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In the 64th edition of As We Leave 2026, Nandini Vaid, a Y22 student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, reflects on her four-year journey at IIT Kanpur. She shares moments and stories of embracing every opportunity and discovering new passions while navigating failures, celebrating victories, and building friendships that became family. She looks back on the memories, spontaneity, and experiences that transformed college into a place she will always call home.
Disclaimer:- The views presented below are the author’s own and are not in any manner representative of the views of Vox Populi as a body or IIT Kanpur in general. This is an informal account of the author’s experiences at IIT-K.
Somewhere between 8 a.m. classes I never wanted to attend and midnight conversations I never wanted to end, IITK quietly became home.
My IITK journey wasn’t a single story but a collection of seasons. There was the excitement of beginnings, the uncertainty of figuring things out, the pressure of chasing opportunities and finally the nostalgia of watching it all slip by too quickly. While each season left behind its own lessons, it was the friendships, passions and shared experiences woven through them that truly defined these four years.
The Excited Fresher Phase: Sleep Is Negotiable
I came to college carrying a long list of hopes and dreams – some personal, some professional. But if there was one idea underlying everything, it was this: I wanted to try everything this place had to offer and look back on my journey with no regrets. (Looking back now, I can confidently say I stayed true to that promise, no matter how small or monstrous the decision seemed at the time.)
Yes, this version of me even attended early morning classes voluntarily, took meticulous notes and asked doubts. I spent my days navigating hostel life with my wingies, collecting friendships and enthusiastically signing up for almost anything that sounded remotely interesting. From Esummit to Policy Conclave to all the three fests, I got involved in almost everything. Somewhere between club meetings, workshops, tournaments and countless campus adventures, I found myself opening up, finding my tribe and stumbling upon passions I didn’t even know I had.
One conversation from those days ended up influencing far more than I realized. Sitting at CCD, a senior encouraged me to spend my college years chasing creative pursuits, sporting ambitions, technical interests and everything in between. “The management/grunt work will always be there,” she said, “but these opportunities won’t.” That thought quietly became the lens through which I approached the next four years.
The confused student phase: People can become family
Life was supposed to become smoother after the first year. I had secured the branch change, become a part of the clubs and teams I had once admired from afar, and seemingly checked all the boxes I had set for myself. But life is rarely a straight line, and perhaps that’s what makes it beautiful.
I spent countless hours doing the things I genuinely loved: writing, debating, dancing, and playing basketball. I built meaningful friendships, had conversations that reshaped the way I looked at life, and learnt more from people than I ever could from textbooks. I also had the opportunity to participate in numerous inter-college competitions, each bringing its own memories and lessons.
One of the biggest highlights of this phase was witnessing the inaugural IITKPD come to life. Being part of something of that scale, something that had been a long-cherished dream of many batches before us, felt incredibly special. But what stayed with me even more was watching people pour their hearts into making that dream a reality. There is something deeply inspiring about working alongside people whose passion is so infectious that it becomes impossible not to believe in the dream yourself.
At the same time, academics became more demanding. The courses grew tougher, grading became harsher, and my CPI took a hit. There were moments when I questioned whether I had made the right decision with my branch change at all.
Yet this phase gave me something far more valuable. It taught me how complete strangers can quietly become family. Most nights were spent outside my room, attending club meetings, practice sessions, events, or simply wandering around campus. But no matter how chaotic life became, there was always someone saving dinner for me, someone waking me up for class the next morning, someone willing to listen when things went wrong, and someone cheering me up when I returned in a particularly foul mood. Looking back, it was those small, everyday acts of care that carried me through far more than I ever realized.
The Phase That Tested Me: Failure is not fatal
One of the toughest chapters of my college life was the internship season. The Day 1 rejections hit much harder than I had expected, perhaps because I had never really planned beyond Day 1. It took a genuine mental toll on me. There were nights when I cried myself to sleep, and more phone calls home than I’d like to admit, patiently reminding me that one setback didn’t define my future.
But apart from eventually securing an internship, I walked away from that phase with an even bigger lesson: failure is not fatal. Things don’t always unfold the way we imagine, but they often have a way of working out if you’re willing to keep showing up, keep learning, and keep putting in the effort.
Once the dust settled, I went right back to doing what I loved most, trying new things, making memories, and squeezing every bit of life out of college. I joined the Udghosh team and threw myself into rigorous Inter-IIT practice sessions. As much as I complained about the endless Tuesday stair drills and duck walks while doing them, I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything today.
