Dessert.. Or is it?

Well, here we are. The final leg of your journey in an engineering degree. The fourth year. The Coupe de grace. If you thought during your seniors' farewell that they are getting too emotional, well you'll be doing the same. Or not. The final year is harsh. It's also the time when the placement season begins. Soon, one by one, people start posting status-es on facebook saying "Placed @ -----". While this is good if you are one of those people, things can get really frustrating if you're not. Sometimes it's luck- you reach the last round but don't make it through. Or you past mistakes come back to haunt you- yes, the 12th percentage. The average minimum percentage is 60%, although some companies even ask for 70. It is a tough battle really. Campus placements, you might have already heard this- are the easiest. All you need is one full day of dedication and luck to make it to the last round. And there it is- the offer letter in a really official looking folder with the company logo on it. It makes you feel proud, really. I remember my mum tearing up on the phone when i said, "mum, placement ho gaya(mum i've been placed)". My sister needed some convincing though. All she could text back was "Hai!?" (Seriously!?). Dad was really proud of me that day, although he is a man of very few words.

Coming back to the point, the placement season lasts a really long time. You need to be very patient and never miss a company, at least in your own campus. Off-campus, the picture is not rosy at all. Although there are many openings- supposedly, you rarely get a reply from recruiters on job portals. And going to another college, well the placement department makes sure that most of the students selected are from their college. Yes, that happens. It's not fair, but even they've charged a hefty amount from their students for an engineering degree. Plus, there's always advertisements saying "100% placement record". That draws in more freshers each year. This is also a time when friendships turn sour. Seeing your friend crack the company is great, but suddenly it dawns upon you- what about me? And that's when the comparison starts. Marks, trainings, skills. Everything is put on the table and you end up muttering- "I should have been selected instead of him/her". KAPUT! There goes the friendship. Or you can stay friends, but the feeling is never the same. OR you stay just the way you are. THAT is friendship.

Aside from the jobs and stuff, teachers go easy on you- well, mostly. You start hanging out a lot- just like the first year. Trips and fun are of utmost importance. Taking pictures and posting them on facebook even more. You try to make sure that you have a picture of every one of those awesome moments- someone's birthday, or that club you always wanted to go to. You just need a reason to celebrate- like us, we celebrated my buddy's car completing 50k kilometers. Party. That is the first word you hear everyone saying when you have even the tiniest of good news. You know by now, which people you'll stay in contact with and which ones you won't. So you automatically feel more towards them than the others. The tee-shirt signing day is something you wouldn't want to miss. People mostly have good things to write about you and you feel on top of the world. It's fun. And the farewell party. Dance out of your wits. It's probably the last time you can in college- before getting all too busy and taking a rain check on almost every meet up.

That winds up the gist- mostly, of my experience in an engineering degree. ALU, out! 

Third Course

Well, the junior year a.k.a third year is a time when you basically have settled down and learnt how to and how not to deal with things. Politics starts to play a major role. The rivalry between the first and last benchers deepens. Subjects start becoming more time consuming. You might even start detaching from your family, thinking that friends are all that you have. YOU ARE WRONG. The only people standing by your side through thick and thin is your immediate family. Parents, brothers or sisters. Not cousins, not some extended family people. Adopt this life lesson.

Anyways, college either becomes more like a drag or a place to be in 24x7. People know you for who you are and word spreads fast. Even the teachers get in on the gossip and treat you in a more friendly way. At this point of time, I had decided that i've had enough of the hostel life. I wanted to be free- of the campus, of the area and the annoying people that come along with it, and of the food. It wasn't that i'd started to miss home badly, but I wanted to LIVE, not slog. So, the two of us moved- into the heart of Noida. Shifting is one hell of a task. And if you're shifting into a flat, there comes the expenses. New stuff, rent, food, internet. Everything needs to be brought and paid for. We spent about 35k in the first month of shifting to Noida. This included 1+1 rent, a brand new refrigerator, an internet connection, hardware, plastics and stuff. And a lot of convincing our parents that we won't screw up our marks since well, freedom can be misused. And we didn't regret it a single bit. The trouble started when two more of our friends shifted next door. Conflict of interests, eating and spending habits- all started getting noticed and slowly, the seed of resentment was laid amongst us all. Who was to blame? Each of the four people. " Be not like dumb, driven cattle ! Be a hero in the strife!" Mr. H.W Longfellow sure meant this to be a life lesson, but if you're to co-habituate in the same four walls, you have to agree to some things, understand the circumstances and learn to not mind some comments. We ultimately fell apart in the beginning of final year. Anyways, that is a different story.

