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On Goodbyes and Lessons Learned: Signing Off, Print Editor 2019-2020

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Here are a few words by the Heads at DU Beat, sharing the experiences which built their journey, as they bid adieu to this family. While this journey comes to an end, the memories last forever. Anushree Joshi, Print Editor 2019-2020, shares her honest words with us. 

In an Instagram live session with singer-songwriter Ali Sethi, renowned lyricist, writer, and stand-up comic Varun Grover said something which I’ve taken the liberty to paraphrase here – we miss places only after we have left them behind. As I sit here today, thinking about saying some profound parting words as the Print Editor, I am unable to feel a kick of overwhelming nostalgia – partly because I’m not a very sentimental person, and partly because I’m eager to see what comes next for me, outside the mind-numbingly time-consuming and not-for-profit shenanigans of DU Beat.

Let’s call a spade a spade because being a part of this team takes a lot of dedication and patience. I remember being in 12th grade, over-dependent and over-enthusiastically invested in every news update or graphic DU Beat put up because they were the most reliable source for all the information that sustains an anxious high-schooler and a Delhi University aspirant. I knew I had to be there, so I applied to DU Beat immediately after applying to DU, and the rest – as the cliché goes – is history. Never in those moments of peak worry about making the cut in their editorial team did I imagine I would be so invested in something that didn’t even pay me back. However, I also didn’t imagine that I would ever be recognised as the ‘Print Editor’ in the halls of my college, and across DU.

In this daunting vast sphere of diversity, DU Beat gave me a lot of nauseous panic-worthy days, but it also provided me with a stable center to come home to. There may be a lot this organisation has to learn in terms of team diversity, intersectionality, and sometimes empathy too – but it gives one some takeaways for the ages too. In working with excellent designers, photographers, correspondents, and resource-persons across the University, I somewhere became a little more capable. From brainstorming memes to microscopically sifting through PDFs for alignment errors, from dancing at fests to negotiating with the most headstrong authorities, from cursing WordPress as a copyeditor to breaking stories at student protests – DU Beat is the hub of lessons I didn’t even know I needed. There have been a lot of sleepless nights and tiring weekends that I lost to DU Beat, but I gained the ineffable pleasure of holding a newspaper, week after week, and knowing that I had been instrumental in creating it from scratch.

If you are reading it as a DU Beat-aspirant or as a current DUBster, I don’t want to paint a rosy lie and say that there is nowhere else you would enhance your skills in writing, editing, reporting, designing, photography, etc. But I can take a gamble and claim that it won’t be an experience as agency-giving as working with a bunch of students who don’t know everything they are doing, but they figure it nonetheless (and how). DU Beat is a memorable place for friendships and relationships for many – I found some great people along the way too, but the most significant difference this organisation made in my life – and can make in yours too – is the power to believe that I can learn and I can create something, for the ages.

 

Signing off,

Anushree Joshi

Print Editor 2019-2020

 

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With a Heavy Heart: Signing off, Head of Marketing 2019-2020

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On 15th October 2017 I was at a family function when I asked my cousin brother who was the director of DU Beat then that I wanted to join DU Beat. My initial plan was to join DU Beat as a photographer and learn. But my cousin suggested that I should go for marketing. Never thought that that suggestion will change my life forever.

I sent my resume (which was not that great) to my cousin and he then forwarded it to the then marketing head, Saim Akhtar. It took almost two months for me to clear all the rounds due to my laziness. But thanks to the patience of Abhilasha Gandhi (Head of Media operations 2017-18) and Ayushi Singhal (Head of HR 2017-18) I was recruited in DUB on 7th January 2018.

I have been a part of DUB for almost two and a half years. Have worked with three teams and more than 100+ people. My journey in DUB was nothing short of a roller coaster. When I joined the marketing team there were eight members in the team (including me) and I was the youngest amongst all.

