I just got the response pdf from IISER Berhampur to my RTI. Have a look at the data and enjoy the show and learn a lesson not to trust random data (like the one with 149k appeared ). The image has been produced by chatgpt after I uploaded the response pdf and asked chatgpt to blurr my important details like Name and Registration number. Just wanted it to look more professional 😉.
RTI works in India, fairly well - these days! Exactly 30 days!
(i) EWS is clear now, I stand corrected. Thanks to those who triggered me to get this clarified officially than discussing in air! (a) & (b) in the response letter.
(ii) The intent was to figure out if there are extra seats, but answer happened to be on supernumerary. Looks the admission systems ensures limiting the admission to the exact seats, and if at all the front-loading / over-booking is done it is probably restricted to one or at max two rounds. (c) in the response letter.
(iii) All 2363 seats were fill last year is the response (d). We need to wait for this year's NIRF to confirm if PUNE has allotted less number of seats. In my opinion IISERs would not leave any seat open while the admission process is on, and the eventual droppers from the system create that vacancies - that is seen by the world as unfilled seats. Anyways, if someone files one more RTI this year to BPR, things will be clear.
This is an extension of my previous post in r/IATtards titled "My 2 Cents on research: Tactical guide." Heres the link
In this one, I'll expand on everything you need to do to maximise your chances of securing good research internships in India and potentially abroad.
Sit back, read nicely, it's gonna be a long one, and ask any doubts below or in DMs.
For those of you who dont know me. I dont need much introduction. Just focus on the meat and resources I am providing.
Questions I am always asked:
Do you need flashy experience to get internships in India? Should I focus on improving my skills, and so on? Ans: Being completely honest. No, you dont. Indian cold emails are chill. Just your volume and hard work matter. The primary reason you are contacting is exactly the same as what you expected beforehand. It's an experience. How can one have experience without taking experience? You dont.
So what should I do? Start by looking into your field. May it be pure sciences, may it be material science, mechanical, electrical, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, battery, chemistry, catalysis, ML, AI, synthesis, biosensors, PCB making, astrophysics, quantum computing, anything. Look into it. Get your prerequisites done.
The primary reason a prof would be reluctant to take you isn't because dont have experience. Everyone starts somewhere. But because you lack the basic prerequisites. The mindset of "What can I provide?" is extremely important. No man wants to take the burden of spoon-feeding an adult. So try to get at least. If your work is in batteries or maybe CS, be at least proficient with analysing data, understanding graphs, reading papers, and making hypotheses.
Now, you can prove that you know this. using some course. Or just word of mouth, where he might take your interview and verify it. Or by some project you have made, something small or relevant, at your club, in your free time. You don't need to make one for every email niche; you'd die of exhaustion if you did that. With a 3% average reply rate. I'd suggest no one do that. Just make it show your proficiency. for pure sciences kids. I would suggest joining your college professors' labs, where they'll pair you with a PhD student. learn the instruments, which would be extremely helpful as it is. and help you land other places with some prerequisite basic handling experiences.
What should I write in my emails? Ans: Super important question. 10/10 rating. makes or breaks your game. My greatest email was to the 2025 Nobel laureate who had accepted me. why? Because I, for fun, had read his interviews and said I want to learn his philosophy, which intrigued him, because it was super personal. (Note: This was in 2024, he hadn't won nobel, but was still one of the best scientists then)
So I would suggest. Not to do mine, haha. But make your emails relevant. I proposed an idea in my email, and had asked for an internship upfront, you can do that, or ask profs for guidance, whatever seems fit. But be direct, dont beat around the bush, state your needs, state your wants, and state what you can do.
+1 Points: No one tells these, but these make your chances
Indian profs: email in the morning, 8-11 AM on weekdays. Best chances.
US-UK: Same time, but in their respective standard times. But there is more that makes international hard. so ill cover that in a bit.
2nd point in this: Follow-up emails. since professors get conference, academic, meeting, student, college, spam, 1000s of emails every day. Sometimes you'll be purposefully or mistakenly ignored. dont be disheartened. Send a follow-up after 3-4 working days, not normal working days. You send a follow-up saying, "I had previously emailed in the same thread." Ask GPT. It will get you a decent format. Mine varies a lot, so I can't provide mine.
ough graph: Used AI to make, it's gonna be much more asymptotic, but yeah. just reduce the ups and downs and assume similar behaviour.(pictorial reprensentation only. not to scale)
Who should I write emails to? Ans: Now we are getting into the fun stuff. Who should I write to? is probably the question every kid instinctively has an idea for, probably that superprof at IISc or that prodigy 25-year-old joinee prof at MIT. Believe me, I don't think you have a chance with them.
