<p>Well firstly IIT is government run so like all departments it is poorly funded. BITs on the other hand is private sector but then again Indian companies dont invest as heavily as most US universites, which by the way have been running for 200-300 years and are run mainly on huge investments, the exorbitant fees of applicants and of course donations by alumini ( like TaTa for Cornell and many more for other universities) BITs charges nominal fee like the IIT and therefore it too lacks in almost all ways like the IITs do with poor infrastructure. Research labs etc. The entrance exam too is. based.on one test which challenges your theorotical knowledge and nothing more.</p>
<p>Thanks TeslaBoy for the benefit of doubt. :)</p>
<p>Lol, every college where fun lives had well planned gangnam style flash mob.</p>
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<p>Quite possibly, quite possibly.</p>
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<p>I don’t understand you. In the text I quoted, you specifically said that there would be few, if any, students at Cornell who would be at par with the top 100 students at the IITs. We’re not talking about high schools, that’s a whole different story.</p>
<p>Hypothetically, each one of you gets selected in JEE with AIR rank less than 100. Where will you join - IIT or NUS or MIT. Assumption - a) No financial aid b) 50% Aid.</p>
<p>Pl answer staright. No explanations pl.</p>
<p>"I don’t understand you. In the text I quoted, you specifically said that there would be few, if any, students at Cornell who would be at par with the top 100 students at the IITs. We’re not talking about high schools, that’s a whole different story. "</p>
<p>I dont believe you are quoting me right. I said pick 100 of the top in each place and they would not be peers. </p>
<p>You wanted proof and my proof is that IIT’s top 100 is considered the top of their class while Cornell’s top 100 may not consist of the best each high school may be sending.</p>
<p>Why are you all comparing Cornell and IIT? Well IIT is the cream eng school of India wheras the best in US get distributed in various universities like Brown, Columbia, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton so on so forth so it would be unfair to compare Cornell with IIT. Also unlike IITs, Cornell selects many studetnts from their own state so they may not be on top of their game but then again the international student body and some very good students in the US also make it here. And If someone is adamant to compare the top 100 students in Cornell and IIT specifically, I think that the students of Cornell will be better when it comes to practical knowledge, sports, cultural events, research work, programming and basic life skills like confidence ( as I mentioned in my long post). Please dont always compare academics! Academics may help you get a good degree but it will not always help you succeed. </p>
<p>This the reason why most US students from top universities become passionate leaders in their much varied fields wheras most students of IIT go on to become engineers.</p>
<p>"Why are you all comparing Cornell and IIT? Well IIT is the cream eng school of India wheras the best in US get distributed in various universities like Brown, Columbia, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton so on so forth so it would be unfair to compare Cornell with IIT. "</p>
<p>You hit the nail on the head. We don’t have a single school or group of schools in US where everyone shows up.</p>
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You hit the nail on the head… IIT is a group of schools. 7 new ones opened in the last 4 years. Comparing it to single universities is quite ludicrous (and even so, to demonstrate that it compares favorably to universities like Cornell, is a task in itself, not to mention MIT)</p>
<p>“You hit the nail on the head. We don’t have a single school or group of schools in US where everyone shows up.”</p>
<p>Huh? True no doubt but irrelevant for most of us?</p>
<p>Comparing the 2 univs is an excellent idea, if I got into Cornell and to, say, one of the, older IITs. @jak321 why is it ludicrous for people on this thread? It might be ludicrous for a social scientist, but here we are talking about an individual trying to decide between NUS and IITB. </p>
<p>There is an enormous gap leaving the shores of the country and studying abroad. There might be some perceived advantages (“grass is greener on the other side esp if it is dollar bills”) and it is good to collect as many data points as possible from people like jak321 and texaspg and so on…</p>
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<p>That’s not true. While Cornell may be less sought-after than the other Ivies (mostly because of poorer FA and grade deflation) the people who get in are necessarily the best (or among the best) each high school sends. </p>
