Meet boy, who cleared JEE Advanced with AIR 99, then dropped out of IIT counselling due to...

IIT-JEE is one of the toughest exams in India. Every year lakhs of students appear for the JEE exam. The IIT-JEE exam allows students to get admission into engineering colleges in India. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) remains the top choice for students and many of them dream of getting admission into them. Many students get admission to IIT through their determination and hard work but later change their minds and decide not to join the prestigious institute. Today, we will you about a student who started preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) after class 10 but later dropped out of IIT counselling.

Since class 10th, Mohammad Sahil Akhtar, put in a lot of effort to get admission to the IIT. He got the 99th rank in the All-India merit list for the JEE-Advanced 2023. But, Mohammad Sahil Akhtar then decided to drop out of the JEE admission process and head to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

Speaking about the reason for dropping IIT, Mohammad Sahil Akhtar said that MIT has "more research opportunities and a flexible curriculum". 

Mohammad Sahil Akhtar was quoted as saying, "Research appeals to me more than a tech job. In India, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was an option. But MIT offers more flexibility. Unlike in the Indian higher education system, I do not have to decide on my final major in the first year itself. There is yet so much that I have not seen." 

Mohammad Sahil Akhtar wanted to pursue a double major in computer sciences and physics. He is also interested in astronomy, astrophysics, and data science.

"Generally, the most sought-after route is to join an IIT in Computer Science Engineering (CSE). My parents would have suggested considering IIT Bombay," Mohammad Sahil Akhtar said, but revealed that it was at IOAA Olympiad, in Georgia, that he realized other options that were available to him. 

Mohammad Sahil Akhtar said, "There was no dependency on any entrance test or a rank for admission. I appeared for the Standard Admission Test (SAT). But more than the SAT score, admission to MIT was based on the institute’s admission committee’s assessment of my application which included my overall academic records, achievements in academics as well as in extra-curricular activities, essay, and recommendation letters from my school teachers." 

Kolkata's Mohammad Sahil Akhtar completed his schooling at the Delhi Public School (DPS) Ruby Park and appeared for the JEE exam in April. He also recently launched a YouTube channel to guide other candidates regarding the options that are available to them. 

At MIT, Mohammad Sahil Akhtar hopes to explore his interests in linguistics and philosophy. He has a scholarship which has also "brought the cost to how much we would spend at IIT".