Coming back to college life. Well, mine was swell. I had finally started getting the recognition I craved for, friends became an integral part of my life. I had returned from a big ass internship and couldn't feel more proud of myself. New friendships blossomed, we started going out on more and more night outs, random short trips were easily planned since the group was getting larger by the day. We even had some good out-station trips. This is basically the buildup- it reaches a peak point and after that, there's the fallout. Enjoy this time- bask in the glory, have the most exciting time of your life. It does not get any better than this.

Second Course

Okay, so you've finally got rid of the "fresher" tag, Sophomore.(Wiki - In the United States, a sophomore (/ˈsɒfəmɔr/ or /ˈsɒfmɔr/)^] is a student in the second year of study at high school or university. The term comes from Greekσόφισμα (sophisma), “acquired skill, clever device, method”. The term sophomore is probably a compound of the Greek σοφός (sophos), "wise" + μωρός (moros), "foolish, dull".)


So true. You might be wise enough to get through the first year of classes and examinations, but then again, are you really wise? Or is it a state of bliss? Anyways, whatever it might be, the second year comes with a lot of perks. Firstly, you get to be the senior. This means that you can officially "rag". But that doesn't mean you should. A lot of juniors take things personally. Here's what happened with me: We had shifted to a hostel outside the University(read "my hostel is way too crappy man"). It was a pretty good place compared to what we had gone through in the first year. A couple of days later, a fresher walked in the room next to ours. We were quite friendly, hell we didn't know how to rag. But the guy was courteous addressing us as "sir" every time we ran into him. A few days later, a senior popped up on our floor and asked whether the rumors are true. They were, so the poor guy was confronted with a whole group of people ready to throw in some mannerisms into him. What followed must have been an excruciating week for the fresher. A week later, we saw no more of the guy. That night, the hostel manager came to our rooms and said, "I have heard about some incidents taking place in this section, were you people involved?" We casually denied since well, we did sit there, but none of us asked him to do the things he was subjected to. But that did make a difference. Early next morning, we received an official letter stating us to vacate the premises, the junior had pressed charges. We were taken aback and tried hard to convince the manager that it wasn't us. He asked us to state the names of the culprits- we refused. The seniors were in their second last semester, and all of them had received offer letters from reputed companies. This would be a really sore mark on their CV. We had to vacate the next day. Fortunately, the manager did not report this to our University- it would have been a full stop on our careers. We found another hostel nearby and shifted. A series of apologies to the parents followed. Ours and his. We were flabbergasted, but life moves on. Till the day we passed out, neither the victim, nor us were able to see eye to eye. We were really sorry since our parents were at the receiving end too.
Life Lesson: DO NOT TAKE PART IN RAGGING.

Sad stories aside, the second year involves a lot of transitions. The large group that went out to hang together no longer exists. Differences rise up during the summer break. You have to choose sides. Friendships break up, people get into relationships, but the class as a whole- becomes a unit, somewhat. People start to recognize you. And with that kind of story, well, people walk up to you and ask- "did that really happen?" And you can't help but explain the circumstances and the outcomes. There is a serious loss of trust among so called friends. The education part though, becomes simpler. You have successfully given final exams with last-minute preparation, and done well too(hopefully). You have the wisdom to select the people you hang out with carefully. There's the wise part. But, you end up hurting people. Making stereotypes and taking part in things that you regret later. That's the foolish part. But it does not mean you should stop doing that. These are priceless memories, something that you get to talk about when you run into each other 10 years later. The road ahead promises much more fun and if lucky, a lot of love. Your spendings increase. Suddenly it's hard to manage your money and the stories of last-week-of-the-month hauntings become true. Buckle up sailor, this is one helluva ride.

First Course

1. First day of college? I mean the classes. There are probably a lot of emotions you go through when you actually step in to attend your first class. It may be a week later than the scheduled beginning, or even the second lecture the first day. But, the feeling is all the same. Excitement. There you are, standing at the gates, trying to soak in the reality of what drama unfolds in the next four years- you take a deep breath, close your eyes and the security guard shouts- "Get away from the gate!" as a faculty member drives past giving you a look saying "Idiot!"

2. BANG! BANG! BANG! "Wake up dude!!" You are rudely woken up by the loud banging on the door. You open it, only to see a bunch of people walking out of the corridor, headed for their first lecture. "Holy Shit!" Check your watch. You're late. FIRST DAY. Welcome to Engineering, son.
Grab a couple of clean clothes. Take a shower if you have time. On second thoughts, TAKE A SHOWER no matter what. Okay, now run.

