You asked<p>&#62; However, would you not agree that the general atmosphere, such as the hostel life, the exam pressure, going out for ice cream to check out the girls, their conversations about the future, and all this is pretty much the real thing?<p>My response was to your question. My point was that I disagree with your assessment of IIT life. I didn't make any claims about your experience anywhere. Maybe your experience wasn't representative. Maybe my experience isn't representative. Maybe it differs across IITs (I'm in IIT Kanpur). Who knows?