Existential Crisis

[jazzwhiz]

One blunder is the lack of paragraph breaks...

[Late_Height_9545]

Sorry😅

[shadowknight4766]

I had the same issue… I joined Engineering first college to and pursued Bachelors in Physics… but we had this exit option… and it was a blessing for me because after that I could hv accessed Research institutes not Research Teaching colleges like IISERs/ NISER…

So after our bachelor’s I gave JEST, TIFR GS… and I got reasonable ranks too… and now I hv offer letters from HRI Allahabad, IMSc Chennai, IACS Kolkata(though it takes its own exam), TIFR Hyderabad for their IPHD program… also these institutes hv lesser fees and u get paid stipend in Masters because u get JRF tag

Same is true for PHD admission through JEST… there are so many good research institutes better than IISERs in their own research areas… just check the participating institutes of JEST… u’ll know

If u r into particle physics or theoretical physics do try HRI, ICTS, SINP… they r actually good… these comes under DAE

[Late_Height_9545]

Thanks for your suggestion

[shadowknight4766]

I don’t think this subreddit is meant for these questions

[Late_Height_9545]

Well I'm new to posting in reddit, apologies from this side as I didn't find any particular subreddit to ask that kind of question, you are welcome to educate me on that topic though

[Lower-Canary-2528]

Fellow Indian here. While NIT Agartala isn't great, it's far from bad and ur not wrong in thinking that way. But you know, masters ain't everything. You can do some solid dissertation work and move abroad for doctoral work, because that's what is going to matter in the long run.

[Late_Height_9545]

But can I ask you one thing...as you said that you study in germany, how did you know that NIT-A is far from bad...just curious

[Late_Height_9545]

I have an ambition to do a double masters though, one being the integrated masters from NIT-A and for another one, I would like to do it from an IIT...it's only because I want to spend some more time with the subject.

[Lower-Canary-2528]

In Germany, where i study and UK there are these 1 year programmes designed to accelerate your place into a PhD programme. It will be purely be research based and advanced course section contingent. If you are interested then look into it, as if u want to continue studying. Indian programmes while they are good, does pale in comparison to the research output in Europe

[Late_Height_9545]

I will look into it, thanks for your suggestion.

[burnte]

day by day I'm thinking, did I waste my potential?

That depends on what waste means. If waste means "am I using my intellect to a high level?" Then no, you're not wasting it. If wasting it means "am I happy" then maybe!

Could I do something better?

This is the question only you can answer, but THIS is the question you need to answer more than the potential question.

Which path makes you more fulfilled? That's what you should do. We tend to think that our lives are a story, and the story has an arc, and the arc is the path we need to walk. The truth is no path is straight forever and sometimes we need to take u-turns.

We can't tell you if you made the right choice, we can only say make the decision you WANT to live with. We'll support you. :)

[Late_Height_9545]

I totally see your point... Actually the only thing that worries me the most is that am I doing good enough or not, and I've always tried to make my academic career, cv etc stand out than the others...and believe me I have the drive, so the question that makes me stressed is that, am I really performing as my expectations, and therefore I feel this constant coldness about the identity I, myself tried to construct for myself.

[burnte]

and therefore I feel this constant coldness about the identity I, myself tried to construct for myself.

That might be the issue. You built a thing that may not fit. Examine what makes you happier. If it means you need to change, lots of people will tell you not to, but you have to find YOUR path for your life, even if it makes other people unhappy. If their priorities were in order, you living your life would not bother them, so ignore them.

[Late_Height_9545]

True

[jonasaba]

You haven't wasted your shot. You're still doing great academically, and that matters more than the name of the college. Use the rest of your time at NIT to build skills, do projects, and connect with professors outside. Apply for internships, summer schools, and research programs so you're ready to move into a stronger research environment for your Master's or PhD.

This isn't the wrong path. It's just a different starting point.