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A Few Firsts of College Life

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College life is a whole new experience, where we break out from our mold and dip our toes into things we haven’t tried before. These experiences, and the beauty of these “firsts” makes college even more special. 

We often hear our parents gush over memories of our first word, or the first step we took as babies, but the value of firsts is something we understand for ourselves as we go through the journey of adolescence into adulthood.

By the age of sixteen or seventeen most people from our generation are guilty of exclaiming ‘I am not a child anymore’ to our parents. There are several things that may trigger this response, it could be something as simple as a protest against being yelled at for not keeping our room tidy, or calling out our parents’ hypocrisy for calling us adults in some instances, and children in others, but what really makes us believe this statement, is the yearning to actually be an adult.

When younger, we fantasize about the romantic lifestyle we’ll lead as grown ups. Driving, going out without permission, having our own salary to spend as we wish, contribute to the fantastical delusion of what adulthood is actually like.  Once out of school, we come a step closer to this romanticized idea of growing up. While our reality is still somewhat clouded in college, what makes college life so interesting are the many firsts we experience.

The first year of college, is the starting point of most firsts for many people. Indian parents are infamous for over protecting their children for most part of their lives, but from this unconscious coddling comes something magical, the gift of experiencing the many (previously forbidden) firsts life has to offer. Lets address the most fantasized about first, one’s first love. Before entering college, we not only graduate from school, but also graduate from meager crushes, to being open to full fledged, unabashed, untamed love. The diverse crowd of college presents the bright eyed with limitless opportunities to fall madly and deeply into love, away from the prying eyes of parents. Caste, colour, culture and identity merge into one big word, ‘human’ and you let yourself, maybe even for the first time, experience intense emotion for another human being. Films like Rang De Basanti start to seem more romantic than tragic, and you consider yourself to be ‘alive’ for the very first time.

While your first love may make you feel more alive than ever, the next first is more of an escape. A lot of us have our first drink in college. We are introduced to the world of parties and clubs, which are incomplete without, alcohol. A rookie favourite, vodka and rum are a broke college kid’s best friend. The feeling of ‘nothing’s happening’ to ‘I’m not drunk’ (when you clearly are), become memories to cherish, and of course, so does the time you puke your guts out after one too many shots. The mind numbing first experience everyone has with alcohol, not only helps place you in the category of ‘light weight’ or heavy weight’ but also brings with it the joy of shutting does unwanted overthinking and unnecessary stress. However, being sensible about your intake of alcohol is extremely important and drinking responsibly is something your future self will thank you for.

The next first is something most experienced by  Delhi newbies. If you’ve just moved to the city for college, the metro at first may seem like a task but will eventually become your best friend, and definitely a cherish-able first. It’s not uncommon for your first metro experience to be somewhat confusing. You’re overwhelmed by the different coloured lines and stations, and somewhat disappointed when your  destination is not right outside the metro station. You may end up staring at the map for a while, only to discover your savior in the coloured footsteps which lead you right to your platform. The metro card becomes as important as your debit card, and the panic you experience on forgetting it is almost at par with the torture of standing in the long token line that follows that. We can honestly thank our stars for the inexpensive and fast travel the metro has to offer and can’t imagine life without it.

This first may be an unpopular opinion when it comes to the theme of ‘cherish-able firsts’, but it definitely deserves a spot in the list owing to its novelty in terms of work experience. This is a first which majority of people experience only after entering college, and can also come under the category of  ‘forced firsts’. Internships for some may be the best first work experiences for some, and the worst for others. No work, odd jobs and moody bosses are familiar to anybody who’s ever interned, but on the flip-side, great bosses, amazing learning experiences and meeting wonderful people are too part and parcel of the internship experience.Whether you have a good experience or a bad one at your first internship, you are bound to leave having learnt something new.

College life offers so much to each one of us, friends, memories and learning experiences for a lifetimes. These memorable firsts,  generously sprinkled here and there make college life beautiful and memorable.

Feature Image Credits – Hindustan Times

Meher Gill

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DUB Speak

Why it’s Okay that You Didn’t Get into Your Dream College

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Admissions bring with them their own turmoil and chaos. While they fulfil a lot of dreams, they also break a few hearts. Either way, not everyone makes it to the college of their dreams. Here is why it’s okay:
When it comes to Delhi University, you don’t really get to choose your college, your college chooses you. While that might be true, there is a lot more to it than what meets the eye. Every single year, the cut-offs soar a little higher, the percentages drop down a notch, and the stress levels skyrocket.