The month I joined DUB organised their very own fest called Mushaira. Mushaira was one of the best things that happened to me in DUB. In Mushaira I handled my very own gaming stall which witnessed a footfall of more than 200+ gamers. I met rest of the departments then I bonded with them immediately. That’s the thing about DUB no matter where you are from or what you are studying you’ll fit right in. So did I.

In DUB, I always got a weird stare whenever someone got to know that I was doing Maths honors. But to be honest, I have spent majority of my college time with DUB peeps rather than studying maths. And I have no regret or remorse. I have no idea when DUB became a family from a team.

In October 2018, I went to Goa with the DUB fam for covering Waves, the cultural fest of BITS Goa. No matter wherever I go, Goa will always remain the best trip of my life. I slept for 12-15 hours in five days. From seeing sunset at Baga beach to seeing sunrise at Dona Paula we didn’t realise how that time passed away. I have been to so many places with DUB fam that I never thought I will ever go and hopefully we’ll go and explore more places.

In marketing, it took me six months to get my first deal signed. I was a little demotivated but after signing my first deal I was very happy. I learned everything about marketing from my cousin sister and also my mentor, Kriti Gupta. She scolded whenever I messed up and taught me how to avoid doing the same mistakes in the future. Without her guidance and training I don’t think I would have made a good executive. I closed roughly around 15 deals for the organisation. One thing I learnt in marketing is that patience is the key. It’s like you have to chase a client for weeks and after the completion of the campaign you still have to chase them for weeks to get the payment. This I can say that I definitely became a patient person.

The best thing about my job was that it required less field work as compared to other departments but at the same time this was the worst thing. Reason being you sometimes get bored at home waiting for leads to come and you were hardly coordinating with anyone. Things went like this for almost an year. Our meetings never took place with other departments so hardly anyone knew us. But I went to almost every fest and I met everyone there. I spent more time at fest with DUB team rather than attending classes at college. In a media organization, marketing team is the one which works behind the camera. Hardly anyone knows us but without us, the organisation cannot run. It’s like we are the back bone of the organisation. However, without the hardwork of other departments we won’t be able to sell ad spaces on our platforms.

On 9th April 2019, I was elected as the new marketing head for the tenure 2019-20. This was the first time I was going to lead a time of my own. Under me, I trained three talented executives who have so much potential in them. I tried to help them whenever I can and helped them reach their targets. I never thought that from being a rookie to becoming a head I’ll learn so much. But thanks to DUB, I learned a lot.

I’ll miss a lot of things about DU Beat, like Monday meetings, seeing other departments stress over print cycle, tapri sessions and attending fests. I don’t think I’ll be able to get the same joy that I got from DUB from any other organisation. But as all things comes to an end my journey with DUB also did. I never thought that my tenure will end without a farewell. DUB farewells are the most memorable things. I have given two farewells and this time it was my turn to get a farewell. Because of the pandemic that’s going on my dream of getting a farewell will remain a dream. But it’s okay as at this moment surviving is more important than a farewell.

I hope to stay in touch with all the beautiful souls that I have worked with and probably I’ll crash one or two Monday meetings.

I wish the new heads all the best for their tenure.

Signing off,

Deepesh Varshney 

Head of Marketing, 2019-2020

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With a Heavy Heart: Signing Off, Head of Photography 2019-2020

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Here are a few words by the Heads at DU Beat, sharing the experiences which built their journey, as they bid adieu to this family. While this journey comes to an end, the memories last forever. Vaibhav Tekchandani, Head of Photography, who has been one of the warmest and friendliest faces also helped us reach new heights under his leadership. Read on to see his farewell note for the session 2019-2020. 

My journey at DU Beat began in September 2018, of course, this was after I was rejected by my Head of Photography, Akarsh Mathur, who thought I would not be able to give time to the organisation. I don’t know what happened after that, but it didn’t feel like the end of my journey at DU Beat, so I applied again. After clearing the interview round with a positive result, I was a member of a team that had so much to give to me.

