Two of the most important things that one requires for clearing a highly competitive exam like JEE Advanced is good guidance and expert mentorship, and that is how I found RISE. I chose RISE, because I wanted to ensure that if I had to clear this exam I would have to study and take guidance from people who have already cracked JEE before. I had come from a rote learning background which is engraved across Kashmir’s schooling system, where there is a lot less emphasis on understanding concepts and applying them, and this approach of mine was changed when I came to RISE. The teachers at RISE not only helped me to bridge the gap between board and JEE system but also helped get a head start in my prep. I started my prep like any other aspirant thinking about getting AIR-1, but then life is not a bed of roses, at least my prep was not. It was a journey full of ups and downs (I like to call them learnings) but because I was constantly putting effort and also because I was going in the right direction as guided by my mentors at RISE, I managed to get along the difficult part too. To be honest one of my peers literally said that it was impossible for me to get into IITB CSE and he was half right only. Also the peer group at RISE was so good that i always was challenged to do better and better, because there were dozens that were smarter than me and put more effort than me. And speaking of downs, i qualified JEE Advanced in the first attempt but i was not getting any top IIT and then I decided to take a drop and here as well my mentors at RISE helped me in shaping this decision as they gave me clarity on what challenges i might have to face in my drop year, but this time i was more determined than ever and started to slog for JEE again. This time around i did it and not only did i get a good rank i got the best engineering college in India – IIT Bombay, of which many only dream about and few grind to get it.