There are queues of thousands of applicants outside every college in campus, wishing to meet the cut-off and get a seat in their desired course. However, as accessible as the colleges sound at times, not everyone gets into their dream college, mostly due to no fault of their own.

At this point of time, it is absolutely natural for you to feel nervous and confused. However, looking for someone to blame and beating yourself over it will not get you anything. It is completely okay to feel disappointed and dwell in your feelings, but carrying this disappointment to the first day of this new journey, is not the best choice. If you decide to call this a failure on your part, let it be a failure that makes you strive harder in the future, and accept it on its face value. Dealing with it positively is so important for entering this new journey.

College is a big step of life and wherever you end up, it plays a pivotal role. College merely serves as a platform, more than anything, it always depends on how you want to use that platform. There is no right or wrong to the path of success, and your college definitely does not determine the path you seek. You can take any path, strive hard, and still get to your destination. The college will provide you with a lot of opportunities, but it is completely up to you to utilise those opportunities.

Step into college with optimism, and you will be greeted by a new home and family. Within the first month, you will meet people who will understand you and the kind of turmoil that is within you, and you will find support through thick and thin. You will soon adjust to this new environment and learn to love it like home.

Good luck for all that is ahead!

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Muskan Sethi

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Admissions 2018

Things Every DU Aspirant Will Relate To

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As an aspirant of the University of Delhi (DU) we all go through the same troubles and fantasies together, no matter where we are. Therefore it is on multiple occasions that we are able to relate to one another. Here are five of those incidents.
1. Going fanatic over cut-offs
If you are a University of Delhi (DU) aspirant, chances are you would have applied for several other universities and given other entrances. Even if you would have cracked them, you would check the cut-offs of DU like this is your only chance. And once you get it, the cracked entrances don’t matter anymore.
There are so many cut-offs and colleges to check out, that sometimes it becomes difficult to keep a track of them all. However, you’ll surprise yourself by remembering the cut-offs of the colleges you want better than the names of your family members.
2. Getting stuck in the tug of war between course and college
When there is a grand variety to choose from, you are bound to get confused. The one major confusing tug of war will be between the college and course. You will find yourself questioning which one to prioritise. Here, you will also face a tussle between your preference and the societal reputation of a certain course or college. The key is to talk to people who have been in your situation and be well-informed of what a certain prioritisation would imply in the future.

3. Craving for North Campus
One of the biggest factors affecting your decisions during the admission season would be your crazy craving for north campus. Some of us love it for the proximity between colleges, others for the aura. Whatever may the reason be, you might find yourself swept away by the famous campus of DU. Most of the time, the aspirants may not even have a reason to like North Campus, other than the fact that it is such a craze amongst the other DU students.

4. Making action plans
Now that school is over, you have left behind the subjects you didn’t like so much. You have taken up a subject you love, most probably. You are in the atmosphere of freedom that a college will give you soon. Therefore, you begin to make action plans, but not regarding academics. Your action plans will begin to revolve around Hudson Lane and Satya Niketan. The DU lifestyle brings so many fests, amazing food outlets, and concerts that there really is no time to make any other action plan. If only you and your best friend get into the same college! Even though you have not gotten into DU yet, you’re excited about planning everything out and making sandcastles in the air. They’ll be tangible soon!

5. Changing loyalties
We all believe in the popular perceptions around us about which college is the best in which field. As an aspirant, we want to achieve whatever we have been told is the best. However, not all of us get there. One phase of being an aspirant is seeing your loyalties change. You begin to get firsthand experience and turn emotionally biased towards wherever you settle. Needless to say, your loyalties will deviate from achieving what the ‘best’ is, to proving that whatever you have is no less.

 

Feature Image Credits: Times of India

Khyati Sanger
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Campus Central

South Campus Colleges’ Round-Up 2017-18

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With yet another academic session coming to an end at the University of Delhi, it is time to let nostalgia get you over and look back at the year that has gone by before all of us get busy with semester examination preparation and some of us eventually leave to charter their career paths. Going by the thought, DU Beat brings to you its exclusive series ‘Colleges’ Round-Up (2017-18)’, where we present the highlighting incidents of numerous DU colleges that took place over 2017 and 2018.  

Let’s take a look at the different events at the south campus colleges of DU, namely, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Gargi College, Maitreyi College, Jesus and Mary College, and Sri Venkateshwara College.

Feature Image Credits: News18

Radhika Boruah
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DUB Speak

Why Farewells are Good ?