Starting from Village Area, my gaon, that gave me a family, gave me love. In the beginning my concern was that since I joined late, the team might not be as open to a new member since strong bonds and friendships were already formed. However, as and when I joined, the whole team was so welcoming I cannot explain it in words. It was overwhelming.

I am not a guy who attends college, therefore, college life meant nothing to me until my 1st year but then I joined DUB in my 2nd year and that is what made me realise the actual essence of college life. It gave meaning to the whole ‘DU Culture’ that I had not yet experienced. I never really looked forward to Mondays until Monday meetings at 4 pm became a thing (let’s just say I was there at sharp on time to make me look extra responsible).

DU Beat as a whole taught me a great deal, it taught me how to get yourself into the barricades with just your confidence, taught me to work in a dynamic environment and with not just the photographers but all the departments at once. From being a photographer to be an unofficial bouncer, I’ve seen it all and I can’t be happier about the people I have seen it with. To add to it and for a little more effect, let’s just say they’re magic beans to my jack.

The next tenure when I was appointed as the Head of Photography, it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, to lead a complete photography team in such a big media organisation paved a way for one of the best journeys that I’ll cherish forever. I honestly could not have asked for a better team. All I ever hoped was to be as good as my former Head of Photography, Akarsh Mathur, if not more.

I’m super proud of my team and they are a bunch of the most talented people I’ve come across. DU Beat has made me a better photographer, filmmaker, and mentor. It has given me new skills, exposure, friendship, a chance to work with great and humble people and most importantly a part of my life to look back to. DU Beat will always be something close to my heart, something I’ll always treasure!

Signing off,

Vaibhav Tekchandani

Head of Photography 2019-2020

 

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Campus Central

DU Hosts 96th Annual Convocation Ceremony

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The University of Delhi (DU) organised its 96th Annual Convocation on 4th November 2018 at the Sports complex in North Campus.

This year’s convocation witnessed the highest number of graduates, a total of 3 Lack students were to be graduates from DU, out of which 700 were present at the convocation. From these 700 students, 300 were recipients of special awards and scholarships provided by the Varsity. The occasion was graced among others by the Chief Guest Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal, honourable Human Resource and Development Minister, with Professor D.P. Singh, Chairman, University Grants Commission, and Shri. Chandra Shekhar Dubey, Director of Campus of Open Learning. The function was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Yogesh Tyagi. The event commenced with a combined blowing of the Indian Shankh and beautiful classical performance by the students of the Faculty of Music.

A podium was set up next to the stage on which two people translated the whole event in sign language for the hearing impaired students.

The convocation was declared open by Registrar, Professor Tarun at 10:45 am. People from various parts of the world joined the event through podcasts. Vice-Chancellor took to stage and stated various achievements of the University of Delhi so far in 2019 enlightening the crowd. He talked about the importance of an integrated campus of DU. He also emphasized on the fact that there is zero place for corruption in the institute to maintain the ethical standards. And the Delhi University is the only institute with schools for children established unlike any other institute in the country, marching towards excellence

The ceremony also honoured the prominent alumni of the varsity and awarded them with medals and discussed their achievements. Famous journalist, Mr Rajat Sharma was awarded for his accomplishments. Anil Kumar Tyagi, the Vice-Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, and an alumnus of the University of Delhi was also honoured at the event along with more such distinguished personalities.

The event saw joyous faces of students in black robes and graduation hats who clearly worked really hard to make it to this day, along with their proud and happy parents in the audience who couldn’t stop applauding celebrating this glorious event even for a little while. Nikita Bhateja, MSc Statistics from Hansraj College was the recipient of five awards followed by several other students from all sorts of courses who made a difference.

Feature Image Credits: Deewanshi Vats for DU Beat

Avni Dhawan

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First Year Versus Third Year

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The three years of college life are a rollercoaster ride which consists of many ups and downs. The ride starts from the fresher’s party and ends at the farewell.

