pdf link :

• Article_PDF , original link : Post_Link
• Prompt_Engg

Though we are primarily into Mathematics and Statistics, AI and its rapid evolution are something we simply cannot afford to overlook. In fact, many people pursue Statistics with the broader goal of eventually moving into AI, Machine Learning, and related fields.

This document/article provides a great introduction to AI, its recent breakthroughs, and the impact it is having across different domains. Given its relevance to our field and how closely Maths, Statistics, and AI are becoming intertwined, I couldn’t hold myself back from sharing it with you all.

The Real Talk on Joining ISI (Kolkata) : For People Considering It

If you're a Person weighing whether to join ISI, here's an honest, no-sugarcoating breakdown of when it makes sense and when it doesn't. Save yourself some regret and read this before you decide.

✅ Reasons to Join ISI

1. You don't have strong finances and need the scholarship/stipend. This alone can be a legitimate deciding factor.
2. You genuinely love maths and stats : the nerdy, for-its-own-sake kind of love, not just as a means to a job.
3. You live close to ISI Kolkata, or you're Bengali. The adjustment curve is a lot gentler if either applies to you.
4. You don't care about college life, fests, or the typical campus experience : because ISI mostly doesn't have that to offer.
5. Your real goal is higher studies at a top international university (Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley, etc.) : though heads up, PhD offers out of ISI K have thinned recently due to visa issues, so factor that in.
6. You want a decent placement, 20 LPA+ range (for BStat + MStat) : though what's happening with 2024-onwards batches is genuinely unclear right now: seats have increased, the UG-level interview round via the ISI entrance test has been dropped, and the newer BSDS course's placement numbers might end up lower going forward.
7. You need a private room with an attached bathroom from day one. Room and bathroom quality is just okay-okay, but at least you get your own space.
8. Decent mess food matters to you.
9. You want a genuinely strong peer group.
10. You want a degree that's a gateway to almost everything after graduation : research, government jobs, corporate roles from low to extremely high-paying quant positions, academia, all of it. Passing ISI's rigorous stats coursework opens these doors if you're disciplined enough. And that word - rigorous , carries serious weight. It's something you can only truly feel once you're inside the course, not something that fully translates on paper.

❌ Reasons NOT to Join ISI

• You're not willing to actually study through your college years. ISI has a strict year-to-year promotion policy, and a lot of it comes down to individual professors , some of whom grade in a completely mechanical, unsympathetic way.
• You want the fest-and-fun college experience that IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs offer. As the saying goes : "ISI mein kuch nahi hota."
• You don't purely love theoretical maths and stats and want other things alongside it.
• You care about gender ratio. Fair, but keep it in context , women are underrepresented in STEM in general, and IITs aren't much better on the ratio front (though in absolute numbers, IITs will have more girls simply due to larger batch sizes). If this genuinely matters to you , for dating, friendships, whatever , the fix isn't necessarily "avoid ISI," it's making an effort to build a life outside it too: friends beyond your batch, fests at other colleges, etc.
• You can't handle ultra-humid Kolkata weather.
• No geyser facility in winter , you're stuck relying on your own induction cooktop, and power cuts from overload/poor wiring are common when people use them.
• Wildlife incidents happen , snakes, lizards, insects finding their way into rooms, and yes, one infamous case of a guy finding a rat inside the commode in his bathroom. But don't let this get exaggerated in your head , it's not like every third guy in the hostel has a horror story like this. Realistically it's more like 3–4% of the hostel that's dealt with something on this scale. Keep the actual odds in mind instead of picturing a jungle.
• Administration is classic government-office energy. Dean's office and staff technically get work done, but slowly and bureaucratically.
• ISI K turns into an ocean after decent rainfall, almost every time. If your prof doesn't cancel class, you're wading through that same water , complete with all the wildlife mentioned above.
• It can feel like nobody looks out for anybody. People tend to be self-centered, and there've been a fair number of gatekeeping incidents on this very subreddit. That said , you'd hear near-identical stories from IIT students, probably just as often, maybe more. This isn't really an ISI-specific problem; it's an adulting problem. The first real skill you need to learn is discerning who's actually good people versus who just happened to be around you first. A lot of people cling to the first friend group they land in as if randomness alone should've handed them their best-fit people, and when that doesn't pan out, they generalize it into "ISI people are like this" or even "people in general are like this." Those generalizations don't hold much water. Ask yourself honestly what traits actually made you close to the people you did click with , was it really just proximity? Figure out who you are and what kind of people you want around you, then go meet more people with genuine curiosity instead of writing off the whole institute.
• Out-of-the-box thinkers are rare here , it's a nerd-heavy environment. Worth pushing back on this one a bit though: research itself doesn't happen without out-of-the-box thinking, so the "nerd-heavy = no innovation" framing isn't quite right. The real reason startups aren't common out of ISI is more structural , small batch sizes, an ecosystem that's still developing, and a weaker professor-industry pipeline compared to what IITs have built. It's less about the people and more about the infrastructure around them.
• Teaching quality varies wildly. Most profs are deeply knowledgeable, but delivery can be worse than a mediocre tuition teacher you had for JEE , and some seem inclined to fail students. Last year in BStat 2nd year Probability III, 30+ students got back papers. In MMath, out of 18 students, 6 got a year back and 3 were forced to discontinue the program. It all depends on which prof you land , get a supportive one and you're good, get an unsupportive one and may God bless you. Worth noting for perspective though: the actual proportion of genuinely good teachers at ISI is higher than at most IITs , a lot of the frustration here comes from not having visibility into how teaching quality looks elsewhere.