These two scenarios are typically what day scholars(1) and hostelers(2) experience on their first day. Well I might have gone overboard there, a bit too much. Anyways, more or less the first day of college is pretty much rush-rush. You are busy memorizing the way to lecture halls, labs, the names and faces of students, the names and faces of your teachers. It's quite a hectic day. You might bump into some old acquaintances- seniors maybe. Unless you are subjected to intros and something-banned-by-the-supreme-court, you are good. However, if you are a victim, the very first day.. Don't worry, the fun continues for a far longer period of time than you'd expect. It is actually good that you got some pointers the very first day- how to go about it and such.

Oh hey i completely forgot, THE FIRST CLASS.
Yeah, no big deal. It's typically some lecturer who walks in and introduces himself. Remember, no class teachers in college. Probably asks one of the first benchers to become the class representative and starts with the introductions process- where each and every student has to get up, say their name and the works. Oh, if you're telling you XIIth percentage, prepare to be judged. Stereotypes you know, can never get rid of 'em. The day passes on similarly. You might even stay for the whole time. Or probably bunk and check out the campus. Remember- the first week is very dangerous and seniors can sniff out freshers pretty easily. Don't be scared, it's quite beneficial if you share a good rapport with them. They can help you more than you know. Going a step further, you might not even return to college the rest of the day. Yeah, like i said in my last post- people are ready to jump in on any plan. Go out and have loads of fun. But remember- the attendance criteria is no joke, it's a real pain in the ass before mid-term/ end-term exams running around begging for attendance or paying a substantial amount of money to appear for the same.
Good Luck out there!

Entrée

Edit: Sorry for not keeping up with the time frame, I had to undertake some certification exam and i ACED it. Getting back to point though.

Okay, so you've finalized your dream college. Right, maybe not your dream college, but then a place where you'll spend the next four years of your life. As you start preparing to head out and face the world, here's a suggestion : take the hostel, however crappy it may be. This is a life lesson. Take it, Read it, Swallow it, Digest it. Why? "My University hostel is way too crappy man, I don't think that it is suitable for humans to live in". That is the fun part! Hostels of engineering colleges are LEGENDARY. Not in terms of the mess food, the facilities provided, or even the hostel warden(okay, there might be some exceptions) but you get to meet a whole bunch of new people. Hear this: When you enter college you are an entirely new person, mostly everyone you meet will have a somewhat different impression from what you had seen in school. That is the beauty of graduation(or under-grad-however you see it). Anyways, you get to meet people of every type(or kind-whatever). You get to go out in large groups- people are so enthusiastic in the first year, they say yes to almost every random sightseeing or party invitation that they get. So get ready to have a butt-load of fun. "But how will I survive in this wretched place!?" Don't worry. You are not alone. As the time progresses, you find more and more people that share the same hate for well, hate-able things. Do you really want to miss the opportunity of walking into someone's room at 2AM? It becomes a habit. People are virtually everywhere except their own room. Plus, you get to have roomie(s). Roomies are actually make-it or break-it of your hostel experience. So be sure you share a good rapport with your room-mate. If you can't however, you can always shift in with people you like(if that is possible--rooms are rarely empty), or can request an official change(but that takes a lot of time). Also, your local friends get a place to crash for the night, so you always have a place to head back after a long night.

Anyway, if you're a localite and don't need to stay in a hostel, or maybe you're staying in a PG. Well, you're missing something. But don't be bummed. Classes will start soon enough, and YOU get to play a very important part. Who is the first person outsiders come to for advice on places to visit, parties to go to? Yeah you guessed it right- Loca people(pun intended). You get to play leader, and people depend on you to double/triple the fun. If you've got your own vehicle- YOU'RE GOD! Man, all the fun you can have! But heads up, there's a whole lot of freeloaders there- make sure you're surrounded by a good bunch of people.

Alright, enough for the day, next i'll give you an insight on college- the place where you go to study. Classes, lectures, labs, workshops, subjects etc etc. I'll try not making it boring though. Arrivedeci.

Drumroll

Edit: Heads up! This post is largely relevant to Engineering Graduates/ Undergrads in India.

This is probably a busy time for you. Getting admission into an engineering college is easy, and is difficult(depends on your viewpoint). If you're one of those people who studied hard these past two years, you've already got through a reputed college. Congratulations, you aced it! For those of you who couldn't make it through the A-listers, or maybe even B-listers, hard times are coming bro! Private colleges make you run around.. to say the least. Anyways, once the admission procedure is over, you gotta be excited, yeah? I don't blame you, college is, and always will be one of the most memorable things to ever occur in your life. So gear up and just let go.

Over the next few posts, i will try to present a blow-by-blow account of what you CAN experience during your college "endeavor". Stay tuned!