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The Story of Two Exceptional CUET Batches: From a Senior to a Junior

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The last two batches have faced unique hurdles from CUET that are unfamiliar to everyone else. So, here is a letter full of warmth written by a senior to a junior that will help the freshmen to overcome their anxiety. We got you!

Since the results of the CUET 2023 exam were released a month ago, there has been a tinge of nostalgia in the air for the Pilot Batch of CUET students. Only 8-9 months ago, we experienced the same emotions as our juniors. The paradox I experienced on the day of orientation was looking at the strange faces of juniors and finding myself there.

As a new semester began, a fresh batch of students, full of energy and excitement, toured the campus that would be their home for the next four years. They look out the creamy white corridors of my college at the high ceiling classrooms and lush green lawns. They are witnessing their seniors’ soft, welcoming smiles and the worried expressions on the faces of their classmates.

I can still feel the overwhelming emotions, anxiety, and excitement that coming in as a fresher brought about. Even while you may be eager for the future as a freshmen, there is a hidden despair. That could be the sadness of leaving your home or the stress of not knowing what lies ahead.

I’ve been in your shoes, so I understand this struggle to choose between happiness and confusion. So, before I take the role of a senior who advises juniors on these life’s curiosities, let me give you a warm hug and assure you that what you are feeling is valid. Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted is reasonable given the obstacles we had to overcome on the way.

The recent batches have faced some uncommon difficulties, including fighting the pandemic and learning online away from the comfort of a school and its warm memories. None of the previous batches had ever gone through this. In a same manner, my class of 2022 was juggling double exams and online classes. As our teachers struggled with these new adjustments, I recall how my other peers and I felt utterly unprepared to handle them. We all worked to achieve the best grades in the face of huge competition to get into this prestigious 100-year-old university.

The atmosphere around us, which is preoccupied with the idea of an ideal education and career, compels us to think about whether the suffering we are presently going through is worthy. However, the introduction of CUET was what really put our determination to the test.

Its sudden advent changed this belief system of getting good grades in the 12th system. We had no experience with competitive tests, in contrast to our peers in the Science and Math fields who had been preparing for their entrance tests for the previous two years. In our field, we are the first two batches to face this new task, which made us more anxious due to the limited resources and lack of experience from our teachers and seniors. Life taught us patience in the midst of this uncertainty and confusion.

As I followed this year’s exam as well, it felt like déjà vu to see the same things happening again, this time with juniors. The social media overloading students with information, while coaching offered a wide range of courses. The rank predictors were constantly evaluating grades and worth, and NTA’s websites crashed frequently, adding to our anxiety.

This time, I was delighted and grateful that I could help my juniors with this procedure, but at the same time, I was thinking immediately of the conversations I had with my seniors and how they told me that this system was completely foreign to them. They exclaimed, “Thank God! This didn’t occur with our batch” it matched with my exclamations of “Why our batch?” Our paths and experiences just diverged so much within a year that they were no longer related. Despite their best efforts to assist us, we were aware that we needed to prepare for the difficulties ahead. This year, a special senior-junior relationship was developing as we introduced our juniors to the idea of preference lists, informed them of the realities of college, and provided them with advice on how to ace the entrance exam.

As a new batch embarks on a new journey, I understand the plethora of emotions and doubts you are confronted with.  Believe me when I say that your Batch 2022 seniors are the best people to talk to about this. I can relate to you even more when you ask naïve questions and show your apprehension because I did the same things just a few months ago. What I can tell you is that you must allow yourself to experience each of these emotions and allow the reality to sink in. Yet don’t sit around lamenting about these issues. This is the stage when anything is possible if you just take more risks and learn from your mistakes.

I also want you to know that taking competitive tests will teach you a lot of things, but the most essential lesson is learning to believe in yourself despite the little voice in your head that tells you differently.

Please remember that you can’t plan everything. It’s okay to take a step back, choose the second-best option, or modify your plans if that’s what you want to do. I want you to remember that not everyone gets into the colleges of their dreams, and that worrying about it is futile. Some of us will also be accepted to our preferred colleges, which may be disappointing if your expectations and the reality fail to match.

It can take you months to adjust to the new circumstances, and you don’t have to necessarily love all of it. What you can do is just identify things that make you happy and make good use of the resources you have.