Posting this for People who only hear the "ISI is prestigious" pitch and not the ground reality. Make an informed choice.

How does class schedule at ISI look like :

We classes goes from Monday to Friday (Saturday & Sunday is holiday), there are time slots (you can have a class in any of these time slots apart from the lunch break slot) :

• 10:15 - 11:05
• 11:10 - 12:00
• 12:05 - 12:55
• lunch break : 12:55 - 14:15
• 14:15 - 15:05
• 15:10 - 16:00
• 16:05 - 16:55
• 17:00 - 17:50

one sem is not exactly 6months , its about 4 months

Every semester, an academic calendar is prepared. You can refer to this folder to get an idea of how it is structured and what it typically includes : drive_link

I’ve noticed that whenever quantitative PG programmes are discussed here, the conversation usually revolves around MStat, MSQE, MMath, etc. , which is fair, but I feel one programme that often gets overlooked is PGDBA.

PGDBA is jointly offered by ISI, IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta, and it is a two-year full-time residential programme focused on business analytics. It combines statistics, mathematics, computing/data science and business-oriented applications, along with industry exposure.

I especially think it can be an interesting option for engineers/CS/IT graduates who have a decent quantitative background but don't necessarily want to go down the pure-statistics/pure-academia route.

If your objective is something along the lines of:

• data/business analytics
• data science and quantitative roles
• applying mathematical/statistical methods to real-world business problems
• transitioning from engineering/CS into analytics
• keeping both technical and business-oriented career paths open

then PGDBA is definitely something worth researching before narrowing your options.

This isn't meant to be a “PGDBA > MStat/MSQE” post. These programmes have quite different orientations, and whether PGDBA makes sense depends heavily on what you actually want to do afterwards.

I just feel that people preparing for ISI/CMI/IIT-type quantitative programmes sometimes end up thinking only in terms of the usual MStat/MSQE/MMath options, while PGDBA doesn't get nearly as much discussion.

So, if you're an engineer or someone from a quantitative background considering your PG options, don't overlook PGDBA. At least read through the curriculum, admission requirements, placements and past batch profiles before deciding.

Official programme pages:

1. https://pgdba.iitkgp.ac.in/ 

2. https://www.iimcal.ac.in/programs/PGDBA 

3. https://www.isical.ac.in/~pgdba/

 

Disclaimer: Not an advertisement or promotion, just sharing an option that I feel deserves more awareness, especially among engineers and other quantitative-background students. I have no affiliation with the PGDBA programme beyond being an ISI student.

There are also other videos on this channel pertaining to such interviews of mathematics students

These are some of the Olympiad worth trying and preparing for :

IOQM [THE OG]

• https://ioqm.mtai.org.in/
• https://www.mtai.org.in/
• syllabus : pdf link
• the pipeline : IOQM → RMO → INMO → IMOTC → PDC → IMO

Indian Computing olympiad

• https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/#eligibility
• https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/online-study-material/index.php

Indian National AI olympiad

• https://www.inaio.in/
• https://www.inaio.in/resources

Linguistics Olympiads

• https://ltrc.iiit.ac.in/plo/
• https://aplo.asia/
• https://ioling.org/

philosophy olympiad

• https://www.philosophy-olympiad.org/

Statistics Olympiad

• C. R. Rao Statistics Olympiad

Other Mathematics olympiads

• IMMC (International Mathematical Modeling Challenge) : https://immcindia.org/
• Purple comet : https://www.purplecomet.org/
• ISI MTRP (Mathematics Talent Reward Programme) - part of ISI INTEGRATION annual fest
• CMI STEMS (Scholastic Test of Excellence in Mathematical Sciences) - part of CMI Tessellate annual fest