What comes in between are a few bumps and a lot of fun that one gets while on the ride. This article describes the phases of transition that every student goes through in the three years of college.
A bunch of immature students enters college after spending fourteen years in school. For the first time, they get out of the protected cocoon called the school and step in the real world and after spending three years in college, they graduate as mature adults. These three years of the college comprises of series of transitions.
In the first year, our lives revolve more around classes, assignments, tests, and presentations. The second year is more about finding your circle and doing everything that you wanted to do in your college life. Two years pass by in the blink of an eye and then comes the final year which is about being happy over graduating soon, being sad over leaving college, thinking about career options and everything else. The end of the sixth semester is when you look back at life, reminisce all the memories that you’ve made and realize that its finally over, the best three years of life are over.
A lot of things changes in these three years. According to most people, the first and the most common thing that transforms is the dressing sense. People tend to dress up more formally and decently in the first year, try to be their best selves in the second year and by the third year they are tired of dressing up and often show up in pajamas to college.
Shivani, a first-year student of Kamala Nehru College says, “The first year is like a rollercoaster. You meet new people, your appearance changes, classes are different from school, parents give freedom and independence- everything changes! You either start loving college or hating it, but when you look back at your 18-year-old self, you realize how drastically you’ve grown and it’s almost bittersweet.

The first year is full of excitement and confusion with all the new things that come your way and you want to try them all. Towards the end of the first year, you start feeling odd that you are no longer a ‘fresher’, but it is also exciting as now you’ll live the adult life and become a senior after entering the second year.”
The first year is all about leaving an impression on others, making friends and trying to chill around. Whereas the second year is when you actually live the chilling around phase. We try to hang out with anyone and everyone in the first year and it is only towards the end of the first year or the starting of the second year that we actually find our gang.

It takes a year to find people who are like us and it is only after talking to and being with a lot of people that we realize who are the right ones. By the time people reach their final year, they are already done with hanging out, going to pretty cafes, partying on almost every weekend and they realize that almost all the options on the bucket list are checked.

 

So the final year is more about being lazy and mixed emotions. The year goes by thinking about what to do next, filling forms for post- graduation courses, trying to bag a job during the placement drive and what not. At times, it also leads many people to doubt the decision of taking up the course that they’ve studied for three years and will hold the graduation degree in. Life transforms to a great extent in these three years.

“The transition from first to the third year is tough but beautiful. Your college becomes your second home and your second family. At times, college can be exhausting and so you must remember to take breaks for your sanity. I, personally believe that humanities change you as a person, your ideologies and beliefs. You become wiser. At the end of the day, remember that these years will fly by in a wink, so, make the most of it”, says Prachi, a second-year student of Gargi College.
In the first year, life revolves more around attending classes and submitting assignments. Professors are taken seriously and deadlines are given priority. Being on time for classes and attending the 8:30 am lectures are just a first-semester thing. It all changes as we move further and step into the next semester.
Moreover, the thing that changes the most is the perspective through which you look at the world. You learn a lot of things, you change and you grow into a better person. Shoa, a third-year student of Miranda House says, “College gave me so much space for growing as a person altogether and there are so many parts of my being that got changed. My perspectives on a lot of things are more open, more accommodating and the journey of these three years only made me realize that the learning has only begun. From the first year to the third, the journey at Miranda House has been beautiful and uplifting.”
It can be said that the three years of college are indeed a rollercoaster ride which comprises of a lot of happy and some sad times. The transition from the first to the third year is very visible. It is something that every student faces as they get transformed into a more thoughtful, mature adult in the three years. We all enter college with a bunch of unknown faces and leave it with a group of friends who are more like a family and a bag full of memories that we’ll cherish for all our lives.

Featured Image Credits- The Independent
Priya Chauhan
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A Checklist: Things to Do Before Graduation

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As college comes to a close, here is another cliché checklist about things to do before graduating. Don’t fail this checklist by our Associate Editor, even if you failed your New Year resolutions because you get to graduate only once.

