1st in 52 years, 2 Vyasarpadi govt college students crack IIT and NIT
The students – Pradeep R and Suder K – are both classmates at the chemistry department, and what makes their achievement even special is that both of them cleared the Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM) without attending any coaching class.
Pradeep R and Suder K
CHENNAI: Two students of Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College in Vyasarpadi gained admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the National Institute of Technology (NIT), ending a dry spell for the college that hadn’t sent students to any premier institute in the country for 52 years.
The students – Pradeep R and Suder K – are both classmates at the chemistry department, and what makes their achievement even special is that both of them cleared the Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM) without attending any coaching class.
Pradeep secured admission at IIT Tirupati on an All India Rank of 617. While he also cleared NIT Tiruchy, Pradeep chose to join MSc chemistry at IIT and plans to further pursue PhD. His father is a TNUHDB staff and mother works at the Madras University, while his brother is an advocate.
Pradeep has topped the college’s all 10 science departments at the final exam.
"About 70-80% of the questions were from the syllabus. I also used reference books and videos while preparing for the exam, besides clearing queries from teachers. I was unaware of JAM; it was our HoD who informed me about it. I’m proud to be the first person from our college to crack the test,” says Pradeep.
At the same time, Suder secured 4,206th rank and got admission at NIT, Punjab. Daughter of a xerox shop owner father and a homemaker mother, Suder’s sister is pursuing final year MBBS. Suder completed her undergraduation on an SC scholarship
"Our teachers supported us with reference books, and the college library also gave us enough study material,” says Suder, who is also a Bharatanatyam dancer.
An elated head of the department and an IIT Madras alumnus, C Srinivasan, says, “This is a proud moment for us. We hope this would inspire more of our students to prepare for such competitive exams. The Chemistry department, with a strength of 60 students, has received around 10,000 applications this year."
With Vyasarpadi being a largely economically backward area, teachers note most of the students are first generation graduates in their families. “Their priority while pursuing studies is taking up part-time jobs, and even after graduation, they are in a hurry to land a job rather than pursuing higher studies,” says a teacher from the college, requesting anonymity.