Trackers for olympiads

• https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_mathematics_competitions
• https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Mathematics_Olympiads
• https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/Olympiad_Archive
• https://artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_international_mathematics_competitions
• https://moresults.org/
• https://www.indiaolympiad.com/
• https://wiwitness.com/olympiads
• https://myark.in/olympiads
• https://www.olympiadhelper.com/subject/default.aspx (it mixes serious competitions with commercial/school-level Olympiads , thus this one may-may not be helpful)

---

if anyone has any other olympiad in mind , pls do put in the comment section

After giving it some thought and going down a few Reddit rabbit holes, I ended up with the following problem.

Feel free to go through the document below : PDF_LINK

Disclaimer : Before anyone overanalyzes the story... The scenario is fictional and exists solely to motivate the mathematics. It is not a commentary on arranged marriages, relationships, earning patterns, or gender roles. X and Y are deliberately gender-neutral, and the story works identically regardless of who earns more , or whether they are a couple at all. The only thing that really matters here is the recurrence relation hiding beneath the narrative.

If you are someone who loves abstraction , then you can also consider looking into the general case for this whole scenario : PDF_GENERAL_CASE

Also, there are quite a few interesting nuances to this problem that one can explore. For instance, the periodicity of salary payments can influence the analysis. We also haven't accounted for external expenditures : what changes when unavoidable expenses enter the picture? There are many such variations and scenarios worth investigating. I'll leave the rest for you to explore and experiment with as you like.

Disclaimer: despite the title, this isn't necessarily a mind-bending mathematics problem. The title is only there to highlight the problem and encourage people to take a look.

A fine read ahead. No TL;DR this time :)

Whenever people talk about ISI, the conversation is almost always about academics, professors, placements, or how difficult the coursework is. Very few people talk about what the social environment is actually like, especially if you're a woman.

So here's something I wish more aspirants knew before joining. First of all, ISI is generally a safe campus. If you're an aspiring student or a parent reading this, physical safety is usually not something people worry about here. Most students are respectful, and you'll meet some genuinely kind, helpful people. That said, there are a few things that are worth knowing. The first is the gender ratio. In programs like B.Stat and B.Math, girls are a small minority. Because of that, you become noticeable almost by default. People know who you are much faster than they know the average guy in the batch. Since ISI is a small institute, news and rumours also travel incredibly fast.

Another thing is that many students come from backgrounds where they haven't had much interaction with girls before college. Some studied in boys' schools, while others simply never had many female friends. Most don't have bad intentions, but it can sometimes make interactions feel awkward. You may occasionally feel like you're being treated as "one of the girls" rather than simply another classmate. Unfortunately, there is also another issue. Since the introduction of supernumerary seats for female candidates, a small section of students assumes that every girl entered through reservation or somehow had it easier. That's an unfair assumption. Nobody knows another person's journey, and nobody should have to justify how they earned their place. One thing you'll also notice is that rumours spread surprisingly fast in ISI. This isn't limited to women, but because there are fewer women on campus, they often become the centre of attention much more easily. A completely normal interaction can suddenly become something that half the campus seems to know about. Most of the time it isn't malicious, but it can definitely become uncomfortable.

There is another part of ISI's culture that doesn't get discussed enough.

Because everyone here was among the best students before joining, people naturally start comparing themselves once they're here. Sometimes it's harmless motivation, but sometimes it becomes an unhealthy obsession with grades, ranks, or who understands the material better. If you're someone who isn't doing well academically for a while, you may feel that people take your opinions less seriously or quietly label you as "weak." On the other hand, students who consistently score well aren't necessarily having an easy time either. Many of them end up feeling constant pressure to maintain that image, keep their grades high, and live up to everyone's expectations. It becomes a competition that is healthy for some people, but exhausting for others.

Thankfully, this isn't everyone. Some of the most brilliant people at ISI are also the most humble. You'll also meet people who genuinely want to help others succeed. Those are the people you should stay close to.

Now, before anyone misunderstands this post, I'm not saying ISI is a sexist place or that everyone judges people based on marks. That would be unfair. Most students are friendly, respectful, and willing to help if you ask.

The point is simply that ISI is a very small institute filled with exceptionally talented people. When you combine that with a heavily male-dominated student body, intense academics, and a close-knit campus where everyone knows everyone, certain social dynamics naturally become much more visible than they would in a larger college.