This list is not based on expert advice; neither should it be the ultimate measure of doing college right (as if #goals on Instagram were not enough to make us feel inadequate). Here are a bunch of things, outgoing students should do in April:

–    What is more impossible than a Goa trip? A mass bunk. Execute a successful one before the last working day.

–    Refer to page seven and visit the touristy spots near campus one more time (or even better, for the first time). Don’t forget to use #wanderlust.

–    Channelise all your krantikaari (rebellious) vibes and attend a protest.

–     Pick a quiet day to sit in the library and just read. Experience the quiet solitude as you finish the assignment; it’s quite meditative. Some people say that on a lonely day if you press your ear against the bookshelves, you could hear them whispering.

–    Reflect on the conflicts you had in college, be it with any society member, a classmate, or a faculty. Analyse what happened and try to resolve it. But, most importantly, if you don’t find a closure, then let it go. Recall the hurt, anger, guilt for one last time, and let it evaporate.

–    Scribble your initials on a college desk, and if you are feeling more adventurous, then make graffiti on campus walls (inspiration: Free G.N. Saibaba). Don’t get caught.

–    Visit Central Library, University Stadium (there is a free gym with treadmills and the usual works), and spend some time around the VC lodge.

–    Sample canteen food. Remember the suspicious – looking dish that you have been avoiding? Order it now.

–    Click pictures of your college in the morning light, during the golden hour, and post 6 p.m. Capture your friends, college pets, and yourself. Catalogue the mundane sans the filter; these pictures will be precious later. Don’t click it for Instagram, do it just for the memories.

–    It is the final semester; sort your reading material.

–    Attend a full day of classes (including the 8:30 a.m. lecture) and actively participate in every lecture.

–    If you don’t dress up extra in college, then when will you?  Hence, unleash your #OOTD genius and dress to impress.

–    Tell your crush you like them #AajKuchToofaniKarteHai (#LetsBeCrazyToday).

–    Lay your outfit on Sunday night, declutter your college bag, and for once, be excited for Monday.

–    Write a letter to your college, department, society, or anyone. Lay bare your thoughts and feelings.

–    Graduation is inevitable, and life is only going to get real from now on. Rather than waiting for the withdrawal symptoms to hit you in the face, start the process of letting go already.

–    Forgive yourself for not being “productive” or “good enough.” What made you think you could survive college without breakdowns and disappointments? Overconfidence – that is the answer. College is a coming out of age experience for many of us. It is the first time when we get drunk, take responsibility for ourselves, and bargain for freedom. In this process, we make several mistakes (or worse, we assume to have made mistakes). As long as you learn your lesson, it is fine. Early adulthood is tough already, so congratulations on making it to the last semester. In the words of Frank McCourt, “You have to give yourself credit, not too much because that would be bragging.”

 

Afterthoughts: For some of us, it is a shame we can’t just admit that college was dreadful and that one can’t relate to the nostalgia. We would rather dump the farewell, get that degree, sell our books, and leave. A quick goodbye, ta-ta!  Well, we can do it by all means; yet regardless of how uneventful these three years were, everyone deserves to have pleasant memories. I wish you would give this phony checklist a chance.

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral

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To-Be Third Years, Your Sanity is Significant

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Read to know about the third year’s mental and physical pressures, and what you should do to prioritise your mental sanity over every aspiration for perfection.

