I was the first from my village to crack JEE and make it to an IIT | Life in an IIT

Gourav Yadav was the first individual from his village to clear the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and secure a seat at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. Growing up in Dhamlawas, a small village in Haryana, Gourav had no one to turn to for guidance, advice or comparison while preparing for the exam. His father is a lawyer and his mother stays at home.

The support and freedom from his parents to follow his own interests, despite not being of conventional lineage, proved invaluable. Gourav enrolled in PhysicsWallah’s online batch for JEE preparation during his Class 12 and managed to clear both JEE Main and JEE Advanced, becoming the first from his village to do so. His interest in civil engineering stems from the transformation he saw in Gurgaon, a city that changed from a tiny settlement to a metropolitan hub within his lifetime.

This fascination led him to choose civil engineering as his career path. After successfully completing his BTech from IIT Kanpur, Gourav was appointed as the president of the Students’ Gymkhana, a role that involves managing events, discussions on student issues and planning campus activities. He emphasizes that the support and mentorship system at IIT Kanpur, including student guides and wing-mates, greatly facilitated his transition into college life.