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Although farewells and goodbyes make most of us cry, especially when it comes to saying it to colleges which have been our home away from home, they are in a way very necessary to our existence.

No one likes to stay in a rut. If we were perpetually stuck in a place, no matter how wonderful it is, the thought of immobility would hamper our creativity, our hopes, dreams and the creation of any goals. We would be hanging in limbo, floating through time in zero-gravity, with no sense of direction. Goodbyes make it easier for us to manage our time accordingly, to do full justice to the present so that we can make a better tomorrow.

Come April and the lawns of the University are littered with decorations of the seniors’ graduation dinners and farewells. Endless speeches of regret, love, loss, ambition abound in our hallowed halls as each batch grapples with the question: After this, what? In a way, facing this question is extremely vital to our existence as healthy, rational, contributors to our world’s legacy. We need to come to answers to this question in our own ways, decide what we want and grow up. The process of becoming an adult comes to fruition at this moment.

Farewells also serve another important purpose. They make us treasure the countless memories of school and college life. As loss sinks in slowly and we realise that we might never meet some of these people again, we tend to be kinder, more cheerful and less angry versions of ourselves. Amidst the hectic churn of entrance exams, internships and applications for student loans and grants that all final year students face, they also have to come to terms with this realisation of impermanence.

Such a sense binds us all. And hence, we do more for our institutions, willing to leave our mark, we love more and we definitely, smile more. Like, Ozymandius, we leave our sculptures of bittersweet memory behind. In the process, we also leave a part of us behind. The part that would wander around the canteens, doggedly follow the teachers and think fondly (I know!) of assignments. Long after we leave, this spirit of loss and gain, past and present, would tie us to our Alma matter, our city and ultimately, ourselves.

Feature Image Credits: EAge Tutor

Sara Sohail

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DUB Speak

Budget 2018’s Focus on Education

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The Union Budget for this fiscal year was announced on 1st February 2018. Here is a look at all the aspects concerning the student varsity of India.

Economists and critics have had their opinions about the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s last budget before the 2019 elections. Let us look at how education fared in Arun Jaitley’s last budget which mainly focuses on the agricultural sector.

1 lakh Crore will be invested in RISE (Revitalisating of Infrastructure and System of Education) till 2022 aiming to improve the state of quality education and infrastructure of such institutions. Similarly, Eklavya schools will be opened in areas of more than 50% tribal citizens. The real question is whether this money will be fully utilized in these missions or will the future generation of India still grapple with low standards of education in its government schools. According to studies, the quality of education in the already established government schools is abysmal and students often drop out.

18 autonomous Schools of Planning and Architecture will be made in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Technology (NIT) across the country. In the latest Prime Minister Fellows Scheme, 1000 B.Tech students of premier institutions will be selected to pursue their PhDs from IITs and IISs. They would be provided with handsome fellowships and be expected to teach in high schools for a couple of hours every week. This scheme would help scholars having  limited means improve their job and future prospects. A Railway University will also be set up at Vadodara, Gujarat.

12.56 Crore rupees have been allocated for scholarships for students with disability. Government teacher training will also be provided to improve the quality of education in government. schools. The focus and benefits for startups are likely to create more jobs in the economy.

The government’s decision to reduce Employees’ Provident Fund from 12% to 8% is not an intelligent move as it decreases the employee’s retirement money as well as interest that could have been earned. No focus has been paid to construction of more medical colleges and availability of easy student loans.

The budget is not inclusive of all students and does not benefit them equally. The students’ votes would depend on how well the government performed during these past four years overall and how well it helped boost our economy. The economy is a vital tool in the functioning of any country, considering the fact that approximately 50% of the population is below the age of 25, the economy must cater to students due to abundance in numbers.

Feature Image Credits: The Financial Express

Prachi Mehra

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DUB Speak

Absurdly “Realistic Stereotypes”

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Whenever college students are depicted in movies, you have to take it with a grain of salt. They are generally depicted as 25-to-30-year-olds never studying or attending class while focusing all their time on their social lives. That being said, sometimes there’s an ounce of truth to these stereotypes.

Here is a carefully crafted list of college students as movie characters that you find in every college-

The tomboyish exuberance: Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

For an industry that had a history of being stuck with “gulaabi gaal” and “reshmi zulfein”, Anjali was a miracle. The tomboyish exuberance, the loud disposition, the nonchalance towards fashion and social mannerisms was more real than Bollywood likes to be. Millions of girls across India felt seen for the first time. For this, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai will be a landmark and blessing to Bollywood, always.

