KOLKATA-BASED Arunavha Chanda (18) has made history by scoring a perfect 2,400 in the SAT (formerly known as Scholastic Assessment Test) subject tests ” physics, chemistry and maths Level II. SAT is the common admission exam administered worldwide by the College Board, a US-based not-for-profit organisation for undergrad admissions into American and other varsities around the world. With acceptance of foreign applicants by top-ranked US varsities dipping to 1 percent this year, this academic topper has admission offers from not one, but five Ivy League schools including Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Dartmouth College and Georgia Tech.
The only child of medical practitioners Amitabha, a consultant surgeon, and Bani Chanda Arunavha, a class XII student of the CBSE-affiliated Delhi Public School, Ruby Park, Kolkata, attributes this extraordinary academic achievement to his parents. Despite his busy schedule, my father took time out while my mother gave up her medical practice seven years ago to mentor and tutor me. Without their support and guidance, I could never have maxed SAT with close to zero stress, he says.
Arunavha also concedes that spending his formative years in the US and Canada where he was initiated into a culture of holistic learning prior to relocating to Kolkata in 2003, may have given him an edge. Far from being academics-focussed, I wanted to become a professional cricketer until 2006 when I was struck with synovitis, a debilitating disease that restricted leg movement for over four years. But I overcame this disability with the help of my parents and friends, says this gritty teen. The upside of forced rest and recreation was that I found a new friend in my computer, and my interest in STEM subjects has since grown into a passion, he adds.
After evaluating all the scholarships awarded to him, Arunavha has accepted Columbia University’s offer and signed up for its four-year BS (computer science and engineering) degree programme starting this September. Not only is Columbia an Ivy League university with distinguished alumni comprising 102 Nobel laureates, it is sited in happening New York city, and has the friendliest faculty. All this will motivate me to develop my skill-sets to become an IT entrepreneur and contribute to Indian society, says this promising whiz kid.
Wind in your sails!
Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)
