Anil Ganti

Being half an engineer, I’ve encountered numerous myths and misconceptions people have about my field.  I  must admit that some of them actually make sense, some of them are moronic enough to make a slug look intellectual. So I present to thee some of the myths I have personally come across during these two years.

Myth # 1

“If you clear the first year properly, you are set for the next three years”

You might have heard this one from one of your self righteous know it all seniors. The reality is, the actual grind(pun intended for Mechies) begin after the first year. The first year is designed to let one have a sneak peek into what they’re going to endure for the next three years.which makes the subjects look superficial and easy to master, which in turn ends up giving some people a feeling that all four years are going to be the same.  Some people back up this myth by saying that F.E is your first taste of battle and that if you master it(in the first attempt, NOT after a decade of perseverance ), you are set for life.  The only thing I have to say about this is that its good to pass your F.E with flying colours, but don’t levitate after that and think that you can master the subsequent years as easily as you did in F.E

Myth # 2

“KT’s are absolutely taboo, get one and you are doomed for all of eternity”

The origin of this myth, I feel, lies in the minds of some paranoid parents who think that a tuft of white hair is all they need for ultimate wisdom. First of all, the KT system exists for a GOOD reason. The people who designed our course know how complex and time consuming it can get and that it isn’t within the capacity of everyone to clear their exams on the first attempt. Second, academic incompetence isn’t the only reason people get KTs, there are many cases in which the drunken revelries of the examiner resulting in a truly deserving candidate getting a KT. While I do not encourage getting KTs, an all clear record will certainly help you in the long run, a KT or two in your overall record will NOT spell imminent doom for your career.

Myth # 3

“Classes are not a must for engineering”

Once again , this myth originates from the minds of the white haired ones who think that people who run classes are out only to make money and dominate the world.You might have heard your old man going on about the wonders of “Twenty nine hours of back breaking work per day”(NOTE FOR THE SLOW: There are ONLY twenty four hours in a day), but in reality, it just doesn’t happen. Even though it is true that one can glide through the course without and classes and it wouldn’t  be a  crime if you stay class free for four years, classes are known to complete the whole syllabus of a given subject, something a college doesn’t and isn’t expected to do. Besides, classes provide you with those “really really really important questions, study these or die” materials, which does help narrowing down workload before exams.

Myth # 4

“Number of KTs are inversely proportional to your dads bank balance”

This is the trademark line of some random spoilt brat who thinks that flaunting paternal wealth is all it takes to academic salvation. Remember, there are too many of those kids lurking around in all of engineering and only a limited number of these ‘requests’ can be actually taken care of. So the next time you’re thinking of paying  the person, STOP then and there and clear your KT’s the way normal people do, it isn’t  all that difficult. Although I admit that this practice does exist, its best of you not take a chance with it.

Myth # 5

“One night stand before exams will bear fruits”

This is another one of those numerous pieces of advice your seniors(YES they bullshit you  a lot:|) give you. First the syllabus of ny subject is immense and trying to master that in one night is akin to breaking the great wall of China with a Fork. Second, the human body can withstand only a limited amount of fatigue and writing the exam with puffy eyes and a kilo of nicotine in your lungs (Not to mention the gallons of caffeine floating in your gut) is nothing short of madness!! Besides they give us a one month preparatory leave (P.L) for a good reason so use it, your pool sessions and all night hitch hikes can wait until after the exams. And yes just because we get 5 days before every exam we shouldn’t even imagine trying to master our syllabus in that period.

Myth # 6

“You have to study the entire syllabus of each subject”

Another one of Grandpa’s ramblings, this is one of the most common misconceptions that plagues engineers worldwide. Even though each topic in the syllabus is related to one another and an integral part of our careers it is nothing short of stupidity in trying to master it all. Even later on in life an engineer is not expected to know everything. My advice on this would be to stick to your strengths and know enough of the rest to pull you through.

Myth # 7

“Opeth/Himesh songs fetch you marks in exams.”

It is commonly believed that examiners dole out marks according to the length of the material you have given them (some people go as far as saying that “Every inch of words fetches you a mark”) Through personal experience I have gotten away with writing about why Morbid Angel kicks ass but there are some sincere examiners out there who ACTUALLY read through the paper thoroughly and they would not be too pleased to know that Morbid Angel is a technical death metal band. Also, if you have ever crossed the line with a prof and he has the luck to examine your paper… Morbid Angel should be the last thing seen anywhere near that paper.

Myth # 8

“You need to be a grammar nazi to get through Engineering”

For all you walking talking dictionaries ( Those who feel their Wren & Martin to be Mein Kampf) English is not a necessity in this course. Textual nightmares like “I did not brought the notebook” do exist and are perfectly acceptable here. So before you beat your fellow mate for a missing apostrophe think twice because he just might end up ownig you in the forthcoming exams.

So if any of you feel that I have missed out on some undead myth that needs to come out of hibernation or if some of the myths seem to be more non-sensical you are all welcome to post your comments on it.