The self-loving socialite: Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

She loved herself. Right from her killer entry dancing on “It’s Raining Men” to her looking for fat-free stuff on the dining table, Poo’s world revolved around herself. She refused to be bossed around by men and did the bossing all by herself. She also taught every woman that there’s nothing wrong with finding yourself sexy. You’ll definitely come across a Poo in college whose fashion sense might be over the top, but is never afraid to speak her mind.

The reckless and westernised archetype: Laxman aka Lucky from Main Hoon Naa

Lucky represents the most radical divergence from the typical Bollywood hero figure. From the moment he first appears on screen, Lucky typifies everything that Bollywood culture seems to fear. He wears Westernized clothing (leather jackets and ripped shirts), drives a motorcycle, plays the guitar, and is a serious lady’s man. Lucky also sports long, unruly hair, a sign of recklessness and wild behaviour. Throughout the movie, we see him smoking, failing classes, and denying any romantic feelings for girls in order to maintain his image. In each college, you would encounter such a prototype who would appear reckless from afar, but on close scrutiny, you’d discover the “softer” image of their character.

The Youth Leader: Michael Mukherjee from Yuva

In every college, we see the erudite college youth leader who wants to bring about a change in the social order and wants to use student power to change the festering fortunes of Indian politics. He doesn’t think it’s wrong to hustle people around as long as the ends are achieved. He is passionate about his ideas to the extent that he’d be willing to turn down a US scholarship, like Ajay Devgn’s character did in Yuva.

The good student whose passion lies elsewhere: Farhan from 3 Idiots

Farhan has a passion for photography in the movie and his passion is to become a wildlife photographer. But he joined an engineering college to satisfy his parents. Throughout your college life, you’d come across many of his kind who have been compelled to choose a course of life they are not passionate about, but still go ahead due to certain compulsions.

The ditzy party girl: Haley Dunphy from Modern Family

Sarah Hyland’s ditzy yet lovable Haley has had a rough collegiate road. She first got kicked out of college for freshman drinking, thereafter got enrolled in community college and then started her own fashion photography blog. If you pay closer heed, you’d see that every college has someone with this party-girl persona.

The Bro:  Steve Stifler in American Pie

Much like the offensive but good-natured Stifler, bros are obnoxious, loud-mouthed males who live for partying. Every college has at least one. They usually just stand around holding a red plastic cup waiting for something exciting to happen so they can scream something that demonstrates how much they really enjoy partying. Usually, well concealed under spiked hair with frosted tips, there’s a heart of real gold.

The Nice, Stable Nerd: Max Fischer in Rushmore

Just as every movie features a bro, the flip-side of the coin is the uncool nerd character who is still somehow likable despite being presented as a loser. Unthreatening, intelligent, and helpful, he would be obsessed with joining and starting college clubs like beekeeping, stamp and coin collecting, French, Model United Nations and so. Like Max, the likeable nerd also often has trouble in love.

The talented multi-tasker: Elle Woods from Legally Blonde

Elle Woods had a lot going for her. She was president of her sorority, was charming and most importantly, was a natural blonde. She was also crafty enough to make it into Harvard  Energetic, sweet, and persistent, she is the prototype of the multi-tasker in every college.

 

Feature Image Credits: PNGTree

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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Fashion

College Fashion Blunders

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Being college going students, we are busy with travelling, studying, and hanging out, we often forget to focus on our sense of style and the individuality it generates. While it is totally acceptable in fashion to experiment with new styles and pieces, yet there are certain mistakes that we tend to make when it comes to dressing up for college.

1. Occasion, and season appropriate clothing: It is a boon that Delhi University does not have a dress code but as young men and women, we tend to use that freedom and steer beyond a rational sense of fashion. Wearing mini-skirts and shorts with no thigh high boots in winters is a big no-no. Wearing a denim jacket in summers will make you sweaty and that’ll definitely ruin your look, if not your day.

2. The disease of flip-flops: Oscar Wilde tells us that we can never be overdressed, but underdressing is a calamity. I’d be a millionaire if I had a dollar for every time I see someone wearing flip-flops to class. Moreover, when they pair it with sweatpants, my instant reaction includes an eye-roll and an urge to give them a Miranda Priestley treatment from “The Devil Wears Prada”.

3. The (fake) designer label hoarder: It’s very natural to be attracted to the sense of high fashion that a designer piece brings but not everyone is fortunate enough. Rather than carrying a fake Louis Vuitton birkin that looks cheap, carry an affordable branded purse that looks elegant and matches your style. Or, try to get your hands on designer items during their sale season and then, show it off unapologetically.