If you're a woman joining ISI, don't let random comments affect your confidence. Find a good group of friends. Talk to seniors. Remember that you earned your seat, and you don't need to prove your worth to anyone. And if you're a guy at ISI, treat your female classmates the same way you'd treat anyone else. Don't spread rumours. Don't make assumptions about how someone got in. Small comments that seem harmless to you can stay with someone for a long time.

Finally, to everyone joining ISI, remember that your percentage or exam scores (ISI doesn't have cgpa system, it follows percentage only) are only one part of who you are. They're important, but they shouldn't become your entire identity, nor should they define how you see other people. ISI is an incredible place to learn. It will challenge you academically, help you grow, and introduce you to some amazing people. It also has its own quirks and flaws, just like every other institute. Knowing about them beforehand doesn't make the experience worse. It simply helps you walk in with realistic expectations and make the most of your time here.

I did like to add, this post and content, applies for PG peops as well !! ,let it be MSTAT, MSQE, MTECH ...

Acknowledgement : Some of the perspectives shared in this post are based on experiences and insights previously shared by senior Adityarup Laha in one of his Reddit comments. Many thanks to him.

I do like this guy in my class, somehow, I got his birth details while in convo 😅.

In general as to what I observed practically, was that he's kinda reserved in general, but like not by himself , like as to like he's a reserved person by situation and and by chance all the time, also, like he's subtle. Rest, he never had been in any relationship before , I might be his first 😅

https://preview.redd.it/uvfrtcijl6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49582b02d10a80a0ea6dfcbe4875e4e0eb7be079

https://preview.redd.it/f76w5bijl6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c094e2aca58fdecebd1dc07247f7c53744acf9b7

https://preview.redd.it/w42mwioel6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=285ee14abcc2963e4ca1ac5c1acb3c0c5841c9d8

https://preview.redd.it/hw666joel6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c3f299a1e974ab8ac514cbde5f073420fccf7a9

I do like this guy in my class, somehow, I got his birth details while in convo 😅.

In general as to what I observed practically, was that he's kinda reserved in general, but like not by himself , like as to like he's a reserved person by situation and and by chance all the time, also, like he's subtle. Rest, he never had been in any relationship before , I might be his first 😅

https://preview.redd.it/beji7he5l6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1a320a98ba2aa67fbf17ebb375264f7faf46dfa

https://preview.redd.it/r3vulee5l6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b852adecf7fcb35240d9084ddee1368b673642fa

I do like this guy in my class, somehow, I got his birth details while in convo 😅.

In general as to what I observed practically, was that he's kinda reserved in general, but like not by himself , like as to like he's a reserved person by situation and and by chance all the time, also, like he's subtle. Rest, he never had been in any relationship before , I might be his first 😅

https://preview.redd.it/uk2a7k6ok6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35c6c4da03efcec7f43f66e0d20f5702f071126f

https://preview.redd.it/287t7m6ok6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8250f645360c768fcead69071900c9077a49de4e

I do like this guy in my class, somehow, I got his birth details while in convo 😅.

In general as to what I observed practically, was that he's kinda reserved in general, but like not by himself , like as to like he's a reserved person by situation and and by chance all the time, also, like he's subtle. Rest, he never had been in any relationship before , I might be his first 😅

https://preview.redd.it/orl75tybk6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ec020b4692a1cd74b73595b9cd2ee1c490ebc6

https://preview.redd.it/cxuclwybk6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa8dfcf60d98b47198107e9fb478a0cbffaa29db

I do like this guy in my class, somehow, I got his birth details while in convo 😅.

In general as to what I observed practically, was that he's kinda reserved in general, but like not by himself , like as to like he's a reserved person by situation and and by chance all the time, also, like he's subtle. Rest, he never had been in any relationship before , I might be his first 😅

https://preview.redd.it/www6td21k6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c78d3972ed39e7846bfc09ce346b74686363dc7

https://preview.redd.it/vmnh7f21k6gh1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9598ba1d937e85112d4bc61f7cc8b1a00a905950

I do like this guy in my class, somehow, I got his birth details while in convo 😅.

In general as to what I observed practically, was that he's kinda reserved in general, but like not by himself , like as to like he's a reserved person by situation and and by chance all the time, also, like he's subtle. Rest, he never had been in any relationship before , I might be his first 😅

you can dig more about the profs in ISI via the website : webpage link

on demand, i am also including ISI alumni page link : Page_link

Apart from ISI annual Reports , one can also refer to the NIRF pdf by ISI : PDF LINKS

which offers substantial info about ISI