Hoping against hope

With results of this semester out one more year of my prescribed four year's stay at IITD ends. This was the end of second year so that means what is left are 2 more years. Half of the journey (a punitive one) over or as pessimist side of my conscience will say half still remains. Standing in the middle path now i am in position to analyse many things.Their were lots of regrets of what i did in these years and consequently what i lost due to it. But there was a single question which always kept on pondering for quiet some time now and it was-was iit the right place for me ?or phrased in better manner -am i doing what i was supposed to ?
My guilty conscience gave a negative answer for this question. But when i look around my batchmates i realise that most of them are also in same state as i am,( it's immaterial if they admit or not). But if i look at the bigger picture than the question which is even more difficult to answer and haunting is that why is that supposedly one of the brightest students of their generation (I doubt this notion but the outside world still considers this myth a reality) waste the most formative years of their life studying what probably was never of their interest. It is just a stereotype that if u are smart (academically) than you should opt for science stream and burn midnight oil so that it may lead you to the enlightment in the form of selection in one of IITs. There is a media created hype about these institutes which makes people to believe that it is a one time pass key which will make one not just well paid professional but a filthy rich person. The expectations from such a fresh entrant sore to meteoric heights but after coming here he realises that he have to fight even harder here for bagging those talked about placements. This task is even more difficult because there is no prescribed syllabus or guide books on reading which they can take commanding positons in the race. Whats hot and whats not changes with the analysis that is done regarding every major placement that come to notice. Many feel that that the passer key to wealth has suddenly dissappeared. Things become even more difficult to digest when newspaper and telivisions carry news that there was some odd guy who was offered say $100,000 as compensation and this news reaches the parents and relatives of the student. They assume that money is raining for students of these campuses and their ward will be making hay out there. Suddenly for the social circle (which excludes iitians) of the student the amount which once looked lucrative becomes meagre. As soon as such a student reaches home , straight comes the question --will u be getting amount equivalent to this?
Say yes and you lie to yourself and if say no then you are dening the high hopes that rests upon you.
There is no end to this story and it is a narration of feeling that many of us here feel.
This issue is closest to my heart and i thought that it is worth mentioning in my first blog.