4. Lazy cuffing: If your pants are too long and you haven’t had them trimmed or you just like to cuff them for styling reasons, it is important to learn the art of cuffing. Cuffing shirts does not only make them casual enough for college but also save you from the heat in the summer.

5. Inappropriate sizing and proportion: It is obvious one should stick to their size of clothing, but the aesthetic of baggy clothes can be trendy. The general rule around it is to wear something structured and fitting to balance the look. The lengths of your clothes should be fashionable. Pro tip: A fitting t-shirt with chinos along with vans can be your go-to look whenever you’re running late.

6. Bridal make-up look: It is not wrong for girls (and boys) to wear a full face of makeup. Makeup is an art form and improves your aesthetic but it is imperative not to overstep. A BB cream, mascara and lip tint can go a long way for your everyday college makeup.

 

Feature Image Credits: Teen Vogue

Varoon Tuteja
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DUB Speak

The “Never-To-Happen” List of Semesters

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With the end of the semester, it’s that time of the year where we look back and think of all the things we could do.

The dreadful month with the semester exams are over. The endless preparation, extensive consumption of coffee and painstaking nights looking at the books while scratching the head are now all over. But end of the exams also marks the end of another six months of college, and we naturally end up evaluating the semester thinking about how things were and how they could have been.

Looking back at when the semester began, all of us remember the plans we had made and the things we had promised to do. We had made a plethora of points under the “not-to-do” list and the ones we wanted to do. There were six valuable months of the college life which we planned to spend by learning new skills and increase our knowledge. The list might have varied from joining internships, taking classes to being a part of the college societies. The main highlight of the list might have been the point to study seriously from the beginning of the semester. Now that the semester has ended, many of them seem a fantasy.

Time flies and this is probably the time when this fact hits us hard. We have all heard that college life is probably the best time of our lives. But this also happens to be the time when we shape ourselves for the future. The tug-of-war between making our resume and making memories seems to be never-ending. The semester that began with the most ambitious of targets ended up being filled up of nights that were spent drinking, the classes that were bunked, the most pointless of conversations that took place in the canteen and so much more. The thing is- this is what gave us joy.

But there’s always room for hope and improvement. So once again, with the coming of the new semester there will come a much planned and thoughtful list. This list will be much better than the previous one. This is will also have the points listed in a strategic manner such that the loopholes of the previous semester are covered. Some of us might also give ourselves the liberty of setting a bit more than what is possible. And all of us know the line, “If I set a big list, I’ll complete at least half of it.”

The process of preparing this list seems no less than a ritual and will probably be followed this semester as well. So let us all prepare our lists filling them up with the best and the most filtered points. But yes, let’s see how many boxes we tick this semester!

 

Feature Image Credits: IStock

Karan Singhania
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DUB Speak

My First Semester in DU as a Fresher

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Today while I was laying on my bed half conscious, I realised that I have been riding the bus of ‘Delhi University’ for six months now. Delhi University or perhaps the ‘Dream’ University for many students, was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It all started from the trial rooms of the Extra Curricular Activities quota. The first two months went by in running from one college to the other for my trials; it was probably the most challenging phase of my academic career. After going through the rigorous ECA trails, I made it to the University of Delhi through the Photography and English Debate ECA trials.

And once DU’s journey began, I knew it was not going to be a cakewalk. In all these months, DU showed me it’s various feathers. In all these months, DU showed me it’s various feathers. I dined with a different culture each day, bunked classes, and witnessed the clashes between the Red and Saffron. I also mastered the art of arrangement by assembling notes for the internals, hunting for a pen during the class, and counterfeiting attendance (proxy).

It dawned on me on the last day of the semester that I left behind my school life around nine months ago. In these six months of college, I have made friends that I will cherish for a very long time. I have been acquainted with their habits on which we sometimes laugh, and the rest never judge.              My seniors are always there to guide me about any and every situation whilst giving advice about assignments and tests. They are more mature than I am and give self-improvement advice like nobody else. I look forward to having another six months of bonding with them and loving them for a lifetime.

Delhi University as a whole has proved to be a boundless ocean of opportunities if only you have the eye to look out for them. There are opportunities that take you out of your comfort zone and responsibilities that teach you more skills. You’ll expand the horizons of your mind and your personality will become more versatile. I look forward to having the best three years of college life at Delhi University filled with memories, laughter, and deadlines.

 

 

Feature Image Credits:  IAS Paper

Prachi Mehra

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Naimisha

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