You should also be aware that your interactions with your classmates and teachers won’t be determined by your CUET score or percentage of the 12th board. People will evaluate you and determine whether they want to be your friends based on who you are and how you treat them, regardless of how well you performed. Be honest to yourself and your goals.

And every time you think you can’t manage something or that it’s too much, go to the classrooms on the floor above you. There will be a group of students, your seniors from Batch 2022, who can identify with your problems and hear about your experiences. They will guide you and assist you as you go. By taking a look at them, you’ll be able to see how they overcame these obstacles and how you can too. They will admire your courage and patience. Then, perhaps, a senior CUET student and a fresher CUET student will walk to the canteen and talk over hot momos and coke.

Perhaps maintaining the warmth between senior and junior relationships is something that CUET couldn’t change.

And if you ever get in touch with me, I’ll give you the same advice my senior gave me: “Time flies fast; instead of overthinking, enjoy your life as a fresher; it is temporary.”

I’m hoping you’ll stick to it.

With love,

Your senior

CUET Batch 2022

 

Read Also :  https://dubeat.com/2019/07/28/dear-freshers-welcome-to-the-real-world/

Image Credits : New Indian Express

-Priya Agrawal

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Arts & Culture

Toxic Culture of DU Societies: Seniors with Junior Mindsets

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Any talk about Delhi University is incomplete without a mention of its extravagant societies. But, is the extra pressure which comes up with the really stiff competition actually worth it?

The fun and frolic which comes up with the joining of a cultural group, or the engagement in the big brain talks by being part of an academic community, indeed contributes in adding up to ones college memories. But, continuing with this on the stake of ones mental health is not correct. The excessive competition and the pressure of having the first position in the entire DU circuit, sometimes makes the loved society culture extremely toxic. The daily seven to eight hour practices irrespective of rain and hail along with the flawed senior junior culture leaves many students shattered and face serious existential crisis.

Most of the times first years seeing the beautifully decorated registration desk apply in numerous societies but, the actual marathon begins only after you clear the auditions and officially become a part of it. The superiority of seniors and the inferiority of juniors the entitlement of only one and two years older mates as ‘Didis’ and ‘Bhaiyas’ often causes a complete reversal of ones opinions and thoughts. The mass scolding sessions, or rather the wordly mass assassination of juniors by the supremely talented Didis and Bhaiyas leaves one with tears, an outcome of supressed speech and anger.

“I joined the western dance society of my college with high expectations. I thought that it will help me live my passion but, it turned out to be completely opposite. All the dancers were great and the joining opened doors to many opportunities for me but, the super strict environment which makes one to think twice about doing and saying anything made me leave it in the very next month. People need to understand that maintaining a Hitler inspired environment wont help in the sustenance of art,” said a first year student of Delhi University.

“There is literally no junior who hasn’t cried. Once we went for lunch after a competition and all of us ordered according to our budgets assuming everyone was to pay for their own meal. The seniors enjoyed quite a lot and ordered double and triple of what we had, we obviously didn’t think much of it since everybody ate according to their pockets but with the arrival of bill they changed the protocol and forced us to go dutch. They divided the entire amount equally, irrespective the quantity each person ordered. This was shocking for me since I hadn’t seen anything so unfair till then. This society politics is very difficult to deal with,” said another first year.

However not all are alike. Some of them have very positive impacts on ones development and growth. It completely depends upon the management and environment. So, its imperative for one to think and choose wisely. Pursuing anything which has a toll on mental health would leave you with nothing but only distress and regret. Leaving after joining with a reason “I don’t feel good” is a reason enough for you to resign.
Featured Image Credits: Du Beat Archives

Kriti Gupta

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

How to Approach Seniors During Exams 101

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If you are a lost and confused fresher, and are looking for tips on how to approach seniors for help during exams, read further!

With end semester exams on the head all students look for different ways so as to crack these exams. Some collect notes from the class topper, some prepare chits to hide in their socks, some stay up late for hours mugging up their texts, while some just stare into the abyss, and pray for things to work out. Among all these different students from different schools of thought, there is a group of the students who leech off seniors during exams.

As a fresher writing the exams for the first time, we’re all lost and confused. The towers of countless readings become our Everest, and actually reading them seems impossible. It is all so overwhelming and exhausting, and you have no idea where to begin or how to go about it. In situations like these, what can be better than a senior who gives you all the exam hacks and pointers?

