Now its almost two years since I left college, and recently I found myself wondering if it would have been different if I had gotten some experienced advice. Nevertheless, college was awesome and as my friends would say "wow, oye ,wow". I thought I could give some advice - both experienced and otherwise - to the students now in NIT-SXR. This is mainly for but not limited to first year students. Hope it helps.
Dear juniors,
Though it was never your first choice, Congratulations on getting into NIT-Srinagar, and if you are first yearites, welcome. :) .
Most of you may not know me, so let me get introduced.
I am a 08 batch , 2012 pass-out from E&C Department . Like you all, I battled that dreaded entrance test, and somehow emerged, a little dazed, into the grassy and messy campus of NIT, Srinagar.
I hated it then, but you know what; now, I simply cherish my existence through those years.
For me and my friends, the four years of college life are probably the best we have had so far. No matter what you say now, you guys will feel the same once you graduate. The important thing is to make these four years worthwhile.
Through so many good experiences that I had, and through a larger number of mistakes that I made (there are A LOT of them), I think now (yeah! too late) I know how to draw out the best of these years. This article may get a little long, considering it has 4 years (and more) worth of wisdom; so if you are the kind who just copies the notes, and still does not read them, you could straight away jump to the last paragraph.
First things first, you are in Kashmir, in heaven literally. So go out, and explore. Not just like the stereotyped tourist who takes pictures of Dal Lake, but as a person who lives on the banks of Dal Lake, and has the luxury to call it home. All you need is a smile, and a couple of friends who are as crazy as you. At nineteen or twenty, these are the only things you are rich in - smiles and friends.
Tip : Customise your outings to your taste. Don’t follow the crowd. Once in a while, surprise yourself.
For the non-vegetarians, you MUST try the 'waazwaan' cuisine (this one is for non-kashmiris). I know a Dilliwala who fell so in love with wazwaan that he has decided to have wazwaan served on his future wedding. His love for waazwaan is surpassed only by his love for Kashmir and Kashmiris. :)
If you are a vegetarian, try to go beyond the KD on boulevard. At least try the hot 'nadru' pakodas so common on the streets. I really can't recommend much in veg department being a meat eater myself.
Travel!Oh! Yes,please do. You are at an age where you have hardly any commitments or responsibilities. You don't spend extravagantly, or so I hope. Your parents are happy to support you. You are healthy and happy. So go and check out the world. Rather than buying expensive clothes, or that new smart-phone, plan a trip with your friends.
In life, experiences matter much, much more than material objects and fine things. ( Believe me, this is coming from a shopping addict who deep down loves travelling; that is me)
I don’t know if the campus still has the Jammu party, Kashmiri group, and all the rest. If it is that way, chuck the labels, and don’t use them again. Interact with everyone around you, respect everyone. You will be amazed at how similar you all are, and how much you can learn from one another. Be good to your peers, they are going to be your life long contacts. In these years, you will form friendships that will last a lifetime, you will find people you can always bank on. You will have found a family in your friends and roommates, and you will never forget them. Who knows, you may even find love? (Handle with care!! ;) ).
Talking of relationships, build healthy contacts with your professors. No matter how sleepy the lecture, how strict the attendance, how sparse the marking, your profs know you and notice you. However dumb you may think your teacher to be, she or he is at least ten times smarter than your best estimate. Sadly, you will know this generally-true-fact for sure only once you interact with them after finishing college. Also, they can give you some good advice along with that much needed recommendation letter.
If there is one thing that NIT-Sxr is really poor in, it is the internship and industry linkage scene. And its not going to get any better until you (and your seniors including me) take the initiative. So go out and hunt for those internships and summer programs. In learning quality and experience, they are worth a lot more than your pointer (and its coming from someone who had +9 GPA, mostly). Once you actually start looking for meaningful internships, you may be surprised at the range there is. They also offer you a great way to travel and make new contacts. And by any estimate, you learn much more on a project than in a class. As we have a different calendar, it is hard to fit summer internships, but it is not impossible. Try to find solutions, and work-arounds. That is your job, you are an engineer after all.
Be serious about your projects and seminars. That 7th sem seminar is much more than a sleepy talk. And the final project is much much more than a degree requisite. Don’t take up a project that you think is easy or "in" or what you think may fetch more marks. Do something you want to do, and that is how you will enjoy your work. If you love photography, take up an image processing project. Try to give it a personal touch. If you are something of a eco-friendly geek, take up a project about energy conservation. With a great idea, you can actually make a start-up out of your final project. You don’t have to be limited to your course or department. You can do inter-departmental projects. Hardly anyone does that in our college. Honestly, who is stopping us?
Do informal projects with friends and faculty. Do them for fun. They don’t have to be tied to your course and credits, but to your interest.
As far as on-campus scholarships or allowances for seminars or conferences go, they seem non-existent in NIT-Sxr. But I am sure they exist somewhere in a dusty file. I don’t know how they can be implemented, but certainly its worth a shot.
When you are in your 5th semester, try to narrow down your future options. By the time you are done with your degree, it is a good idea to have a road map charted out for the future. It is not necessary, though. We all have different speeds, and different roads to walk on. But at least, you would have made a start. Planning early will give you more options to experiment and the flexibility of making mistakes. And it is not at all important to follow in someone else's shoes. In life, we all have to make our own choices, so we must learn how to make them. Decision making is one extremely important life skill. And college is a great place to practice this. You are surrounded by many different kinds of people and you can learn from their experiences. You can confront your fears and look for mentors. Do it! You will be surprised by the amount of self discovery you will do by just trying to plan your career.
And yeah! Placements are not everything, nor is your GATE score or any other score for that matter. What is important is how you rate yourself. Do you think you are getting better, are you getting any closer to your goals, have you set any goals for yourself.? Keep asking yourself these questions regularly, and you may see yourself emerge as a more efficient person.
Another very, very important area is your family. Most of you will be on your own for the first time. Your parents will worry about you. Show them care and love in return. College teaches you how to be independent in your future life, and your family is part of that life. Start practicing on being responsible and caring. Displaying affection for your parents and family is not un-cool. After a while, your peers will actually respect you for it, and you will never ever regret it.
To conclude this already long article (and to those who directly skipped to the last paragraph), I would say this:
College is more than a degree distributing institution. It is a phase of your life when you learn the most about yourself, and about the world around you. It is when you develop the skills you will use all your life. For many people, including me, college has taught them how to learn. College necessarily has to be FUN, but fun does not mean frivolity. ;) . So go in there, have fun, and learn to be YOU.
Xoxo,
Your senior, S.
I might have missed out a lot, if you want something included, lemme know.
