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IITian urges graduates to stop hiding top college tag in the name of humility: 'Own your privilege'
The techie recalled his IIT journey, saying that getting into the institute was not something that was simply handed to him.
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An IIT alumnus has sparked a discussion online after arguing that graduates from top institutions should not hide their educational backgrounds in the name of humility.
Taking to X, Akash Sampurnanand Pandey, a New York-based software engineer and IIT BHU alumnus, shared his view, saying that he had seen IIT Bombay graduates introduce themselves as having studied at "an engineering school in Mumbai" instead of naming the institute. He argued that such behaviour could stem from "downplaying to fit in", managing expectations or even a "stealth flex" intended to prompt others to ask which college they attended.
"Hot take: hiding your privilege is not humility," Pandey wrote, sharing the 3 "hidden" reasons behind the humility. "1. Downplaying to fit in: Shielding from being tagged as an arrogant elitist to avoid being an outcast. 2. Expectation Management: Dodging the pressure to always be the smartest person in the room. 3. Stealth Flex: Baiting you to ask "Which one?" so they can deliver the big reveal like a mic drop," he wrote, adding that none of these reasons were healthy.
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The techie further recalled his IIT journey, saying that getting into the institute was not something that was simply handed to him. He shared that he spent 14 hours a day studying for 2 years and sacrificed much of his teenage life for a JEE rank.
"If you went to a top college, own your privilege and use it to your advantage," he said, extending the argument to people with qualifications such as MBBS/MD, CA and IIM degrees.
Pandey described hiding such achievements as "a quiet apology you owe no one" and urged graduates to acknowledge their accomplishments without becoming arrogant.
"Don't be cocky, but do not shrink just to make others feel taller,. Else they might just make you feel shorter," he wrote.
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What did social media say?
His post drew mixed reactions on X.
One user wrote, "Agree. Saying 'Mumbai' when asked where you went to school is borderline disrespectful for two reasons: Doesn't answer the question and implies that you expect the asker to be blown away by the true answer."
"IIT is not a privilege except in the eyes of IITians--no connection with long-term professional success. Those not taking IIT's name during intro r just faking humility&just waiting for the next Q to reveal what is usually their only achievement in life:IIT," commented another.
"I haven't seen a single IITian hiding or not telling he is from IIT. They carry that tag to their grave. For most IITians their biggest achievement in life is getting into IIT," wrote a third user.
"Showing that privilege at right place is good but hiding at place where ordinary people are sitting is humility. Showing that at such place is arrogance," said another.
"Privilege in our society has become a performance: the elite hide theirs behind false modesty, while those who don't have it are faking hard to project it," one user said.
