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DU Fresher

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The university that all of your schoolmates drooled over. Red bricks and skyrocketing cutoffs. Living with the cream of the crowd in the city of dreams, Delhi. What does it take to come far from home and survive this fantasy?

Dream incessantly, asleep or awake. When you’re on the metro listening to high volume EDM’s and the aunty
next to you is squishing and pushing just enough to make it to the last empty seat. Dream, looking at the autumnal hue of the Celtis tree while your professor reads out the last lines of a background reading, you with all the determination of a first-sem-out-of-the-womb of a school cocoon had written on your to-do list to complete last week. Dream, you made it to the interview round of a hard to get into, corporate job recruitment drive like college society. Dream, when you fake smiles awkwardly at a volunteering programme you signed up for, because Freuds super ego can handle your social anxiety in a faceless swarm of people. Dream, when you’re a pile of slob sitting on your undone assignments and dirty laundry. Dream, on Diwali evenings
far from home when fairy lights don’t suffice for your mother’s handmade kaju barfi . Dream kid. You are finally living it: The DU Dream.

Be it the first or the fifth list, you are just happy that you made it to Delhi University. Well, that is nothing but
a half-truth. While some of you are sullen for you got a college far less than what you had hoped for in the last two epochs of your school life, the others beam with unsurmountable joy as they witness the first day and the first step towards the college of their dreams. All this would soon melt into a horizon of memories, a marvel you would look at when the first six months pass by. You, the light that recoils in fright, you don’t even know who you are. You chant that you feel ugly on the outside and worse on the inside. You want to fill the voids
and be whole. You will be soon enough, even if partly so.

In between the rickshaw rides and lose change problems. The rent payment and unpaid internship struggles. The all-nighter study sessions, one night before the exam. The PG ka rukha sukha khaana. The maheene only do baar nahana. The Majnu ka Tila and Humayun’s Tomb. The month-end when dessert is a single spoonful of sugar. The cold coffee and iced tea, the Kamala Nagar shopping spree. The morning classes and Delhi’s unpredictable afternoon rains. The last minute presentations. The resume building and the fans that fall off ceilings. The break-ups and breakdowns. In the thick and thin of it all, piece by piece, it is as if all this time you have been trying to achieve this very thing, to separate the good parts of you from the rotten. You seem to have become whole.

I welcome you to this dream with a strong heart. You, who will stand tall and love the fresh air that comes from
following this ever-onward road. You, who will stride in bold steps, and feel a sense of pride in each one.  And this journey is not about a destination, an arrival point or a finish line, for there is no such thing. This dream is about the people you meet and how you made them feel. For it will take you to places unchartered within yourself and beyond. Friends come, friends go, often-times you would be alone. Then make solitude your
companion, take it as it comes, good or bad, and keep moving forward.

Aayat Farooqui

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As a fresher, you enter college with several expectations and dreams. Not to burst your bubble, but it is extremely important to get some reality checks early on, so that you don’t miss out on what really matters. Having said that, take cognizance of the following eventualities:

1. You may not make good friends on day one

You won’t necessarily gel well with someone on day one- you might even come back a little lonely. It is okay, every other student out there is lonely too. In your head, you might have already started comparing your college ‘acquaintance’ with school friends, looking for alternatives to replace them. Be prepared for heartbreaks and disappointments, as it takes a little while to create a meaningful bond.

2. Your freshers party may not be the best, and it’s okay

Your freshers party won’t be as perfect as you think, most probably. It is because there is only so much funds and freedom given to your seniors to organise your party. Furthermore, your expectations will most certainly differ from what they have in mind. Regardless of that, give them credit for all their efforts, and remember that one day your juniors will think the same for you. Click loads of pictures and pretend that the party was the best thing to happen to you, on Instagram.

3. Everyone else is as apprehensive and confused as you

We know you are cautious, nervous, confused and even judgmental of yourself right now. However, remember that every other fresher is probably feeling the same way! It is completely natural to feel this way in a new environment. One day, the same place which intimidates you, will feel like home and you’ll just laze around, comfortable with yourself.

4. Your branded clothes will not matter after a while

Buy as much as you want, for we love the shine in your eyes and confidence in your spirit that the clothes adorn you with. Having said that, this is a gentle reality check that you will be wearing your PJ’s to college henceforth.. The place becomes home, and you end up wearing all of those clothes you’d never thought would see the light of the day.

5. Taking a lead is always the best

Yes, life isn’t a race. You all are at college to learn together and help one another. However, don’t think that the first year is just a moment to relax. You have relatively lesser academic pressure, so take this time out to take the lead and boost yourself by beginning early. Relax all you want, explore, and have fun too! At the same time, start devoting time to constructive pursuits to get a head start in the corporate, fast-paced world.

 

Feature Image Credits: Afterschool
Khyati Sanger

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