If someone asks me about my experience in the last year of college, my usual reply starts with “traumatic,” “stressful,” and ends with a “Thank god! It’s ending.” As much as I talk about my course being an absolute mismatch with what I had expected, it would be grossly unfair to make these incorrect statements. Rephrasing my earlier assertion – the University of Delhi (DU) has taught me everything I need to know, but my course contents. In this “everything” I found umpteenth life lessons that no school or professor could have taught me. The biggest, and possibly the most crucial, piece of information here is a simple remark – ‘nothing is more important than your mental sanity.’ A kind senior of mine reiterated this sentence enough times for me to remember for a lifetime, and I thank her for this.
This statement held the most importance for me when I was about to begin my third year in college. Right now, with college society elections around the corner, most second-years are filled with the same crippling anxiety and fear. Many have already started prepping for entrances, while others have begun campaigning for the respective position they wish to take up in the next year. For those who emerge lucky, the moment when they are elected to take up the position of responsibility of their choice becomes one of the most fulfilling memories of their college life. A fresh hope of leading the society to newer heights is ignited, and they embark on a journey of success and failure in equal measures.
In this quest to fulfill the supremely high expectations of seniors, we imbibe from them a culture which embraces perfectionism, and we develop a work thic which strives to follow procedure in a similar fashion as they did. Oftentimes, we become so invested in an association that we give priority to it over everything else – friends, family, and sometimes even our career. This blind faith in the mechanical workaholic culture and putting precedence of the society over everything is, sadly, toxic.
In this system, where graduating seniors urge their juniors to work harder and take the society to newer heights, no one utters the words “take care” with equal emphasis, or usually leave this bit in the post – script. No one says it often enough, that we need to prioritise our career and health over everything else, and that an all – consuming behaviour by virtue of heading a society or an institution is problematic at the behest. Many end up micromanaging most of the work, which leads to a toxic work environment, not only for them but also for those peers who wish to learn.
While it is important to do justice to the position one has been elected to, it is a different ball game when that individual has to juggle society with marks and all the other baggage that the third year comes with. Third year is not easy for most, and acceptance of this is the only way forward. Anyone who says otherwise is either blessed with god – gifted abilities or is simply bluffing their way out of everything. Third – year is an important juncture, which has many minute yet important decisions, and a lot of us do not possess the luxury to fail academically and rely on our parents as a back – up.
Despite all this, it comes to an end, which is when the realisation of taking unnecessary stress because of “that one error I missed out from editing” or “that one prop that I forgot to place” comes into the forefront. I am glad I had a senior who reminded me to not take extreme pressures and enjoy my last year in college alongside the work. Hopefully, more seniors can be the same guiding light for a junior who is about to take up the same, seemingly intimidating role they once held.

 

Feature Image Credits: NDTV

 

Vijeata Balani

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10 Things a Graduate Has to Say to The Class of 2018

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Here’s a list of 10 things that graduates want to share with the to-be graduates, the batch of 2018, to help them out with love and life!

It’s that time of the year again when the walls of every college echo of nostalgia and memories worth of the past three years, when there are goodbyes and farewells, a lot of tears, celebrations and dreams for what is yet to come. During this time, it’s natural for any final year student to feel excited, nervous, scared, insecure, unsure, ready and confused. To help them a little and guide them a bit out of college, DU Beat spoke to some graduates and asked them for advice to make it out of college and into the real world. Here’s a list of 10 things that they’d like to say to the graduating class of 2018:

1. It’s okay to be unsure

It’s okay to feel confused and nervous. It’s okay if you feel that you aren’t ready yet and it’s okay to feel lost. This transition from college to a job, or postgraduate college or a different city or country isn’t an easy one. It takes a while to break from the routine you’ve lived in for the past three years but know that it’s okay to not have everything figured out just yet. Take your time, explore yourself, gain knowledge about yourself, get some practical knowledge, write, sketch, create art and go out and experience the actual life. You’ll figure it out, take one day at a time!

2. Think of more personal ways to stay in touch with your college friends

The friendships that you develop in college are the most honest, real, and beautiful friendships. It’s hard to make this transition from the laid-back lifestyle of DU to the real world, but there’s always fun ways to stay in touch. Facebook, Whatsapp, and other social media sites sure are effective ways to stay in touch, but try and think of more personal ways, like sharing a song every week, trading playlists, themed parties, old-school tradition of posting letters. Make sure that you join the alumni network and stay in touch with even those with whom you didn’t interact with much.

