The top scorers for my university's entrance exams had the option to go for the CSE course. I had the option to go for the CSE course as well, but ultimately I decided to go for the IT course which was below the CSE course in terms of desirability. The course material was almost the same, placements opportunities were the same, and I would have had to work much harder to get good grades in CSE because all the top scorers would be in it.
In my IT batch, even when I didn't study a lot, there were semesters where I got academic awards. And with my remaining free time, I was able to focus on things I was interested in. No stress. I don't have any regrets, but I just wonder how my life would have turned out had I taken CSE. I would have most definitely landed somewhere else, doing something else in life. Better or worse, I don't know.
In my IT batch, even when I didn't study a lot, there were semesters where I got academic awards. And with my remaining free time, I was able to focus on things I was interested in. No stress. I don't have any regrets, but I just wonder how my life would have turned out had I taken CSE. I would have most definitely landed somewhere else, doing something else in life. Better or worse, I don't know.