An X user shared a story about his college friend that changed the way he looked at success and opportunities. The student recalled how both of them struggled with JEE and ended up joining a tier-3 private college. However, their journeys after college took completely different paths.

The post, shared by X user Ojas Sharma, highlighted how his friend, despite missing out on an IIT seat, went on to build an impressive profile through projects, clubs and competitions.
Friend’s journey changed his perspective
Sharing the experience, Ojas wrote, “In 12th grade, I had a really good friend. We both didn’t do well in JEE. I joined a tier-3 private college, while he took a drop year.”
He added that during his gap year, his friend often spoke about aiming for IIT Delhi or another IIT for CSE. However, things did not go as planned, and a year later, he joined the same college as Ojas, becoming his junior.
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According to Ojas, that was when their paths started moving in different directions. His friend went on to become the president of several clubs, created impressive hardware projects, built drones and won hackathons.
Reflecting on his friend’s achievements, Ojas admitted that the experience changed his mindset. “I always blamed my college for not offering enough opportunities, but he proved me wrong. Sometimes, the limiting factor isn’t the college. It’s what we choose to do with the opportunities that are already there,” he wrote.
Take a look:
How did social media react?
Many users agreed with Ojas and said that a person’s efforts often matter more than the name of their college. One user commented, “Agree with you. I think it’s just you who chose to be like this. All colleges are bad, but still some people achieve so much.”
Another wrote, “True, despite joining a tier-1 college, I wasted my BTech years.”
A user highlighted the importance of personal effort, saying, “Agree with you, it all depends on us. Blaming the environment is not the truth.”
Another comment read, “Sometimes we have to work hard because, in the end, no one will tell you what to do. You are on your own.”
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One user shared a similar experience, writing, “I had a similar realization after graduating. Some of the strongest engineers I know came from tier-2 and tier-3 colleges. What set them apart wasn’t the college name, it was how much they built outside the classroom.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)