Congratulations to everyone who have been selected in JEE Advanced examination.Not long ago ,I was in a dilemma as which IIT to choose which branch should I prefer and so on.. Today I am a proud pioneer batch student of Systems Science IIT Jodhpur.I would like to share some of my thoughts and valuable experiences regading Systems Science @ IITJ.

B.Tech. Systems Science Program is to provide students foundation in basic sciences and engineering and in mathematical tools to make them competent to solve complex problems.It gives you the freedom and flexibility in choosing your specialization i.e., major in CSE/EE/ME depending on the interests you develop during the course of study and not simulate interest in any particular branch because others are doing it.(I’m sure you are not gullible)

Let me explain this with an example. Problem 1: Robot formation and trajectory tracking: Task 1: Model the system Task 2: Design to control law for trajectory tracking and maintaining the desired formation Task 3: Make your robot learn to travel it’s path Task 4: Travel in an optimum path

Problem 2: You have to manage a financial portfolio Task 1: Model the stock flow Task 2: Risk Management Task 3: Identifying patterns from historical data Task 4: Optimize the portfolio

What do you find common in the above two problems and point out the difference between Systems Science students to the other conventional branch students(No offence to other branches, I’m not an iconoclast!)??

The underlying science and the mathematical tools which are used for modeling the problem and optimization. .To understand the dynamics and to model them you need mathematics i.e.,Dynamical Systems course would come in handy along with the basic courses of Math. and Intro. courses

In order to design the control law you need Control Systems and Robotics and whereas for risk management - Financial Engineering In order to make your robot learn or to identify patterns from historical data you need Data Mining and Machine Learning. In order to optimise your path or Portfolio - OR Optimization and Systems Design(Multi variable opt. and Unconventional optimization tech. like GA. Neural Networks,etc.,) Finally you need hardware implementation for which you require programming skills and Embedded Systems Design. The above mentioned courses form the core of Systems Science discipline.

What is the the difference between your systems approach(mind you for saying ‘your’approach as you would be using it for the rest of your lives) and the conventional approach??

With this kind of approach,you are not limited to, engineered systems, ecological systems, business and financial systems and other complex networked systems.

So what is special about this branch??

With these skill set acquired, you are not confined to one particular domain.You will be versatile in nature,multidimensional in your thinking and unique in your approach of problem solving. You are given the flexibility of choosing your specialization i.e., major in CSE/EE/ME along with electives from the domain which you are more comfortable by the end of your 6th semester.

What are the areas in which you can specialize? Apart from your major i.e.CSE/EE/ME you can specialize in Robotics, Computational Finance,Data Analytics etc.,(SS2011 and my dear juniors SS2012 & SS2013 feel free to add anything I forgot to mention)

What will I do after completing my graduation??

You may end up working for some core company in the field of your major degree,data analytics firm , become a banker or a financial analyst or do your masters or Phd in Robotics,Mathematics and Computing,Data Analytics apart from your major degree or do an MBA.The best outcome which I can think of this experiment of throwing a dice is of course you become an entrepreneur(which I hope many of us would become).

How are the internship and placement statistics?

The pioneer batch students are in their final year so placement has’nt been done yet. As far as the internships are concerned we’ve had a dream start.Many students landed in a foreign intern in top universities and companies across the globe.Several students are working in financial and data analytic companies in India as well.You need not worry about your internships and placements as you have Industry Partners in Blended B.Tech. Program

What should I do if I get Systems Science at IIT Jodhpur?

Forget all the shit that your friends and relatives ask about the branch which you are joining.I am sure everyone of you would answer this question in a commendable fashion by the end of your 4 years. All the best for your future! Looking forward to a new era of innovators and system thinkers.

This post was written by me in the IIT Jodhpur Fresher’s Forum to help new students choosing a branch at IIT Jodhpur.