Manipal is all about choices. Be it a choice between attending an 8 a.m. class and eating breakfast, or choosing which TV show to binge watch, your college life is bound to be rife with choices.
It’s a fairly simple yet commonly disregarded fact: the consequence of your choices will inevitably affect you. On an average, an adult is likely to make about 35,000 conscious decisions during the course of a day while a child makes only 3,000. A college student’s number may not be as high as a working adult’s, but it definitely lies somewhere on the higher end of the gradient. I don’t mean to exaggerate the outcome, but out of those, what’s the probability of even ONE of those choices changing your life from Level: Kamal R. Khan to Level: Leonardo DiCaprio? Do the math.
Choose TIME: As the semester rolls on, it’s natural to gravitate towards laziness and neglect the choices which require effort, despite them being more beneficial to you. Spending time with your boyfriend/girlfriend, or your laptop (depending on your relationship status), is likely to seem more attractive than utilizing that time working on student projects or even something as simple as making time for your hobbies (what!). Ironic as this may sound, I know by definition your hobbies are what you enjoy doing in your free time. So what do I imply when I say “make time out for your hobbies”? Stop for a moment and look back on the past couple of years of your life. Having been engrossed in studying for your boards or entrance exams (if you’re a fresher), or in internships and placement hassles (if you’re nearing your graduation), you’ve probably neglected the things you love doing as a person. I have met several people in the past year, who with regretful eyes talked about the days when they just couldn’t put down an interesting book. People who love to play football or the guitar, or stargaze or travel or even something as simple as be up-to date with the news. Being in college gives you ample time to re-indulge in these activities, yet only a few make an effort to grasp this opportunity. You don’t have to necessarily convert your hobby into your passion. You don’t have to be a part of the football team if it’s not your calling. You can simply bring along your football and make use of your friends and the huge grounds in campus. Though if you do wish to make the most of your passion, the plethora of student clubs, teams and projects in Manipal gives you the liberty to choose that road as well. Remember, there is no such thing as “having no time”. It’s all about prioritizing.
Choose FUN: Sometimes, it’s not just about what’s right for you. It’s about what make you enjoy college life. Hanging out with friends, choosing sleep over attending classes, bunking the day to go and chill in Gokarna, or playing games on your phone during an oblivious professor’s lecture is all part of the fun. Being the goody-two shoes you were in school doesn’t have to define your college life. After all, choosing a college away from home gives you the benefit of fun sans restrictions. This again raises a delicate choice- to exploit your freedom or be smart about your decisions. College literally marks the beginning of your adulthood, and being an adult means having the freedom to make the choices you deem best. Choosing to let your days go to waste, or choosing to have irresponsible fun responsibly is a decision that can shape your personality, and keep you out of trouble. Refer to the obvious fact I stated in the beginning. Being aware of the consequences of what rules your break is an important mark of maturity too. For instance, being detained on account of not having sufficient attendance is not really fun. Nor is having your phone confiscated by an invigilator on random checks. Explore the life Manipal has to offer, but be sensible of the path you choose.
Choose WORK: By work, I mean both your academic obligations and any extra-curricular activities (student clubs or projects) you may have indulged in. Being a part of too many clubs simultaneously does no good to you, your grades or your club responsibilities. Choose to take up only as much as you can healthily manage. Maintaining your GPA is undoubtedly essential. Stressful as they may be, exams are probably the most important thing in college. Right from watching Game of Throne episodes during sessionals to every lecture not paid heed to, each neglected opportunity to study is another (ostensibly insignificant at first) drop in your grade. The 4-mark assignments are usually taken for granted and copied shamelessly off the studious kid’s notebook, but all those assignments together add up to a good 20 marks (which can make a huge difference when you find it hard to score in the 50-mark end semester examinations, since the assignment questions are given to you beforehand). Being caught up in the usual college activities (or, if I put it more blatantly- laziness), we invariably end up studying last-minute (coffee, panic, repeat). Your choice is either to avoid the circumstance and spend more time on studies, or when time is a constraint, to study smart. Work and time go hand-in-hand; procrastinating will only add to the stress, and most likely to a GPA which indicates a potential much lower than what you actually possess.
Choose BALANCE: Underlying all the choices you ultimately make, is your ability to balance everything collectively. This refers not just to a balance between your time, work, fun, love-life and sleep, but also to a balance between what you are and what you want to be (and I don’t just mean being broke to rich). Staying away from where you live also means making an extra effort to maintain that close relationship with your parents and family back home, and also learning to take care of your health. There may be times when you’ll be busy with friends or work to attend your parents’ calls. Choose to take time out for them, or message them if you’re busy at that moment (nothing more horrifying than seeing 13 missed calls from your mother!). Health is another commonly neglected factor. Though Food Court/Mess food gets depressing at times, don’t skip meals. Most importantly, balance your expenditure (like choosing Dollops over Eye of the Tiger). It may sound like a great deal to handle, but it really isn’t all that much. Being realistic in making decisions that will work best for you is what counts.
You are the vehicle for change in your life. Being in Manipal gives you a chance to experience and grow in a way which makes you comfortable being out of your comfort zone. What you gain from it depends on which road you choose to go down (remember: you don’t impress people by flaunting your achievements in terms of the number of TV shows you’ve watched).
You have the choice to go that .01 extra mile over the line and be the Leonardo DiCaprio you deserve to be.
– Tejal Khullar for MTTN
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.