Soon enough, internship season gave way to placement preparation. Everyone tells you this, but it only truly makes sense once you’ve lived through it: surround yourself with people who will run errands for you at three in the morning, comfort you at your lowest lows, and celebrate your victories louder than you do yourself. I was lucky enough to find a few such idiots.
Of course, the journey wasn’t without its struggles. There was the constant uncertainty, the anxiety of not knowing what lay ahead, and the guilt of missing out on things I loved (especially basketbal-IISM prep) while preparing for placements. Yet, with the right people beside me and countless memories to balance out the stressful days, the placement season passed much quicker and far more smoothly than I had imagined.
What surprised me even more than getting placed was the overwhelming joy of watching my friends get there too. I don’t often get emotional, but seeing each one of them succeed, jumping around (quite literally) in celebration as if their victories were my own, is a memory I’ll cherish forever.
And Then Came the Emotional, Nostalgic, College-Maxing Phase
As the final year drew to a close, everything quietly started becoming a “last.” The last excursion, the last tournament, the last hostel dinner, the last random walk around campus. Suddenly every trip felt necessary, every event became unmissable, and every plan turned into an opportunity to make one more memory. We threw ourselves into every experience with reckless enthusiasm, trying to stretch time just a little longer. From learning swimming to finally trying squash, I wanted to leave no corner of campus unexplored and carry back a suitcase full of memories.
Among all those lasts was the final IISM, an event that had, in many ways, shaped the course of my college life. For years, winning an Inter-IIT medal had been our shared dream. Instead, we finished fourth for two consecutive years, heartbreakingly close yet just out of reach. Knowing we wouldn’t get another chance made the loss sting even more.
But somewhere along the way, I realized that medals were never the only measure of what we had achieved. The relentless training, the discipline, the resilience built through every practice session, and the teammates who had become family were victories in themselves. I have no doubt that the team will go on to achieve incredible things, and I’ll always be proud to have been a small part of that journey.
Looking back, these phases were merely milestones. The real story lies in everything that flowed through them: friendships that turned into family, teams that became a second home, and countless moments that continue to bring a smile long after they’ve passed.
Coming into college, basketball was never Plan A. During my first semester, I mostly showed up to mark attendance. Gradually, however, the court became my escape, my stress-buster, and before I realized it, a part of my everyday life.
Then came Udghosh and our first team-bonding session. A bunch of us sat on the floor of a tiny CD-block room, discussing strategies for the next match. Looking back, I don’t think any of us knew that those conversations were laying the foundation for friendships that would last far beyond the game. The outstation tournaments, Spardha, Sportech, Inter-IIT, and many more, each deserve an article of their own. Every trip, every victory, every heartbreaking loss drew us closer. Even today, I cannot decide whether it was the nights we sang terribly to a ukulele, the prank-call sessions, or the fiercely competitive Mafia games that cemented those friendships forever.
And then there were my “Chand Faltu Log.” It is impossible to look back at IITK without finding them at the heart of my memories.
We met in the most random ways imaginable, yet somehow they became my constant through these four years. They showed me what wholehearted friendship feels like and carried me through these four years with far more love than I deserved.
Eighth semester was supposed to be the peak of fun and chaos. But in hindsight, with them around, every semester felt that way. We spent years giggling through conversations, dancing through ordinary days, and turning the simplest moments into stories we’ll probably be telling for decades.
Of course, we had our share of disagreements too. But if anything, those only made us realize how much we cared for one another. Not to mention the extraordinary efforts they undertook to extract “secrets” from a person as notoriously guarded as me.
And they were only one part of the incredible people IITK gave me. Every senior, junior, peer, teammate, mentor and friend I encountered here reshaped me in ways I could never have anticipated. Basketball, DebSoc, Vox, Techkriti, Udghosh, Presidents’ Office – each left behind lessons, memories, and relationships that I will carry for a lifetime.
Sometimes I wonder how a person who simply wanted to try a few things and return to the hostel after finishing work ended up receiving so much love, laughter, and so many unforgettable memories. It’s hard to explain how effortlessly these people made everything feel so special.
To any junior reading this, there is only one advice, just get out of your rooms, explore and get involved in something you love, no matter how daunting it may look. You won’t find a more experiential time in your life that too with a safety net. So try. Fall and rise up again. Work hard. And enjoy even harder.
I came to college expecting lectures, grades, and a degree. What I got instead were spontaneous plans, endless conversations, questionable decisions, lifelong friendships, a few tears, and countless laughs. Somewhere between rushing to classes, staying up too late, trying new things, and figuring life out one day at a time, college became much more than a place – it became a collection of moments that shaped me in ways I never expected.
Written By : Nandini Vaid
Edited By : Dishita Bajaj, Sameer Baranwal