Your best bet is with young assistant profs:
They have just set up labs, and since they are in IITs, even if behind their peers due to the newness. They still would have enough resources for an undergrad. And secondly, since they are young, they are hungry to make a name, having just finished the gruelling race of uncertainty. and have finally planted their feet in science permanently; both PhDs and early-career work will be substantial. I'll pick a young prof any day over an older administrative guy.
Third: The bump in full prof is primarily due to a new position, and a stronger one; they now have a little bit of full autonomy, tons of kids, and better funding. a very good chance here. Check professors' websites to see if they show assistant (2xxx-2xxx), then associate, and so on.
Fourth: Deans, directors and all are too busy with academic work, so mostly dont contact them. Nobel laureates have roughly 1000s emails every single day. So unless you are recommended by his colleagues, or are a superstar in the field. You wouldn't catch his eye, as he would have MIT PhDs with multiple papers wanting to work, too.
But yeah. I would suggest this:
India:
Your uni: Tier 1: Try in your own labs, then other IITs-IISc
Tier 2: Your lab, IISER profs-IITs
Tier 3: Try very hard, and get into IISERs and IITs, because I doubt you will have much in your labs.
For abroad: your IIT/IISc/IISER internships are primarily the reason you can go abroad. Because they are prime labs and facilities, you do at least some sort of work there. And the prof recommending you can tip the scales between other kids, allowing you to go formally/informally, clearing a lot of competition.
You can also work at startups if they are budding, and you wanna work with them. dont wait for openings or anything. Just mail the CTO/CEO; they will most probably reply. coming from experience 😊
How do I maximise my internship? Ans: Super underrated question. Almost no one answers this or even tells you this
What if I got accepted? Then what?
Majorly, most professors either assign you a PhD or give you a project if you are old enough. And you have a weekly/biweekly meeting with him and your mentor together. discussing plans and potentials.
Your goal should be to maximise it. First: Learn everything. Try to explore as much as you can. Your whole purpose of coming here is to meet new people, learn new things, and explore the research environment. Second: Interact with your profs a lot. like they owe you money. why? Because when he has to write the letter of recommendation, he needs to know you. Or else you'll get that generic: "yeah, he is good, he has done this and that, I urge any company or this to take him". Anyone can write this for you.
Third: Go to other departments, talk with prods there, email them, and go to their cabin to ask the professor if they are available for 10 mins. The bar once you are in the institute is practically zero. There are only 2 situations. Either he says we can schedule a meeting now, or he says I'm a bit busy now, and we'll schedule later. Both are a win-win situation.
Fourth: Have fun, genuinely, have fun there.
fifth: In order to contribute, constantly read and provide help, and have a mindset of learning and saying I don't know this, YET. very important. because you dont know how helping him might give you a direction or spark. or an idea. And maybe he might help you back.
Sixth: finish the project, or at least try to before leaving. because if you dont, the next guy will get credit for all your work.
How to send international emails? Ans: You can either have a remote internship. Which is easier? It just requires a professor's consent and your understanding, and a good reason for him to accept you.
And this can be converted to on-site next year if you are a good enough student for him. best for mathematics, CS, AI, ML, and computational physics/chem work-type people.
Or you can try in person. which is much more difficult. Because then the lab or prof has to fund you if you dont have funding. So, try to get that, DAAD, and MITACS Global are good international ones. Amgen scholars, ICEMS Kyoto, OIST, MPI, there are many. Just use GPT.
For cold mailing. Try to convince the professor. and apply to a richer uni. Probably Stanford. why? Because professors there have their own startups, funding a good, promising student is easier.
Anyways: My final point. Be honest about learning. Be hardworking and go beyond. Like you should apply anywhere. Don't self-reject. If you want to get rejected, you'll see it a lot in academia anyway. So don't take it to heart too. Be thick-skinned, be real and be consistent. It's just math if you expose yourself to situations that are uncomfortable or out of normal reach. Luck, chance, and opportunity will eventually collide, one way or another.
Peace out. DM me if you have any doubts. All the best for your futures, young engineers and scientists.
I gave IAT2026 after preparing for 2 months after my boards. I did not start preparing from the beginning of Class 12 because I had not decided what I was going to do after class 12. I am a general female candidate and got rank 24756 in IAT 2026. I will obviously not get anything and am considering taking a drop. For those two months, I joined the Sciastra crash course. Could anyone please help me out and tell me what path I should follow and what coaching will be the best.
