This 36th edition of As We Leave by Abhas Goyal, a Y18 dual degree student the department of Economics, is a story of change. Abhas tells us about his first day in college, the transition from COViD to normalcy, and the fear of not completing his thesis. Read about Abhas’s journey, his friends, and the one time he took 3 idiots too seriously.
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.
As I sit here, in my room in Hall-5, thinking about what things should go in this article, a few people have already left the campus. I have been planning to book my tickets as well, but I just end up postponing that to the next day. Maybe this is just my inner self holding me back, but all good things must come to an end someday, and my time at IITK is going to end soon. By the time I finish this, I’ll most probably be back home, and re-reading this would mark a nice culmination of the times gone by. (My procrastinating self finished this after coming home :P)
We were part of a batch which saw our college life being offline, then online and then offline again, with each period lasting for about 1.5-2 years.
My entry to IITK was similar to all others, we walked into Hall-13, after asking various people the directions, and taking a few turns here and there multiple times. As I reached the F4 cycle stand, I was told to meet my SG, and get my room keys from him. I was standing in the line to submit some documents, when I met my first Bhai, someone who would go on to be my roommate in the following years. By the end of the night, I had met other wingies of mine, unaware of the fact that I would be spending most of my time with them. Our first bonding activity was playing chain reaction, which slowly turned to PUBG throughout the first year. How all of us fit in those small rooms at a single time is still a mystery.
I tried to spend my first semester like most people here do, trying to explore a few clubs and get involved in some activity going on in the campus. This happened after I didn’t participate in the Freshers, where auditioning for various clubs felt like a very tedious task to me. The FOMO that I got from this led to me trying to compensate for this over the semester, but honestly, I didn’t enjoy doing these things as much. This did become a recurring theme throughout my first year, and the 3rd sem as well, with me trying something new, but dropping it afterwards, mostly midway.
With the 4th sem, came the pre-intern season, where every senior just told us to try and build a good enough resume and start coding for the intern season. I tried to interview for a few POR’s, got rejected and made up my mind to completely shun these things.
Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, COVID struck, and we all were stuck back in our homes. At first, this was a big relief for me, since it gave me time away from campus, which I really needed. The midsems had also just ended, and with uncertainty about what was about to happen, we all started chilling a bit.
The online semesters followed soon.
While writing this, I can’t recall a lot of what happened during those semesters, since suddenly the pace at which life was moving had slowed down, when compared to the life within the campus, which was always moving rapidly. I do remember the classes at 8 A.M., where the prof decided to randomly asked people to solve some question, and the person not responding (being probably asleep), and the sudden flurry of messages that followed on the department group asking the said person to wake up and answer. I do remember clicking on various links, to discuss some project/assignment, play among us, or just catchup with each other and being surprised with the different hairstyles everyone had started keeping in the lockdown.
During this time, I also made the decision to convert to a dual degree, in a bid to avoid the uncertainty regarding internships and placements. I was also quite nervous for the internships, always feeling that I was not prepared well enough, and withdrawing from the drive seemed like a logical option back then.
When we were then called back on campus in the middle of the 7th sem, the excitement I felt was the same as the first time we had been to campus. This might not have been true for a lot of people, since the placements were going on, and they were all always busy writing tests. Still, seeing them all struggle during this time, whether it be tests, not getting shortlists, not understanding which topics to prepare for the interviews, is something that would go on to help me during my placements next year.
The 8th sem was amazing, we struck a sweet balance with most classes being online still, and us being on campus. The vibe was to just have fun, as much as possible. This was also due to the fact that all Y18’s were back again in the same hall, just like Hall-13 in the first year, but this time, everyone was familiar with everyone. As the 8th sem ended, the daunting feeling dawned on me, that a majority of the people who I had spent my time with, were now going to graduate, while I still had another year on campus left. It felt weird knowing that they were going to graduate without me, and I was going to graduate without them. So, to compensate for this, I decided to go the Rancho way (wearing the uniform is sufficient for studying, don’t know the exact dialogue), and attended the convocation, even posing with their degrees as mine (I am even present in the official photograph 😛).
When I came back for the 9th sem, there was a stark difference as compared to the previous sem, and the halls suddenly felt empty. Usually, while walking in the halls, I had been accustomed to recognizing some or the other familiar face, even if I didn’t know them, but this time, even this slight familiarity was missing. But this didn’t matter much this time around, since soon placements began, and there was no time left to bother about this. Things did fall into schedule, preparing and giving tests almost the whole day, and then just sitting in the canteen post that, discussing a bit, but mostly relaxing and getting ready for the next day. I had a good number of shortlists, but my interviews didn’t go so well. This might even have started showing in my body language and expressions, since the Capital One interviewer offered me water mid-interview, and went outside for a few minutes, asking me to calm down. After being interviewed for 7-8 hours straight, relief, I finally got placed. Next task was to get other friends of mine placed, and the next few days went from running from one wing to another, with different resumes in hand, asking whether walk-ins had started, and trying everything that seemed possible. Eventually, the process ended in relief for some, but in disappointment for a few.
The 10th sem was then spent in trying to recreate the fun we had in the 8th sem, but it was difficult this time around, with not many people left. This did change during fests, when many Y18’s came back to campus, and it felt as if they had never left. I had to spend a considerable amount of time in completing the remaining credit requirements, and the thesis. The fear of failing to complete the thesis on time, was a constant among everyone, with the only topic of conservation topic being “teri thesis ka kya chal rha, time pe ho jayegi?”. I think everyone in their last semester goes through this phase, where they are unsure if they would be able to get the final pass grades required for degree completion. Slowly, we arrived at the final few days, and just tried to get a few lasts, last cricket match, last walk in the campus, last class, last GPL, and the last goodbyes.
So, this was my journey at IITK. If we have to derive any lessons from this, just like at the end of any children’s tale, we can do so and get similar things that have already been mentioned in various As We Leaves until now, and honestly, they do cover everything that needs to be said and given as advice. Everyone has their own stuff to handle, but eventually, we all figure out ways to sort them out, as would you, by the time you are about to graduate.
Just to conclude, and say my final bye to IITK, here is a quote, as suggested by ChatGPT, which was a savior in the last few sems: “In the tapestry of life, college is a vibrant thread that weaves moments of discovery, friendship, and growth, leaving an indelible mark on our hearts as we step into the world. As I bid farewell to this chapter, we carry the memories and lessons, cherishing the bonds formed and embracing the unknown that awaits us. Goodbye, IITK, and thank you for shaping me into what I am today.”
Written By: Abhas Goyal
Edited By: Rahul Jha, Sruthi Subramanium
Design By: Manasvi
