A college is a place you enter with apprehensions. However, you need not pay heed to all the apprehensions you have in your mind. Filter your fears. Here are a few things that you need to weed out before you throw yourself at the upcoming adventure!
What not to fear in college
1. Not making friends that are ‘good enough’
You need to stop fearing the possibility of meeting new people and not being able to be good friends with them. Remember that in college, you will meet all kinds of people, with different backgrounds, beliefs, and interests. It may be difficult initially, but you will be able to gel well with at least some of them, eventually. Everyone around you is as apprehensive as you about making friends. You must realise that it is necessary to just be yourself and do your own thing, comfortably. It is not the time to go looking out for ‘cool’ people to hang out with, though it inevitably happens.
2. To fail, at anything
College is the time when you have the luxury to fail. You are just starting out. You must give yourself the space to fail at things. Failure means, at least, you are trying. At college, you receive new opportunities and you must experience trying them all. Even if you fail, trust us, you’ll have a funny story to laugh at with your friends later.
3. Being “uncool”
When you receive a little freedom in college after school, everyone around you would want to be the “cool” kid. The societal pressure around you will also make you judge yourself based on what you do and what you are. You need to be cool to hang out with that cool gang. It is completely okay to be driven away by the DU fads. However, take time to realise yourself. Do not lose yourself in the middle of those million voices out there. Everything that is cool is not right for you. Remind yourself once in a while how it is completely okay to be different. Be proud of what you do and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
What to fear in college
1. Not taking initiatives
You must fear not taking initiatives at college out of “fear” or laziness. You need to realize that while you are at college, you should focus on contributing to the institution and leaving a little bit of yourself in it. You need to make an impact with the initiatives you take. Don’t be intimidated by the word initiative. It can be as big as beginning a new society in your college and as small as making a revised timetable for your class. The initiatives you take give you a sense of responsibility and can be taken as an opportunity to inspire people. Once out of college, you will not be driven by ‘authorities’ or seniors. You would need to drive yourself to stay in the game. Taking initiatives at the college level will teach you exactly that, even if you start small.
2. Thinking you are here only to study well
If you think you are at a college only to study and score well, fear your thinking. College is very different from school. You can not make your CV look well only with a high-grade point. The CV must entail extracurricular activities in the direction of what you aspire to do in the future. When a company is looking to hire you, they want to see how many initiatives you take, how many positions you can handle at once and what all skills you have learned at different institutions. The recruiters realise that the college in itself cannot give you a wholesome development and that anyone who wants to go beyond the books has practical knowledge and interest needed to do the job well!
3. Letting your apprehensions take over your wishes
This must be your biggest fear! You are going wrong when you let your apprehensions and doubts chain you to inactivity! Everyone has that little voice in their head telling them they can’t do it. But how do you know if you never even try? Take that voice as a challenge rather than a conclusion. This is the time when you can experiment the most. Do what you wish to try. And if you fear to fail then read the above list again!
Feature Image Credits: Daily Mail
Khyati Sanger
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