<p>The top 100 students on the IIT have only demonstrated their knowledge of physics, chemistry, and math - as the IIT entrance exam primarily tests your knowledge, not your ability to solve difficult problems. There are many Cornell students who have demonstrated their ability to solve difficult problems, through the USAMO, USAPhO, etc.</p>
<p>My school had an AIR top 100 4 years ago. He wasn’t in the top 10 of his class (he got an 80 something). He did nothing but study for JEE for a few years, and as a consequence, didn’t have many ECs either. The top 100 at AIR, have demonstrated nothing but their ability to do well on one test, and that this corresponds to better grades may seem like a logical inference, but doesn’t have to be a right one. Admissions to schools like Cornell, are predicated partly on scholastic success.</p>
<p>@antialias
You misunderstood what I was trying to say. We were comparing the top 100 at IIT, to the top 100 at other US universities. But what I was trying to say is that the top 100 at IIT as a whole is very different from the top 100 at any single IIT, and for the sake of maintaining homogeneity in comparison, it is the latter that should be used.</p>
<p>“You hit the nail on the head… IIT is a group of schools.”</p>
<p>True but we are comparing top 100 AIRs no matter where they join. So they can still be identified irrespective of where they join.</p>
<p>In US, there is no system to identify top 100 or 1000 kids in academics. SAT is not a test that does it.</p>
<p>Okay… Texas, I dont get it… You mean that topping JEE makes you the best student… I dont think so… There is a lot more to life and jobs that topping a purely theoretical exam… </p>
<p>Taken your point and limiting ourselves to theoretical knowledge… What good does it do in classyfying top 100 ‘smartest’ students if 99 of them end up being bankers, engineers? Open any top US university site and search alumini section. You will see 100 names doing 100 of different things from researching in heat waves to designing space ships for Mars. It is good US doesnt classify students into top 100 through exams but lets them find their own aspirations and dreams and ultimately their own college and jobs.</p>
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<p>Incorrect. We have tests that identify the top 250 people in math/science, the AMC/AIME/USAMO being the most prominent. For example, the USAMO qualifiers in 2012 are here:
[USAMO</a> Qualifiers 2012](<a href=“American Mathematics Competitions | Mathematical Association of America”>American Mathematics Competitions | Mathematical Association of America)</p>
<p>Those who make USAMO have math skills far superior to the top 100 IIT people, in general.</p>
<p>@ Maple and Texas. I dont think one can really compare the top 100 in both countries because I think the intellect will be at par. The problem with Indian education is not that students are weak but that our education system is poor and misguided.</p>
<p>I second Optimisticer,</p>
<p>Sorry for a late post. Was caught up in Final Exams. Had a lott of Rattabazi to do (I need to pass this time.)</p>
<p>Here’s what I think.</p>
<p>Indian Students are not weak or something. They will definitively do equal, if not well compared to students from the US. The whole problem lies with the education system and the mindset of the people here. But we can’t blame them either. They are far more caught up in making a living that they never get a chance to think above money. well, I diverted a little from the topic. No Problem. So, I was saying about the education system here.
The Indian education system is merely based on passing the exams. The approach taught to the students is theoretical, not practical. This is where the system fails. The students don’t get a chance to realize what they want to become, and even i they do, they aren’t able to become that. Oh! I think I should turn them into points to make you all u</p>
<p>^
No one was claiming that.</p>
<p>“Incorrect. We have tests that identify the top 250 people in math/science, the AMC/AIME/USAMO being the most prominent. For example, the USAMO qualifiers in 2012 are here:”</p>
<p>Not many take it. Those who make it go to multiple schools.</p>
<p>"Those who make USAMO have math skills far superior to the top 100 IIT people, in general. "</p>
<p>Only in Math.</p>
<p>There are some geniuses in US. They are dispersed everywhere.</p>
<p>AMC/AIME - been there done that, actually quite well. Ho-hum</p>
<p>It’s another circus just like IIT prep. This one starts at around 5th or 6th grade with math circles and practice, practice, practice. There’s plenty of cookie-cutter prep stuff and support/coaching available in larger metro areas.</p>
<p>Qualifying for USAMO is extremely difficult but doable IF you are reasonably good in math AND put in the time and effort, starting with AMC8. As texaspg, said not many get into it because of time commitment. Most who do tend to be 2nd gen immigrants or Jewish kids. It does help ORM boys get into places like MIT and CalTech.</p>