3. A diploma doesn’t mean the end of your learning

Even with a diploma in your hand, never stop the process of learning. Make sure that you always have a learning state of mind, even at work. Your growth always depends on your continuous learning, and when you start working, start working as a student, ask questions and work hard. Make sure you continuously challenge yourself and redefine your thinking because this is only the beginning.

4. Don’t let the world decide your career for you

Your career is one of the most important paths that you’ll ever decide and even though you don’t have to make this choice immediately, make sure that whenever you do, it is completely yours. Don’t let the world make this choice for you. Life is too short, don’t waste it on a boring job that you hate or a career path that your parents picked out for you but you don’t want to follow. Find something that you love over money, find your calling, no matter how long it takes and follow it with all your heart.

5. Learn to plan things

Ever since you were a kid, life has been planned for you. You know that you had to complete school and then graduate from college. But the road from here is uncertain and full of rocks. You have to make an itinerary for yourself and plan things in advance. You have to think three steps in advance so that you’re more prepared for what’s coming and that you can tackle every roadblock with courage.

6. Stop fretting over success

It’s okay if you didn’t get the placement you wanted, or the postgraduate college that you wanted to get in or the six figure salary. Everything takes time, and just because it is not happening right now doesn’t mean it never will. But make sure that you do not keep running after this sort of success. Understand success can be as simple and beautiful as the next sunset, if you want it to be. Take one day at a time and follow your heart, do what you want to do and be good at it, success will follow in no time.

7. Find inspiration

Always have something to look up to and take inspiration from, be it a mentor, a book or a story. Challenge yourself, create art, learn a new language, learn an instrument, write, sketch, paint and let yourself be. This transition from college to the real world becomes very taxing and stressful, it’s important for you to spend some time with yourself, understand yourself better and find inspiration to keep yourself going and motivated.

8. Take risks

Do not be afraid to take risks. Even if it is a mistake, go ahead if you feel like you should. This is the time of your life that you wouldn’t get back. You have the rest of your life to play it safe, take a chance right now. Write that book, release that album, work on your band, give that acting gig a shot, model for the runway, and make it to the big leagues. It’s okay even if what you do turns out to be a mistake, the stakes are lower and every experience matters in shaping who you will be. Do not be afraid of facing the world head on.

9. Go on a solo trip

Plan that solo trip you always wanted, explore a city and immerse yourself into the new culture and lifestyle. Interact with new people, click pictures from the trip, stay in shady hotels and click blurry photographs. Carry your camera around or take a trip without any social media. Take a break stepping into this new life and make the most of it, you deserve to.

10. Fall in love with yourself before you fall for someone else

The past three years have shaped who you are today. Be it the course you did, the societies you were in, the trips you took or the people you interacted with. College plays a big role in shaping you up as a person and believe that you’ve done a brilliant job. Before you go looking for love outside, learn to be comfortable in your own skin and be confident as you are. Give yourself the time and space that you need and love every atom of your being.

 

Feature Image Credits: B97

Muskan Sethi

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Taking a year off after graduation

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To state the obvious, this semester is almost coming to an end and most of us with three-year courses have reached the fag end of what we had (wrongly) thought was a sufficiently long life in college. Three years is more than ample time to sort your life out and figure out what you want to do for the next 20, yes? Not necessarily for all of us.

Sometimes, college throws up more ideas and alternatives than you expected to encounter, and somewhere along the way, you may begin to question those career decisions you made back in high school. The idea of being a lawyer or a teacher may not sound as appealing as you thought it did three years ago. For most of us, college changes something within, and opens doors to newer worlds, fresher pastures and ideas we’ve never come across before. In some cases, this is great. It helps you chart out a path for yourself and figure out where you would like to see yourself sometime in the next 20 years. In other cases, it can leave you confused and wondering where you are headed. College, quite unlike school, allows you to accept the fact that the end of the road isn’t just a forked path like Frost’s. There are multiple ways you could be taking through the woods, all equally enticing (or unappealing), and it’s entirely up to you to choose one.

