Education can change lives. No one can agree more on this age-old saying than Radib Kar. An academically brilliant but financially constrained Radib managed to get admission into one of the best state-run universities where he studies Computer Science. Now, he has his eyes set firmly on the esteemed IIT for pursuing Master’s degree.
Radib’s education received a significant boost because of the Marubeni India Meritorious Scholarship. Our team got in touch with him to know about his journey in becoming a Marubeni scholar. Below are the excerpts from the same:
Buddy4Study: Could you share with us a brief background about your academic and professional journey until now?
Radib: Currently, I am pursuing B.E. in CSE from Jadavpur University. I’m in my third year now. In the last two years, I have tried to maintain a good academic record, scoring an average of 9 CGPA. I am working hard to continue such impressive scores in the future too.My goal is to pursue M.Tech. from one of the esteemed IITs and for that, I need to crack the GATE exam.Since I am from the IT field, there’s always a dream to be a part of big IT giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, etc. I also do a bit of competitive programming to help me crack interviews of such IT giants.
Buddy4Study: What motivated you to pursue a course in B.E.?
Radib: Frankly speaking, I wanted to pursue a career in Basic Science. I had a great knack for Physics and I always had a great enthusiasm for pursuing research in the field of Quantum Physics. During my junior college, I attended the INSPIRE Science Camp too. But things changed when I secured an impressive rank in WBJEE. It helped me get a seat in B.E. in CSE at Jadavpur University which is one of the most sought-after courses. Jadavpur University is considered to be the best state-run university and it holds an impressive MHRD ranking as an Engineering Institution (Faculty of Engineering and Technology).But still, I wasn’t bothered about leaving such an amazing opportunity in favour of pursuing Basic Science. However, because of my financial background, I didn’t have the liberty to pass on such an opportunity. I seek to put my legs into my father’s shoes as soon as possible and that’s why I really need to get into a job after graduation. Basic Science wouldn’t have helped me in getting that and that’s the reason I decided to pursue B.E. in CSE.
Buddy4Study: What were the key challenges faced by you during the course of your journey to reach here?
Radib: Nowadays, education has turned into a business. You need money if you want to pursue quality higher education. It’s not the case anymore that a student will succeed easily if he has merit. So, needless to say, I faced lots of challenges during the course. I didn’t have a laptop during my first year despite being from the Computer Science stream where having a laptop is necessary. I didn’t even have a smartphone. I only got all these things after being awarded the Marubeni India Meritorious Scholarship.There are still plenty of challenges ahead of me in terms of finance. Until I finish my education, there will be many such challenges in the future too. Money is important for buying good materials, for getting admission into esteemed institutions, for GATE tuition and for a lot of other things. Do you know, you need to pay about INR 12000-14000 as registration fee just for publishing a conference paper in IEEE.
Buddy4Study: What has been your source of inspiration?
Radib: My family, my well-wishers, Marubeni and finally, myself have been my source of inspiration. They have always been motivating me. Marubeni has been with me constantly from the start of my Graduation. I hope they will be with me in the future too.
Buddy4Study: How has your family supported you in your venture to pursue this course?
Radib: It is always your family who stays with you during the hard times. My family is not an exception at all. My parents have made me learn how to endure adverse conditions. They have taught me to remain calm and composed during critical situations. Though we have financial issues, this monster has never been able to bring nightmare in our happy family life till now. I wish it will be the case in future too.
Buddy4Study: How did you come to know about the Marubeni India Meritorious Scholarship? What were the steps followed to avail the scholarship?
Radib: I came to know about the Marubeni India Meritorious Scholarship in 2016. Back then, I didn’t have any laptop or smartphone and so I wasn’t connected to the internet. It was one of my friends who told me about this scholarship. I went to a cyber cafe to fill up the form for Marubeni India Meritorious Scholarship via Buddy4Study. That was the first time I came to know that there is a website which hosts thousands of scholarships.I filled out the form and then got shortlisted for the telephonic round. I had a good interview during the telephonic round. My interviewer assured me about my selection for the next round. I remember visiting the cyber cafe every week to check new emails.Then, I got selected for personal interview and was finally selected for the award.
Buddy4Study: What are your ambitions in the future and how do you plan to execute them?
Radib: I am planning to prepare for GATE exam so that I can pursue M.Tech. from an esteemed IIT. I also have another plan which includes getting a job in one of the IT giants and then pursuing M.S. from a foreign university.
Buddy4Study: Any piece of advice that you would like to impart to other potential aspirants like you who are constrained by various challenges towards pursuing higher education?
Radib: My suggestion would be to stick to your basics. Keep things simple and straight. There will always be challenges that you need to overcome. Failure is a part of success. So, one must accept that. But never get inclined towards any extravaganza. Stay humble and honest.Work hard to chase your dream. And to overcome financial problems, browse Buddy4Study and apply for relevant scholarships. Buddy4Study is a really great platform with a smooth user interface where you can apply for scholarships. Moreover, they select deserving candidates.
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