NAKUL.M
III CSE – 2
Stepping into this campus two years ago seems like yesterday. I can recall the amount of eagerness and nervousness I had to begin a new chapter of my life. I was driven by the freedom I enjoyed, but was also apprehensive about discovering my direction in a new environment. Now that I’m in my pre-final year, I understand that college life isn’t as bad due to the endless assignments, projects, presentations, and exams. It’s actually a wonderful time to do things I never imagined I’d be doing.
Earlier, I believed the difficult aspects of college were just about grades. The all-night study sessions, the never-ending problem sets, and the exam stress. Those moments are tough, no doubt, but I’ve come to understand that the truly difficult stages (the not-so-great stages) are different. They’re the moments when you’re lost and clueless about yourself, like when you’re standing in front of your future and have no idea which way to turn. Feeling like you’re supposed to have it all together is suffocating. Or when something small with a friend spirals into a bigger conflict — those are the heavy moments.
There are also times when you need to stand your ground. People will push your ethics and values. I have a memory of when I needed to stand up for what I thought was right, even if others didn’t see it the same way. It was a difficult and isolating decision, but doing what was right and remaining loyal to myself was one of the best experiences of my college experience.
But these are moments that also teach you the most. And then there are the “great” stages. They’re not all the big victories, such as making a good grade or winning something. The truly great stages are about the small, unexpected triumphs. They’re about the last-minute speeches you somehow managed to give, the club functions you organized from scratch, or the late-night conversations that transformed a stranger into a close friend. These are the times
that catch you by surprise with what you’re capable of. The times you get past something are the times you’ll always remember. The sense of finally getting that hard concept, the pride in a job well accomplished, the joy of resolving a conflict with a friend – these emotions are all better because you earned them. So juniors, as you go on your own journey, know that it’s alright that things are difficult. The real learning doesn’t come from bypassing the bad parts, but from taking them on with courage. Accept all of this experience, the wins, the losses, and most certainly, the times that you learn something new about yourself. You’re
crafting a narrative here, and it’s a good one.
