Undergrad Recap

I graduated last Sunday. My undergrad days have been a rollercoaster of things – good and bad. This is an honest recap of how I spent my undergrad. The post will contain some VIT-Chennai specific things. I’m sure there are multiple versions to the same story, and similar versions in other universities. 

I am graduating with a Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineering with a Specialisation in Cyberphysical Systems from VIT, Chennai campus. The major part of the degree was my choice. The rest of it was on my “things that would work for me” list. I did not want to go to the Chennai campus precisely because a lot of people I knew went there/ were planning to go there. I wanted a fresh start to life. But life had other plans. Looking back, I don’t think it could have played out any better, and I’m graduating without any major regrets.

I spent the first one and a half years enthusiastically exhausting myself by signing up for various things – clubs, events, special teams, webinars, seminars, workshops and competitions. A lot of people thought I was mismanaging my time. Maybe I was. But I can easily say that juggling all of those things gave me perspective and experiences that I wouldn’t have achieved otherwise. I was lucky to be involved in multi-disciplinary teams that were multi-cultural. There is something weirdly beautiful about all five members on a call disagreeing and their respective native language comes out when they’re annoyed. I picked up a lot of words from a few other languages that are geographically opposite to where I live. But it also helped me appreciate the structure of a language. Plus, I love looking up the etymology of words, and perhaps I’ve had a better collection of “aha” moments thanks to all the clubs and teams I was a part of.

I have been involved with school magazines since my middle school. I’ve written for them, and one lucky year curated for them. So it was natural for me to apply to join the Computer Science department’s newsletter. The challenge in hand here was writing and curating for stakeholders of the department. I think my time at the newsletter was the reason I was able to understand and appreciate the volume of events and efforts that happen in the background. Not every achievement had a grand announcement, sometimes the prestigious ones were just a three line report on the monthly publications list. I’m forever grateful to Susindhar, Riddhiman, Jayasree and Subbulakshmi mam for their faith in me. Becoming the editor-in-chief during my second year gave me a sense of responsibility and vision that had been missing for me in college. I got to work with an incredible team, and to Aadya, Joshua, Samarth and Vaishnavi, thank you for being the best team a chief can have. The other time I worked on a magazine was as one of the editors of Tamil Mandram’s first edition of Kanaiyaazhi.

A lot of people confuse cyberphysical systems with cybersecurity. I spent the first three years explaining the difference to the misinformed, only to end up in cybersecurity and for people to think that I specialised in it. I remember my CPS-Design faculty giving a crisp description that made people feel like they understood what CPS is – it is the backend of robotics. In a way, sure. But it was much more rigorous and complex than that. I absolutely hated the precursors I had to sit through: Signals and Systems and Control Systems. Both are subjects perhaps every engineer should take, but not be assessed for gpa. Control Systems in particular taught me a lot about life. When to integrate feedback and upto what amount, is a level of precision only experts in control systems can achieve. To a novice like me, the mere ability to use those principles in life was enough. But those two courses ensured that I thoroughly enjoyed CPS-Design. We designed standalone systems, smart cities and the final exam where we had to design a self-sustaining zoo during an apocalypse. (We have a thing for zoos, because we were located close to one.)  It was perhaps the most technical yet creative course I had taken.

Perhaps I joined the robotics team to realise the difference myself. Partly because Aaron D’Costa persuaded me that it was a cool thing for STEM kids to do. We got into different teams, yet remained good friends. TCR was the biggest thing I did out of my comfort zone in these last four years. I had to learn circuitry and basics of mechanics to be able to code better. And it was, a challenging learning curve to say the least. But I had the most amazing seniors, and the best peer group I’ve had till date to help me. To the habibis, thank you for challenging my limits and being the friends I needed. There isn’t enough vocabulary to describe the joy you get when you see the machine you designed move the way it has to. I did not stay long, but that phase helped me to take up more embedded systems projects.

I wouldn’t suggest to pick one and stick to it, especially if you’re in your first or second year. It is the time to explore, and to live a little. As long as the exhaustion is of the good kind, it doesn’t hurt to overbook yourself occasionally. You will discover your threshold, and learn to expand it. Try a lot of things and pick your pieces by the end of second year, to have a focused prep for your exit.

Hackathons were another thing that I grew to like. I got a flavour of it during the first SIH, but I soon realised that if choosing a right life partner is important, choosing the right teammates is much more crucial. I had my first real hackathon experience at RevaHack 2023, where our team came first. Honestly, looking back, I was incredibly lucky to be picked on the team, because I knew nothing about hackathons. Forever grateful for my amazing teammates, and to JMT, for introducing me to this competitive world and being my long-time collaborator. We’ve had some crazy adventures and incredible experiences, and I only hope we get to continue it after graduation. (I hear hackerhouse Goa’s applications are open, dude.)

None of my shenanigans would have been possible without the guidance and support of my teachers. I’ve had some incredible teachers over my schooling and college years. I should probably write a separate post about my relationship with teachers, but for now, there are a few that need to go into this post. To Dhanalakshmi mam, thank you for everything. Not everyone had a proctor who was as supportive as you were. To my HOD, thank you so much for trusting the vision of my final year project. It was the second thing in my life that had a lot of criticism, but the belief in the project’s vision and the space you gave me to ideate and execute is not something a lot of undergrads have. To Vaidehi mam, thank you so much for pushing my limits. You identified the gap between my ambition and my then self, long before self-help books did. You taught me to be unapologetic about wanting things and working towards them. Computer Architecture was one class I did not initially like, but I grew to like it and understand its significance, not through some weird motivation but through consistent effort. To Radha mam, Umesh sir, Subbu mam, Jenila mam, Suganya mam, Afruza mam: thank you for all your guidance, love and support. I know I wasn’t easy to deal with, but you guys made the gloomy days a little less gloomy.

There’s one more group of people to whom I am duly grateful. Back in the good old days, if you missed your allocated bus, you could get on any other bus going through that route to college, if you had your id card. To Rajesh anna, and the drivers of the CMBT, Vadapalani, Alandur, Lakshmi Nagar, Chrompet, Sterling Road and all the other VIT buses I’ve gotten on, thank you for helping me out. The only place I’m early to is the movie theatre, although right now, I’m working very hard on being early everywhere. I’ve been told this can’t be possible today, as the buses have biometric attendance and stuff. So to other kids who'd share the bus live location on whatsapp, thank you. You all were probably the reason why my attendance in the morning was high.

Of course, a college post wouldn’t close without the mention of friends who’ve stayed. To members of Nonet, for recognising and fueling my drive. To Yogesh, Vishwa, Avaneesh and Veera, for being there despite the very many episodes. To Ash, Varsha, Samarth and the rest of the breakfast club, for all the amazing memories. To JMT, Jon, Anirudh and the brokies gang. To my habibis. Thank you.