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In this 35th edition of As We Leave, Vedant Agarwal, a Y21 undergraduate from the Material Science Department, walks us through a journey that began with an online semester and unfolded into years of discovery, laughter, and lasting bonds. From missed branch change dreams to matsoc secy wins, from midsem naps to DOAA chai escapes, his story captures the relatable chaos of college life. He paints a vivid portrait of growth and gratitude etched forever in his memory.
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 IITK.
I still can’t believe how quickly time has passed—from reading seniors’ AWLs to now writing my own. It all began in December 2021 with an online semester. I was excited and curious about what college life would be like. I used to imagine all the fun I’d have, the new experiences, and the freedom. My elder sister, a Y18 batch student at IIT Kanpur, had already given me a glimpse of this life when I visited the campus once. I was amazed by how beautiful it was. Every time I spoke to her, I wished I could be a part of that world too. So, when I finally got in, I thought, *“Ab toh campus mein sirf maza hi maza hoga!”* But to my disappointment, the first semester was online, and I had to stay at home.
Still, the first semester had its own charm. There were countless sessions, online meets, and new friendships. I joined several WhatsApp groups and bonded with my wingies. At the same time, I struggled to grasp the courses and how to manage everything. But somehow—with the help of friends (iykyk)—I managed to get a decent CPI.
Then came the long-awaited email: campus reopening for Y21s. We were beyond excited. I reached campus on April 5th, 2022—right when *Antaragni* was happening. I was thrilled to attend my first fest ever. I had seen so many videos before, and finally experiencing it in person felt surreal.
Soon after, we had our department meeting at the OAT, where my wingie Ashish introduced me to his friends—Priyanshu, Harsh, and Khushi. That’s how I met Khushi, who would later become my best friend. We started hanging out, studying, and exploring the campus—climbing rooftops, wandering through random buildings, and simply enjoying college life. Back then, academics were the last thing on our minds.
But then came midsems, and reality hit us hard. Most of us were still stuck in “online mode” and completely unprepared. We crammed for MTH102 and PHY102 just a day before the exams, usually in RM or the library. I was so exhausted during the PHY102 midsem that I actually slept in the exam!
That semester may not have been great academically, but it gave me lifelong friends. When second-semester grades were released, my dreams of a branch change quickly vanished. After the first sem, I had some hope… but post-second sem, I just accepted: *“Ye branch bhi theek hai.”*
One of the worst parts was that we didn’t get proper summer vacations. Due to the asynchronous semester schedule, we only had 15 days off after the first year. That’s when I decided to get serious about academics. I stopped doing group studies (which were more about gossip than studying) and avoided the library because of all the noise. Instead, Khushi and I started studying in NCL.
Then came the secy nominations. I applied for FAC, P Club, SPO, and CS—but got rejected from all of them. The only good news came from the Outreach Cell, where I was selected as a secy—my first POR! Later, I was also selected as Design Secy for CS and Matsoc Secy. Honestly, Matsoc was the only place where I actually contributed meaningfully.
Second year brought with it boring and hectic MSE and TA labs. Personally, I only liked TA202—mainly because I didn’t have to do much 😅. MSE labs were basically three hours of pure timepass.
Around this time, I became close friends with Riddhi, and soon our trio was formed—Khushi, Riddhi, and me. We studied together for internships and later for placements. With them, the funniest and dumbest incident of my degree took place. I don’t know what we were thinking—sitting on the last bench of Kallol Mandal’s class, we decided to leave midway since we had a quiz later. What we did next was even dumber—we started clicking random pictures outside the lecture hall. After the quiz, we learned that sir was furious. He said he’d report us to SSAC and even threatened to give us F grades. He had also taken a surprise quiz in class. We were terrified and spent the entire week begging for forgiveness. Thankfully, in the end, he didn’t take any action.
Clearly, I hadn’t learned my lesson. I ended up bunking the MSE315 lab with Priyanshu, Riddhi, and Shubhangi just to have chai and samosa at the DOAA canteen. We got caught again, and the professor was super angry—but thankfully, he allowed a makeup lab later.
When most people left for their summer internships, we stayed back on campus and prepared for placements. We sat together for every test, saved seats for one another, and constantly motivated each other throughout the entire process.
Our placement group—Khushi, Riddhi, Isha, Karan, Ayush, and Dharini—became like a support system. Special thanks to my childhood friend Akshat, who was always just one message away throughout campus life. I’m also deeply grateful to my seniors Ojsi, Alok and Shruthi Gupta for their constant guidance and support during placements.
This journey was full of ups and downs, but it was truly unforgettable. I met people I want to keep in my life forever.
And my wing Zethorers. Easily the best wing ever! We celebrated every birthday and pulled off the iconic Zetho dance extravaganza. Last semester was the most chill semester for our wing. Last m literally har type k game khel liye, also last zetho party was amazing. In the final semester, we made the most of our time together and enjoyed every single moment.
Zethoes after Dance Extravaganza
Now that I’m graduating, it feels like it all happened just yesterday. I wish I could go back and relive those moments all over again. I truly hope we all stay connected and meet again soon.
As I leave, I just want to say thank you, IIT Kanpur, for everything. For the memories, the friendships, the lessons, and the beautiful journey.
For all the juniors reading this I would say this is the best place you could ever get to make the best use of it, live and enjoy it. Honestly, time flies by but you would have already made friends to keep in your life forever. Now comes the final goodbye😁.
Written by: Vedant Agarwal
Edited by: Akshada Bhagwat, Vibha Narayan
Designed by: Pankhuri Sachan, Pragya Puri
