ANKITA KIRAN
2 ND Year B.Tech(CSE)

You may be one among many in the sea of lost travellers, feeling astray and off-course. Sometimes college can be hard, and you may have doubts in your head of whether you are doing the right thing or maybe you are not where you imagined yourself to be in the future. Just because someone stumbles and loses their path doesn’t mean they’re lost forever; they may just need some guidance to get back on track. We all get these thoughts in our head at one point or the other, and all we look for in such times is a guiding hand or a comforting voice to lead us in the right direction, to give us the advice we need to shape our paths.

Well, this blog may just be the thing you needed. Why not listen to the people who have already gone through what we may be experiencing right now? Listen to what our alumni have to say about the plethora of experiences they had in college, from the endless despair to some of the most ecstatic moments of their lives. College is the phase to grow personally and professionally. It is the time to acquire knowledge, develop skills and look out for opportunities. Doesn’t the future belong to those who prepare for it? Good grades are often life’s way of saying that there is a bright future in store for you. If grades are dropping, do not panic. Understand the syllabus, change the strategy and strive again with more determination, hard work and perseverance. We should not be afraid to test our skills in an assignment that may be unfamiliar or unpleasant. No matter what adversity may arise, the art is to remain focused on achieving our goal of performing to the best of our ability. Being part of healthy competition with peers helps to learn to appreciate and accept the success of others. This friendly approach also enhances the spirit of winning in life while respecting the opponents. The college phase teaches us to be lifetime learners. This is the time we tend to fly forward, free from the shelter of our parents. Students are given the opportunity to decide on various matters unlike in school where guardians would be the final decision-makers. However, the truth is that many lessons are learnt even without the pressure of learning.

One of the most exciting aspects of college is campus life. Campus life gives the spark to venture out of our comfort zone. Experiences earned in the college phase shape us to be better individuals who would be a good asset to society. These lessons are not just learnt in classrooms but through campus experiences like organizing events, volunteering, participating in non-academic ventures. Handling projects and working in committees impart values of leadership and inculcate a sense of responsibility. College is the platform to meet new people, experience different tastes in life together and ultimately grow up with life lessons that would be valuable throughout their future. Building healthy relationships should be a paramount goal as family and friends help us endure and overcome hardships.

New ventures enable us to realise that it is okay to take small risks in life and that outcomes could be overwhelming. It is alright to fight and fail; life is about taking the blows and grinding it out with your head held high. College is indeed about hope and helplessness. As students, we should enjoy challenging ourselves in diverse areas which we feared in early times. Once we graduate from college, we will become self-developed individuals who are capable of overcoming the fear of the unknown.

Gaining valuable hands-on experience through internships and crafting a resume with a wealth of information is a prerequisite to higher learning and better employment. Achieving semester grade goals, excelling in campus events and classroom jobs, developing a wide set of skills, seeking healthier relationships and true friends, finding and pursuing passion , initiating appropriate communication to make situations better and solve issues, working tirelessly towards a goal are usually the top agenda of any student’s college checklist. The finest asset to accomplish the same is college resources. Staying up to date gives one an advantage over other contenders and makes a candidate stand out to the hiring managers. You can achieve this by doing online research, reading professional journals or visiting the college library. A wise person knows that there is something to learn from everyone so we should not hesitate to ask for help from the nearest available sources – faculty, alumni or peers.

After reading all the things our seniors had to say, you may still be unsure or compare yourself to others, but it’s okay to feel that way.

We all have our separate journeys, with different paths and obstacles; you just need to make sure you stay on this path that is college life and experience every single aspect of it from the highs to the lows, from some of the best moments of your life to some of the most challenging situations. It’s all about the journey, because at the end of this journey you will be a completely new person who is ready to take on the world.