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Student Says IITs’ Edge Is Their Network, Not Just Coursework

A viral X post argues senior mentorship and alumni referrals drive students’ career progress more than classroom instruction.

Overview

  • The post was shared on X by 19-year-old Anurag Jha on Monday, June 22, 2026, after he described a conversation with a friend at IIT Guwahati.
  • Jha wrote that the friend said seniors and alumni routinely mentor students, recommend learning roadmaps and sometimes refer them to startups.
  • He used a personal example of a classmate who shifted from a quiet school student to strong communicator and coder as evidence of peer-driven transformation.
  • National outlets reported the viral post and social-media reactions, which largely agreed the network matters while warning that access to those networks is uneven.
  • No IIT has issued a formal response and the coverage highlights that the claim is based on anecdote and online discussion rather than systematic evidence.