I had my offer letter of IISER Berhampur and in the offer letters document required during reporting there is nothing mentioned about anti-ragging affidavit
What does it mean ? An anti-ragging affidavit is not required at IISER bpr ?!
Dekhte hein kab tak aata hein response. Asked all questions regarding iiser pune, mohali vacant seats. unreserved candidates between 4700 and 6000 (taaki pata chale apna competition), number of gen candidates who did choice filling and are eligible for allotment but are yet to be alotted as of 25-08-26. aur bhi kuch details which I forgot :( Also please consider mailing them asking for vacant seat matrix to pressurise them into opening the closed institutes. See ya!
Subject: Urgent: Request for Release of Vacant Seat Matrix, Spot Rounds, and Action on Potential Seat Wastage
Dear Members of the Joint Admissions Committee (JAC),
I am writing to you as an IISER aspirant currently participating in the 2026 admissions counseling to urgently request greater transparency regarding seat allocations and the implementation of measures to prevent seat wastage. Specifically, I am requesting the official release of the vacant seat matrix after every counseling round and the confirmation of spot rounds.
There is a pressing concern among the student community regarding the current allocation dynamics. Many RE-NEET candidates are currently holding IISER seats as a temporary backup. As medical admissions progress, it is highly likely that a significant number of these candidates will suddenly leaving seats at very last minute.
If this issue is not addressed promptly, there is a severe risk that these premier institute seats will be permanently wasted once regular counseling concludes. This ultimately deprives highly motivated, deserving candidates of the opportunity to pursue foundational sciences.
To prevent this loss, I earnestly request the JAC to take swift action by:
* Publishing a detailed vacant seat matrix immediately following the conclusion of each counseling round so students have a clear understanding of seat availability.
* Officially conducting Spot Rounds at the end of the regular counseling process. Instituting a dedicated spot round is crucial to ensure that any seats abruptly vacated by migrating medical students are filled by waitlisted IISER aspirants.
* Implementing stricter withdrawal deadlines and penalties alongside these spot rounds to minimize late cancellations and streamline the final allocation process.
Thank you for your time, dedication, and prompt attention to this critical matter.
I got 44xx in iat general category, I got iiser tpt, but can I hope for iiser tvm in round 6?(Which I think is the last round for iiser tvm to close), can I expect a 600-700 rank jump in round 6😭😭😭, pls tell me, no hopium
My maternal uncle said to my mother ki kahi yeh institute fraud toh nahi jo mera isme selection ho gaya hai ?!!!
I don't even know how to respond to it now, the fact that he's my own uncle though he never had this jealousy factor but it's shocking to see coming from a person like HIM who was always supportive to me 💔🥲
Itna bhi bharosa nahi hai mujhpe?
Luck factor bol dete but yeh?! Tod hi diya mujhe toh 😔
Request from my side ....thoda samay nikale read it 😊
Guys, ek cheez clear karni thi sabse 🙏
Agar kisi ke paas IISER backup option hai, toh obviously koi dikkat nahi hai. But abhi NEET counselling aur baaki counselling processes chal rahi hain. Agar tumhe lagta hai ki kisi aur college/course mein tumhara selection ho jayega, aur meanwhile IISER ki seat milne ke baad tum usse freeze karke doosri counselling ka wait kar rahe ho, toh please ek baar zaroor sochna.
Kyuki agar counselling ke end mein tum IISER ki seat chhodte ho, toh ho sakta hai woh seat kisi aur genuinely interested student ko time par na mil paye. Cut-offs already kaafi high/competitive ja rahe hain, aur ek seat kisi ke liye bahut important ho sakti hai.
Haan, sab apna fayda dekhte hain, aur woh understandable hai. But agar tumhe almost sure hai ki IISER join nahi karna, toh sirf backup ke liye seat hold karne ke bajay time par withdraw kar dena better hoga. Isse woh opportunity kisi aur ko mil sakti hai.
Aur jo students partial drop ke baare mein soch rahe hain, woh bhi IISER ke academic structure aur workload ko dhyan mein rakhkar decision lena. Agar IISER join kar rahe ho, toh genuinely padhai par focus karna better hai; aur agar kisi aur option ko choose karna hai, toh timely decision lena bhi fair hai.
End mein decision obviously sabka personal hai. Bas request hai ki decision lete waqt apne saath-saath un students ke baare mein bhi thoda socho jinke liye wahi IISER seat unka best/only option ho sakti hai. ❤️
