The Amity Admissions Interview Biotechnology

Now, I will say nothing regarding the Amity Biotechnology at Amity Noida. I haven't attended, but seeing what they were offering, I decided to go for it.

The day for the interview arrived. I wasn't really sure what was going to happen, and there wasn't much information on their FAQ (they don't have one). All I really got were some rather unhelpful tips that didn't say much.

I was going for the undergrad B. Tech program, so perhaps your graduate experience will be different from mine. But anyway, this is how it went:

The first thing that I would like to say is don't bother to go in formals. I wondered about going in a suit and tie but abandoned the idea. NO ONE will be going like that, and outside it will be hot like a furnace. Wear comfortable clothes.

Another thing, bring your certificates (Class 10 and 12, or your 12th marks receipt if you didn't get your mark sheet). I brought other things that they said would be used to prove that I got awards, but they didn't look at any of them.

I will say this though: It will get very boring. By 10:30 I remember that we were done with our essays. I got my interview at around 2:00. A lot of your time will be spent just waiting for a ten minute interview. Yes, there will be lunch, but still, bring something to do. Preferably a novel to read while you wait.

That alone was something I wish someone had told me.

As for the actual interview, I suppose you're wondering what questions they asked.

See, my marks were mostly top-notch so they didn't ask me about that, but I heard some other kids saying that they had low marks and that they had been asked for an explanation.

The interview was taken in one small room. There were two interviewers and they checked out my certificates.

They didn't ask me any general knowledge or IQ questions. Instead, they asked me where I done my schooling from, what experiments I had done in biotechnology (I had taken biotechnology in eleventh and twelfth. Don't worry if you didn't.) I think because of that they asked me questions directly related to biotechnology.

Unfortunately, most were things that I had read in my eleventh class textbook and I was a little hazy about them. After that there was the standard question: "Why do you want to do this course."

And so, it was over. I wouldn't put too much stock into the interview or get too nervous, they make most of their decisions based solely on marks.

So anyway, good luck.

If you're wondering, I was accepted later on, though since I had a percentage (I won't disclose the actual amount but it was above 93%) I was expecting that anyway and I don't know if that had something to do with the interview.

And another thing, I ultimately declined their admissions offer.

Why There Won't Be an Indian Percy Jackson

It's true.

1. There is a large dearth of good Indian fantasy out there.

2. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is very popular.

But for some reason, I've seen a lot of people saying that someone should mix the two ideas. That someone should make a book series with the heroes the children of the Indian gods. It's a nice sentiment, but sadly one that is destined to fail for the following reasons:

1. The Indian gods are still a part of religion: No one worships the Greek or Roman gods anymore. But our Indian gods are still worshiped. If someone would go around making a book series about them, there is a very good chance that it will end up getting censored. The reason for this is reason number two on our list.

2. The Indian gods aren't like that: The Greek gods went around having children with humans. The Indian gods have always been revered as embodiments of all of our good values, and they value marriage. If there were stories about the Indian gods cheating on their partners, then millions of people are going to consider that disrespecting the gods very seriously, even though you may not think so. The book would be seen as derogatory, and would have to be banned by the Government.

3. It would just be a copy: Come on folks, most Indian movies are copied from Hollywood movies. Do we want to extend that to books to? Even if the book becomes a hit, it will forever be considered nothing more than a simple copy and will forever live in the shadow of the original.

And that is why an Indian Percy Jackson would fail.

Not that I'm saying that the idea should be abandoned completely. Rick Riordan's ideology has always been about bringing mythology to kids in a way that they can understand and popularizing Greek myths. That's what we should be doing. And there are quite a few movies and television shows that already bring Indian mythology to children in an interesting way. Not too many books, but a lot of the shows and movies are popular. It's important as Indian mythology is a big part of Indian culture, and this practice should be continued and encouraged.

Thank you for reading, and I'd love to hear your views.