Scholar Success Story – Read How Amrita Mitra Defied All Odds to Succeed in her Academic Journey

No hurdle can turn you down if you are hardworking and self-confident. The line perfectly fits into the life situations of Amrita Mitra, an academically genius winner of L’Oréal India For Young Women in Science Scholarship. She has proven that no obstacle is too big if you have the courage to face it. Despite coming from a financially weaker background, she did not let finances cross pathways in her exceptional academic journey.
Want to know more about her academic experiences? Here is an excerpt from her interview with Buddy4Study for you to get inspired and motivated –

Scholar Success Story: Amrita Mitra, Loreal India Scholar

Buddy4Study: Could you share with us a brief background about your academic and professional journey until now?

Amrita Mitra: I studied at Modern English Academy from lower nursery to class 12. I got 97.4% in ICSE and 95% in ISC board exams. Currently, I am pursuing an integrated course of BS-MS from IISER Bhopal. I consider this to be just the start of my academic career and I hope that I will have something worthwhile to add to this list if you ask me the same question ten years down the line.

Buddy4Study: What motivated you to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science-Master of Science (BS-MS) Dual Degree?

Amrita Mitra: Several factors inspired me to go for a course in the field of Science. First was my dream of being a scientist. Second, I dearly want my parents to be proud of who I grow up into. And third, my Professor Soumitra Sengupta’s lecture on gravitational waves motivated me to pursue BS-MS.

Buddy4Study: What were the key challenges faced by you during the course of your journey to reach here?

Amrita Mitra: Finance was my only challenge during my academic journey. I could continue my education from class 8 onwards only because of the concessions that I got in my school fees. I didn’t go for any tuitions during my junior classes because I couldn’t pay for them. However, that was a blessing in disguise for me because it pushed me to read by myself which, consequently, cultivated an interest for academia in me and I ended up learning more than what was given in my course. During class 11 and 12, I attended free of cost tuitions at EWS (Enjoy With Subject, Barrackpore) for the preparation of competitive exams. These concessions and free tuitions pushed me to excel in studies for I wanted to be worthy of the help that was being provided to me. I made sure to convert all these difficulties into my strength. I found books as a way to keep these problems at bay.

Buddy4Study: What has been your source of inspiration?

Amrita Mitra: My father and mother have been my source of inspiration. My father has always supported me in every decision regarding academics that I have taken so far. He always encourages me to follow my heart. He taught me not look at financial inefficiency as a weakness. I have learnt that you don’t need a smartphone or a computer to succeed in your studies. If you are smart enough and determined enough, you will always find your way to learn what you want to learn. My mother has also been an inspiration to me throughout my life. She has taught me to stay focused on my target even in the toughest of times. Sometimes even when you study a lot, you don’t get the expected results. My teachers, Rajnish Singh and Abhinav Anand (from EWS), taught me to work hard and work honestly and not worry about success for if the two factors are there then success will follow.

Buddy4Study: How has your family supported you in your venture to pursue this course?

Amrita Mitra: My family has been very supportive in all my endeavours. My father had borrowed money so that I could pay the 1st-semester fee of my college and this was not the first time that he had to do so. If not for L’Oréal India For Young Women in Science Scholarship, it really would have been very difficult for my family to arrange for the tuition fee of my B.E. degree. I think my parents would do the best of their capacity to see me succeed in the career that I have chosen.

Buddy4Study: How did you come to know about the Marubeni India Meritorious Scholarship? What were the steps followed to avail the scholarship?

Amrita Mitra: I came to know of the L’Oréal India FYWIS Scholarship from the web portal of Buddy4Study and I am thankful of Buddy4Study for creating such an amazing website and taking such a wonderful initiative to help students. I had to first write a small statement of purpose discussing why I believed that I deserved a scholarship. Based on that, I was selected for a telephonic interview. After the interview, I was selected for a walk-in interview at Kolkata. Later, I received an email stating that I have been selected as a L’Oréal India scholar. I was very surprised to see that I had become one of the FYWIS scholars and I am thankful to God and L’Oréal for providing me with a scholarship at a time when I needed it the most.

Buddy4Study: What are your ambitions in the future and how do you plan to execute them?

Amrita Mitra: I plan to pursue PhD after my BS-MS, preferably in physics. But this is just the first year of college and my interest may change in the coming five years.

Buddy4Study: Is there any piece of advice that you would like to impart to other potential aspirants like you?

Amrita Mitra: My only advice is to look past your problem and stay focused on your goal. If you want to pursue higher education then fight for it, study hard and do not let any obstacle weigh you down. Remember – whatever obstacle you have faced, if you still excel in your studies then those obstacles are but blessings in disguise. You are better for it.

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