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!