Do you think that college plays an important role in shaping us into better persons? I believe that this is the most suitable time to grow as college provides a freer environment as compared to the restricted one at school and one feels quite independent at college than school. Away from our parents, the rebel in us wants try to do everything that life has to offer including the ones we ought not to. We, as a human being, have a fair idea about what is expected out of us and we try our level best to become the person we always wanted to by making the best use of our time at college and with the best available resources.
When the familiar question of how my ‘beloved’ institute is put across to me, my reply is usually less than satisfactory for the ones seeking something more, more than just an “eh”. And the blame is not entirely on the college authorities but also its students. They have often been criticised for their stringent actions which mostly has been the consequence of the students’ misdeeds. To give you an example, the minimum attendance required by a student to sit for the semester finals is set by the authorities at 85%. Now such a decision does not bring any kind of pleasure to the authorities, it’s solely for the students’ benefit. They intend to spare the students from the agony and discomfort that will be caused to them from running to the university, begging the authorities there, if they fail to fulfil the required criteria. Not understanding the true reason behind this rule, we often end up criticising the authorities.
After almost two-three years of no proper junior-senior interaction, we have seniors not knowing their juniors or vice versa. A college where each person knew every other person on campus and people spoke to each other. A profession which requires you to build connections and a network, is facing hardships at an institute which prepares students for the same. Every college has certain traditions which makes the college experience enjoyable and memorable. Such traditions exist to ensure that the new students gel up with their batch mates and seniors as soon as possible and get adapted to their life. Perhaps sharing an informal relation with a senior or a junior would always help in building relations. Such traditions are entirely subjected to student’s own consent and discretion. In the last two-three years that I have been here, as little as it did, I have seen the college change. Senior-Junior interaction is discouraged now and you might know the reason why. It’s mostly because whenever a senior calls a junior to talk, it’s assumed that she/he might bully or brain wash or harass them. Rather from my own experiences, I have actually enjoyed talking to my seniors and I have taken every scolding or instruction in good stride. But here, it’s again discouraged. Why? Because people didn’t like what their seniors asked them to do and they felt that this is not what the college life was all about. But have we ever realised that most of the things that used to happen at our college and have now been discontinued ever since, was stopped because some of us couldn’t take a joke? Or maybe the ones calling us were too harsh?
At the end of the day, every rule that is imposed in the college is after all an outcome of what has happened in the past. Hence, raising a voice against the authorities each time and calling them unreasonable shall not make them any better. We should make sure that we don’t give them a chance to be ‘unreasonable,’ because they are not solely responsible to take care of one student but also the rest three hundred and ninety nine. If you don’t want to end up at the principal’s office begging for attendance, then make sure you don’t miss your classes. If you don’t want to speak to a senior, then don’t go and put up false allegations against a senior which would eventually bar the rest from talking to them as well. You are the master of your own choices hence, make them wisely. Don’t compel the authorities to make rules which you later might call unreasonable.