The question of finances is another burden that looms large on the horizon. That post-graduate course in New York looks incredible and just like the thing for me, but can I afford even half the tuition fees? Being completely practical, what are my chances of actually getting a scholarship that might fund atleast half my education in a foreign university? Sometimes, your mind is made up about what you want to do and why, but the financial expenses are heart-breakingly high.

One thing that college may have actually taught me is to embrace the uncertainty. If you’re not sure about where you’re headed, it’s okay to take some time off to sort out the endless muddle in your head.
But isn’t taking a year off an absolute waste of time? Well, that probably depends on how you look at it. If at the end of the year, you have a clearer picture of what you want out of your life and are better prepared to face what’s coming, then there you go! Taking a year off would mean having more time on your hands to send in detailed college applications, prepare for entrance examinations and/or get some work experience without having to worry about college internals and examinations at the same time. Taking a year off may also let you do all of those things that you could not manage along with your lectures and society work-photography and language courses, sports or even travel.

Shutting your ears to that uncle/aunty/neighbour/Sharma ji is absolutely essential. They may question your decisions over and over and wonder (quite loudly) what you’re doing with yourself after your graduation, but it’s important to remember that everybody wants and seeks different things out of life. We’re not all headed in the same direction.

Image credits: theodysseyonline.com

Abhinaya Harigovind
[email protected]

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The ever-changing emotions and many moods of a third year student

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“Knock,knock!”
“Who is there?”
“Your final year of college.”

Where is the punch line, you ask? There isn’t any, my friend. Because believe me, when the third year of college comes knocking at your door, it is no joke.

The last two semesters of college are an emotional roller-coaster ride, where your life will constantly swivel among emotions of joy, anxiety, ambition, depression and nostalgia. These emotions will be felt at varying intensities at different stages, thereby dividing your last year of college into the following four phases:

PHASE 1: NOSTALGIA and DEPRESSION

When you start your fifth semester, the realisation of being a senior and having just one more year of college to look forward to dawns on you, sending you into a mood of reminiscence. You start looking at every aspect of college through the memories you’ve lived by it. So every nook and cranny will remind you of a beautiful moment, etched in your mind for eternity. The canteen will bring to mind those joyous moments spent bunking lectures; old professors met near the staff room will remind you of boring/interesting lectures; the sports field will remind you of the fun-filled fest season and so on. Waking up to the fact that time has literally flown by and that you have just one more year to relish college life, will, send you into a downward spiral of depression.

PHASE 2: SELF-DOUBT and ANXIETY

Even before you can nurse yourself from the depression, you’ll be handed yet another blow, this time on the academic and professional front. Suddenly, everyone you meet will ask you just one question: what next? Most of us have no clue. And before you know it, you’re swimming in the deep, dark sea of consternation.

PHASE 3: AMBITION and DRIVE

You’re half-way there now, and start gaining some sort of clarity about the future. This lucidity is further encouraged by college placements. As you sit for multiple companies and profiles, your motivational drive gets a good boost. You feel this sense of maturity, a feeling and realisation that you’re all grown up now and must shortly set foot into the big, bad world. This phase does wonders to your self-esteem and confidence. In a way, your curve begins to peak.

PHASE 4: BITTER SWEET JOY

You can see the finish line. By now, you’ve either got a job in hand, or have cleared entrances to fortify your higher education opportunity. All the fests are over. Your farewell is coming up and after that, you will take the last set of collegiate exams. Now is when you begin to experience a bitter sweet joy. Bitter, for all that you’re going to leave behind; yet pleasantly sweet because you’re about to enter another stage in your life.

Finally, as you bid adieu to college life, you hark back to the three wonderful years that have gone by. These years, as they say, may never come back. Yet, to have them safely and securely placed in a precious corner of your mind, heart and soul, is in itself, beautiful and cherish-worthy.

Image credits: collegecandy.com

Kriti Sharma
[email protected]

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