u/Black-Room-13

Context:

• Started serious prep late (late-11th), along with regular schooling.
• Inconsistency is a serious issue with me.
• Hard work from Oct-Jan led to 93.56%ile in Jan.
• I am fine with CSE or ECE but won't take Mechanical or something else.

Options:

1. VIT: 8.8k rank should get me a good CSE category in Vellore/Chennai.
2. Manipal Bengalore: I can get CSE here but only ECE or something like that in main campus.
3. JOSAA is hopeless. BITSAT first attempt went bad. Gave UGEE, COMEDK-but no real hope from those.
4. Drop Year: Is it logical to try to jump from 93 to 98/99%ile given a late start, or is it better to take CSE now and move on?

Would drop year be a good choice considering the rising competition and condition of JEE, or should I take the best branch at VIT/MIT-B and focus on skill-building? Looking for pragmatic advice from seniors or those who took a drop with similar percentiles.