE at IIT Madras. Since the GATE results are out, I have wanted to write this post for a long time because I was in a similar phase as you, struggling to get a good rank but miserably failing because of a lack of consistent efforts from my side. Still, I managed to get into IIT Madras, which taught me huge life lessons. Philosophy aside, I wanted you to know that My gate rank was just 2890 when I joined as an MS student here, So the route that I followed is a bit different from that of a regular GATE student, which will still require hard work, but in case your GATE didn’t go as you expected it to be and you can’t afford to take year drop then, I think the resources which I share here and my approach might help you to get into your dream college.
My Score statistics:
GATE 2021[First Attempt]:
In GATE 2021, I didn’t apply anywhere as I feel that my concepts are not very clear, and I need to prepare more rigorously for the examination. I joined GO classes this year and realised I had a lot of gaps in my concepts and also I lacked practice.
GATE 2022 [Drop year after B.Tech]
For GATE 2022, I prepared some subjects well, and have a foundation in Computer Science but, again, lacked practice, so I decided to join somewhere. I have never had industry exposure or research experience coming from a tier-3 college. I am very much interested in pursuing research in AI/ML (that was my main reason for pursuing a master's degree). This time I applied to all TOP IITs whose research area matches mine. So I applied even to PhD programs because I was not sure if a direct Ph.D. was a good thing or not, but for the sake of interview experience, I applied. So In order to gain interview experience, I applied to all top IITs, Industries, and Project Positions in some labs that were of interest. Along with it, I filled out the forms for various other exams like JEST, PGEE, ISI, and CMI.
I maintained a sheet that covers all the information regarding the application [1]. You can follow the same format for your area of interest.
Even if you apply in any area for CS, these topics are a must
For interviews, I was watching GoClasses, Foundations CSE + Logic + Functions and relations
AI/ML
Extra Resources Which I didn’t follow at that time but might be useful for you.
[1] Counselling sheet for Myself – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bxEyyT1XIfcud3AQ-ylQpW7enGkaIfP7cURQUgWiwIE/edit?usp=sharing
GATE 2023[After joining as Project Associate at IIT M]
I did two courses, one Linear Algebra and the other VLSI, in December 2022, but I also switched labs within IIT Madras; hence I got shortlisted for an interview in May 2023.
How to apply for project positions?
Either on the IITs website page or go through their professors list, which works in your area of interest. Mail them and ask if there are any opportunities available.
List of professors at IIT Madras CSE:http://www.cse.iitm.ac.in/listpeople.php?arg=MSQw
Labs at IIT Madras CSE: http://www.cse.iitm.ac.in/labs.php
There is a new department of AI and Data Science at IIT Madras, So do apply if you’re interested in AI/ML: https://dsai.iitm.ac.in/academics/mtech-in-data-science-and-ai/
This is for IIT Madras, but there are similar categories of admission for other IITs as well. You need to look into their website, read the brochure, and apply. Don’t just think that your GATE score is low, so you will not be called for interviews.
I got calls for
- IISC PhD Written clear written + Interview: I didn’t clear the interview (Winter admission)
- IIT Bombay Cminds – written: I didn't clear the written. (Winter admission)
- IIT Delhi MS yardi School of AI – Didn’t attend the test (Winter, summer both)
- IIT Kanpur written test for MS, but because it was offline hence I didn’t go (Winter + summer admission)
- IIT Hyderabad MTech CSE RA (Winter) Written + Interview (Cleared Both)
- IIT Hyderabad MTech AI RA (Winter) Written + Interview (Cleared Both)
- IIIT Hyderabad PhD Cleared written(PGEE) but didn't go for an interview. (Summer)
- IIT Madras Research Park project associate CEET Lab – Applied through LinkedIn – Got selected and joined.
- IIT Madras Project Position (Speech lab interview through gate portal ) – Winter admission (Sometimes, when you apply for MS at IIT M but your score is not good enough for MS, then you might get a call for a project position it’s rare but professors may shortlist you for the project instead of ms directly so write good SOP which aligns with your interest and skills don't leave it blank. )
- IIT Madras AI4bharat Lab Project Associate (Winter): Mailed to the professor; they took two interview rounds Deep Learning related. I Got selected and joined.
Resources for extra stuff:
Post GATE Playlist, which I make for some useful videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL87y3xJCMzO5wGa6z_MGunpsV0KBMqmx_&si=N2FaNqI0hTSge3ru
Sample SOP/SOR – https://www.yourpedia.in/courses/post-gate-counseling/sample-sop-sor
latest Notification of all the IITs forms https://www.yourpedia.in/notifications/latest-notification (This helps me a lot to keep track for deadlines )
You can make a directory for keeping all your important documents at one place. It will be handy for you last time
[Main directory ]Post_gate
------Documents
------Certificates/ Resumes
------Each college folder you are applying in (to save all the receipts and forms )
------password.txt (to save all your portal passwords)
Some important points
- Read college admission brochures properly
- Apply even if the data says otherwise
- Keep learning and practising
ALL THE VERY BEST EVERYONE.DON’T LOSE HOPE! :)
I want to thank GO classes from the deepest of my heart for giving me things I never believed would be mine. Deepak sir and Sachine sir lectures not only help you in GATE but also for clearing the interviews, and acing the subjects here in IITs as well.
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