Now, it isn’t that easy to find seniors who are genuinely willing to share their precious knowledge over these years. And even if they are, they are mostly too busy trying to figure their own mess out, forget helping a mindless, half-baked junior. But that’s where you need to know how exactly must one approach a senior.

For starters, take a cup of chai or a glass of iced-tea with you while approaching the seniors. This is an essential step so as to show them that you care and aren’t entirely heedless. Then, initiate a light conversation; ask them how they are or what their day was like. Try and ensure they aren’t already stressed. If they are (which they will be in most probability since they are way busier than you, for obvious reasons), try cracking a few jokes to mellow down the tension and lighten up the mood.

Once you see them smiling and giggling, and maybe suggesting going to grab a bite (which would be amazing for your situation), that’s your queue! But remember, you still don’t directly ask for help. You start by talking about your own preparations, and different things that are troubling you. Hopefully, the senior himself or herself will suggest tips or pointers that you were looking for in the first place. If not, you ask them if they faced similar issues in their time. Consequently, the senior will end up blabbering pointers that helped him or her. Once they start, they probably won’t stop until they have given you everything they have to offer. But then again, this varies from individual to individual.

Now, another important point to be noted is choosing the right senior to approach. Apart from the fact that the senior should belong to your department (obviously), (s)he should also, preferably, have a personality similar to yours. For instance, if you are a diligent student, an advice coming from a comparatively casual senior would not be of much help. Similarly, if you aren’t too concerned with getting the highest scores, an industrious senior would only make things worse.

The end semesters are definitely a tough period, especially when you are new and confused. Leeching off seniors is of course an option; a very practical approach, indeed. However, I would still suggest you to cut them some slack and invent your own methods. Afterall, you know yourself the best- your strengths and weaknesses. All the best for your exams!

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Aditi Gutgutia

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Seniors and Juniors: We are a Family!

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Seniors, Thank you for being a family away from home.

College gives you many experiences: your first crush, boyfriend or girlfriend, multi-tasking, monetary-crises, exposure to the real world and above all, a family of your own. In this family, first-year students generally play the role of lost little kids who need guidance, second-year students are slightly older, wiser selves who fear becoming seniors and the third-year students are truly your guides in the journey. They act like your parents and in this cute little niche, you unravel to become the best version of yourself.

Seniors play a severely essential role in this development; they scold you and care for you simultaneously, to a point where their embraces become your safe space to spiral out of control and stress out, and their hugs of appreciation become the best reward of your hard work. Riddhi, a student of B.A (History) Hons from Gargi College stated that for her, her seniors became her family when she opened up to them. She said, “In the first meeting, they made us talk about ourselves, our views, our families, our lives. Now, it has come to a point where I can share absolutely anything with them, just the way I would do with my family back home.”

One of the essential reasons first-year students thrive for love from their seniors is that most of the leave the comfort of their houses and come to a new place to embark on a new journey. The support of someone older, wiser, and smarter gives them immense confidence to find their footing in a new world. Another reason might be the bond of being in a society and creating new memories with their seniors while working with them throughout the year. “I feel the bond between seniors and juniors is more than just a bond; over the years, it has become a sort of tradition. Our seniors do for us, what their seniors did for them. And we will surely take this legacy forward,” said a student from the Theatre Society of Lady Shri Ram College for Women.

Mahi, a student of Miranda House shared that her seniors have always played the role of her parents whenever she needed them. “There have been so many instances where Saubhagya (her senior) has practically acted like my father. He has scolded me for being reckless on roads and has taken care of me when I was sick. Others too have essentially become my family, with whom I could crib all day about my problems.”

Sarah Jalil, a B.A (English) Hons student from Gargi College added that she doesn’t even like the term ‘junior’ anymore. She said “They are, in fact, my equals. The time I spent with them was truly special. I will cherish it as long as I will live.” Similarly Kinjal Pandey, Editor-in-Chief  2018-19, DU Beat applauded the enthusiasm she has seen and experienced in her juniors from DU Beat and her society. She stated “They had more ideas and enthusiasm. Saying that it’s a generation thing would be very dramatic since we are only a year older but I do see more enthu-cutlets in my juniors.”

Sincere thanks to all the seniors who are graduating this year. May all your dreams come true. In one way or the other you have brought a change in your juniors’ life, be it your daant (scolding) or your pyaar (love) , we will treasure those moments forever and ever.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Sakshi Arora

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