Campus Calling!

                                            - By Priyansha Saxena

(With most examination results out, many students and parents are faced with a huge dilemma- whether or not to opt for further studies in a different city. This article explores the various myths, challenges and advantages of moving out and staying away from home.)

So are you thinking of packing your bags and embracing the much talked about, highly anticipated and a little frightening possibility of shifting to a new city? While the thrilling prospect of breaking free from the clutches of parental supervision and the fairy tale version of hostel life projected in books, serials and movies make you want to leave at once, at the same time frequent sermons and doubts of your concerned neighbours ( mummy papa ki yaad nahi aayegi? Kaise adjust karoge? ) , sensational, scandalising news reports about outstation stations not being able to handle the pressure, the very thought of leaving the comfort of your house and moving to a new planet full of aliens and (in case you are moving to a metro city ) coping with the high standards may puncture your balloon of excitement.  So, what are the things you have to watch out for? What are the pros and cons of moving to a new city for higher education?

Going to a different city with preferably higher education standards is always a demanding, but worthwhile prospect. Remember the story of the ignorant frog who thought that there’s no world better than the well of which he was the king? You may spend your entire life in one city comfortably with your friends, proud of your popularity and success, and happily ignorant about the progress in the rest of the world. Or you may take another road and break the common code, taking up the challenge of dealing with global standards, getting better exposure and taking your career to higher levels.

The most anticipated and universal challenge of moving to a new city arises in the form of the cultural contrast. While the realisation that “career” is not pronounced as “carrier”, that most people still do not recognize Bilaspur, tend to mix Chhattisgarh with Jharkhand and wonder aloud if you have ever been kidnapped by the Naxalites (I am serious) can be bemusing, painful and even frustrating, the key lies in staying confident, learning trends which seem useful but at the same time staying true to your roots.

The easier way out is dismissing Chhattisgarh as being “backward” , acting as though any association with the state is derogatory to your image, and willingly try  to prove that you are as “modern” and “cool” as everybody in the new city by unthinkingly adopting all their habits and fashions- partying, dressing sense, lingo, attitude, etc.  This may seem like an tempting, fast forward way of dealing with pressure, but sooner or later you find yourself facing an identity crisis; you get so involved trying to live someone else’s life that you lose sense of right and wrong, who you were, and who you are turning out to be.

 An even easier way is withdrawing yourself completely from these “arrogant what-do-they-think-of-themselves” kind of people, and resolutely sticking to what you have always learned, even if means blindfolding yourself from the truth and staying badly informed. The whole point of going out to study is getting exposure, and learning from the rest of the world! Its good to preserve your ethics and customs, but some changes are positive and crucial, and growth is a lifelong process.

The difficult but most full proof solution is judging what changes are good for you and which ones detrimental in the long run. It is always a good option to correct your English accent, get accustomed to the latest technologies, learn about the various city routes, know the key places in the city and get better acquainted with the locals. However, at the same time, try to avoid picking up habits which seem too forward or inappropriate to you or your family. Because if you do, in the short run you may “fit in” the group but in the long run, even within your “group”, none of your so called friends lose any time in branding you as “wannabes” or “despos”

Remember that while having stayed in cities with metros and tall buildings can make the locals more confident and maybe a little more aware than you, it never makes them any better or stronger. While they may have just the right clothes, shoes and accent, they can never match the amount of experience and diversity you have known. Therefore, try to learn from their strengths, but do not blindly follow them.

Let us now get into the details of staying in the “home” away from home- the hostel life. Um, I never felt those pangs of homesickness. And that wasn’t because I was sick of home or anything. Actually, there’s no reason to miss home when your family is just a call away. Get busy, get going, and you will have no time to miss anything except maybe the home made food. Yeah, I am serious; the pizzas and KFC buckets will soon lose their charm and the very vegetables that you always dreaded and detested will suddenly assume tremendous importance and you will crave to come back home only for the sake of the food!

I hope I am not mistaken in assuming that most of us have grown up fighting (both verbally and physically) with our siblings for the remote control, the extra ice cream and what not. How can we then adjust with completely unfamiliar people, and that too so many of them? Trust me, sharing and caring should, and do come naturally. The common feelings of homesickness, awkwardness and uncertainty create an unspoken understanding and unity among all boarders. Try to interact with the fellow hostlers, and create a positive conducive environment in your room. Making new friends is generally not a problem, within the hostel unless you are too specific or too reserved.  At the same time, do not adjust too much, decide and demarcate your minimal comfort zone, and do not let anything depress or distract you.

Hostel life can be fun at some times, and stressful and challenging at the others; but all the while, it teaches you a lot. The fights you fight make you realise things about yourself and the world you never knew. While the separation from the family teaches you how to be independent and take care of yourself, it also makes you realise the importance and value of all the often unnoticed instances of love, care and affection showered upon you by your loved ones, making your bonding  with your family stronger than ever.  Most importantly, the friends who survive through your hostel life survive throughout your life, and the memories you create, good or bad, all are deeply instructive and remain etched in your minds forever.  And that’s definitely worth all those challenges and lows you will face.

You can deal with all the aforementioned and maybe many other unexpected challenges as well, given that you stay positive and do not let anything dampen your expectations and plans. The most important lesson which I learned after moving to a new city was: Let people accept you and respect you for who you are, and not who you used to be, or are trying to be.

So finally, I suggest you shrug off your reservations and take the plunge! Happy journey J

(The author studied in Bilaspur till class 10^th and then shifted to Delhi Public School, RK Puram, New Delhi for her +2. She is currently studying at the Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University)

P.S. : This article was published in the city version of the newspaper "The Chronicle" by my name with a LOT of printing errors and irrelevant editing. THIS was the original piece.

P.S. 2- Forgive me for being a bit too long/sermonizing/ Bilaspur-oriented. but then, chhatisgarhiya sable barhiya ;)