Didn't crack JEE, missed BITS Pilani by 0.5%, lived in dejection: Gaurav Kheterpal returned years later to receive an award from the same institution

For many students, an entrance examination can feel like a verdict on their future. A missed cutoff, an unsuccessful attempt or a college that falls short of expectations can make years of hard work seem meaningless. But Gaurav Kheterpal’s journey offers a powerful reminder that an institution missed at 18 does not have to remain a dream forever.Kheterpal recently shared his story on social media, recalling how he made three attempts at the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) between 1995 and 1997 but could not secure admission to an IIT. His disappointment deepened when he missed the cutoff for BITS Pilani by less than 0.5%.From a Tier-3 college to a Tier-2 institutionAfter missing out on both IITs and BITS Pilani, Kheterpal eventually enrolled in a Tier-3 college. However, he refused to treat that setback as the final chapter of his academic journey.He studied hard and eventually topped a lateral entrance examination, which enabled him to move to a Tier-2 college. For Kheterpal, however, the BITS Pilani setback remained particularly difficult to forget.He recalled that missing the institute by such a narrow margin hurt more than not making it to the IITs. His admiration for BITS Pilani was so strong that he became deeply dejected and even avoided hearing its name.The institution he missed became part of his journeyLife, however, took Kheterpal back to the very institution he once thought he had lost forever. In 2002-03, he returned to BITS Pilani to pursue his master's degree.Years later, another unexpected turn brought him back into the institution's fold.Kheterpal recently received the Startup Excellence Award from BITS Pilani for his and his team's work at Vanshiv Technologies during an alumni event in Jaipur.A missed opportunity is not always the endKheterpal's journey highlights an important lesson for students navigating competitive examinations and college admissions: an entrance result can determine where one begins, but it does not necessarily determine where one ends up.The college that a student enters at 18 may not be the institution they imagined. Yet, with persistence, learning and sustained effort, the path can change in ways that are impossible to predict at that age.For Kheterpal, the institution he once missed by less than half a percentage point eventually became the place where he pursued higher studies and, years later, received recognition for his entrepreneurial work.His story is a reminder that some dreams may take longer than expected, but a setback at 18 does not have to define the rest of one's life.Get the latest Education News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.