Each year, T5E attempts to capture the journey of the graduating batch to understand what life at IIT Madras truly feels like for those crossing the finish line. This semester, we launched the annual Exit Survey 2024, receiving 246 responses across the graduating class. About 83% of the respondents were undergraduates (B.Tech, DD, and MA), with the rest representing the postgraduate community (MSc, MTech, MBA, PhD, and MS).
In this section, T5E delves into the heart of what makes IIT Madras more than just academics and career milestones: its people. Through their responses, the graduating class painted a vivid picture of their personal journeys—spanning friendships, connections, and self-discovery. Beyond peers, we also uncover their take on professor interactions.
How often do you express yourself?
The stereotype of an IITian as a solitary introvert doesn’t quite hold up to real world statistics. While a third of the respondents identified as introverts, more than half placed themselves in the middle ground as ambiverts. Interestingly, only 8% of students identified primarily as extroverts, making it the smallest group among the three.
Has that changed after coming to insti?
When asked if their personality traits had shifted after joining IIT Madras, the responses painted an interesting picture. Nearly half of the respondents (47.9%) stated that their core traits remained unchanged. However, 27.6% felt they had undergone a noticeable change, while 24.5% were uncertain.
Interactions with the opposite gender
When it came to interacting with the opposite gender, a surprising 41.8% of students said they hadn’t had any interaction at all! For a lucky 11.2%, college was a space to make close friendships that might just last a lifetime.
How many romantic relationships did you have?
When it comes to romantic relationships, most respondents hadn’t been in one during their time at insti. Only 11% of students had had a relationship, while a small number had been in more than one.
How big was your friend circle?
Friends play a huge role in shaping your life at insti – they’re the ones you spend all your time with, and they even affect the way you think and make decisions. Interestingly, nearly a fourth of the respondents had a really small circle, while another third of the respondents had a decent-sized group of friends to hang out with. Most students seemed to enjoy a solid group of friends during their college journey.
How was your interaction with your professors?
Most respondents only interacted with professors during class time. A little under 1% of respondents admitted they didn’t even know their professors’ names!
On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best rating, how do you rate your hostel?
Hostel feels, all those late nights, complaints and praise alike—now backed by stats. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, the average rating for hostels came in at a solid 3.83.
Conclusion
Many respondents formed meaningful friendships and embraced opportunities for personal development, while others faced challenges with limited social interactions or minimal engagement outside of academics. Hostel and mess facilities received generally favorable feedback. Mental health support and work-life balance remain areas where further progress is needed, as many relied on friends and family for emotional support.
Edited by Ishan Khurma
Viswajit Ati
