Kaushiki Agarwal is a graduating Y18 student from the Department of Material Science and Engineering. In this edition of As We Leave 2022, she reminisces about how she got to IITK with anxiety and apprehensions about arriving in a new world till leaving IITK with memories, aims and the sadness of being separated from this world.
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.
So, this is my journey. It begins with entering IIT Kanpur with many hopes and aspirations and some anxiety about arriving in a new world with everyone around unknown. Till leaving IITK with a big bundle of memories, new aims and the sadness of being separated from those unknowns who today have become a crucial part of my life.
As I entered this campus, it was far from my imagination, and the excitement of being at this fantastic place seemed worth it. The family system of CS, one of the many unique aspects of the IITK culture, was the first thing I liked (maybe because my ‘Amma’, Esha, was just GREAT). As the orientation ended with the 1st-semester beginning, real campus life started.
Recollecting things, 1st semester was just about understanding and adapting to this new place. I struggled to cope with academics, almost being on the verge of failing PHY103. From the beginning, we started hearing about various dos and don’ts for bagging good placements, with different seniors having their own priority orders. Some emphasized CPI, some PORs, others coding and still others exploring and doing plenty of stuff. And the feeling of not being in the top three departments surrounded me. It took four years to realize that this place has a lot of potential to get you wherever you wish to if you are ready to work for it.
During the 1st semester, I didn’t do much stuff. Still, I took part in some activities like freshers, treasure hunt, some events of clubs organized for freshers and joined the AUV team around the end of the semester. At the end of the first semester, I realized that I needed to be stable academically; otherwise, it would become very stressful. The 2nd semester was decent enough as I managed my studies better. Though I didn’t do great in courses, I was satisfied with my performance. I was only involved in the AUV team during 2nd semester. However, I did not enjoy myself much there because I was the only girl in Y18. There was only one Y17 senior girl in the team who also used to come less frequently. As a result, I couldn’t mingle with the team members much. I stayed in the summers and joined athletics along with AUV but left AUV after summers as going there felt like a burden more than a recreation and continued with athletics for the 3rd semester.
Another thing that I will never forget is becoming SG. Reliving the orientation was fun, and having a sweet bond with those ‘bacchis’. I could have never had such a connection with the juniors if I weren’t SG. That was a wonderful experience.
Time passed, and slowly and gradually, this campus started to feel homely, and I started to enjoy the so-called campus life. One reason also is that with time I had made some friends without whom today I couldn’t even imagine my stay here. One of the best memories is just sitting and chit-chatting with these friends. No topics needed, no occasions required, no free time needed. All we needed was us. These talks could carry on for hours, even during exams (I am really going to miss these discussion sessions). As everything was going well, COVID struck. As we left the campus during the 4th-semester mid-sem break, who knew we would return only in our last semester. The online life was quite monotonous, and things just wrapped around zoom and Google meet. I still feel how many more precious moments we would have gathered if we had spent those two years on campus. As said, every coin has two sides – one positive thing which resulted from Covid, pointed out by one of my friends, is that Covid probably taught us to be in contact. Even after being far away, this could let us be in touch even after we all will be in different places leading different lives.
Then there was the hustle of internships and placements. That time was very stressful, but as I think of it today, it played a crucial role in making me more confident and stronger. As I said, we were in an environment that made us believe that being in the top 3 departments or coding is necessary for getting good internships and placements. I would say here that it is not about where you get through JEE, but how you do here will decide what you can achieve.
Then comes the last semester, or should I call it the BEST semester (couldn’t every semester be the last semester). After two years of homestay, we finally returned to campus. All excited to collect as much as we could from the remaining four months of campus, college and student life. And to be true, we did. The start wasn’t good enough as the 3rd wave of covid took over, and most students fell ill. We dreaded that again anytime we could be sent back home. But this time, we were fortunate not to be sent back and utilized this opportunity to the fullest. This particular semester was the gist of our entire IITK duration. It had everything in it – online classes, offline classes, Antaragni, Techkriti, Udghosh, major club events and the hostel life. Time was less, and the to-do list was too long. The memories we made during this time are very close to my heart, and I love them.
There are so many things which, if possible, I would just pack and keep with me. I couldn’t do justice to all, but some things which come to my mind are – the late-night walks, the random room talks, the mess table panchayat, OAT time pass spot, securing a seat in the library during exams, crying for grades, rushing for 8 am classes, some night outs, the 3rd floor AB block terrace, the zoom meetings with friends, some gyan sessions given to friends and also taken from them, the assignments of ESO205 and many more….
But of all, the most precious thing this place has given me is the FRIENDS without whom I couldn’t have survived. These lifelong friends are the biggest asset I am taking away along with me from here. Here are those SPECIAL people –
Neha Aggarwal and Aastha Ramteke – constants since day 1, Nandita Gupta – I wouldn’t have been attending the convocation if it weren’t for her, Ruby Kumari – endless talks, I think we utilized the unlimited calling feature ultimately. These people were there with me in all my highs and lows, be it courses, placements, crying with or laughing. Not to forget Shreya Kacholia – we can just debate on anything and Ayushi Maheswari – the best parts wouldn’t have been best without her. Each of them is very close to my heart, and I feel fortunate to have them in my life. Yet some more friends worth a mention – Ramveer, Sanyam and Saikat, who were an integral part of my best semester. Thank you to all these people for giving me so many memories to cherish lifelong.
As I leave this beautiful place, all I can say is that this place has transformed me from an ordinary girl to a confident and independent young lady. I have not only added a B.Tech degree to my qualifications from here but have added an immense amount of personality development which would have never been possible otherwise. I want to say to all reading this that being here is one of the best things you could have had in your life, so live this time as you want regardless of how others tell you to live. Enjoy a lot, don’t be worried if you are not able to perform good all the time in anything, be it academics or any other place you are involved, don’t hesitate to explore new things (I regret not doing this), don’t compare yourself with others and while doing all this do not spoil your academics to the extent that it becomes irreparable, not because CPI is important but because if academically things are not going right, it gives stress which hinders your joyful journey. And above all, make good friends because life here wouldn’t be at its best without them.
Finally, I do not have words to describe how I feel while writing this, and I can just say – Never knew that it could mean so much…..
Written by: Kaushiki Agarwal
Edited by: Tanya Soni, Bhavya Sikarwar
