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In the 45th edition of As We Leave 2026, Vishakha Goyal, a Y22 student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, looks back on a college journey that was never defined by grand achievements, but by countless ordinary moments that quietly became unforgettable. From surviving the uncertainties of first year to discovering belonging in friendships, sunsets, books, and shared conversations, the story celebrates the beauty hidden within everyday life. It reminds us that the memories we cherish most are often stitched together from the simplest experiences, proving that an ordinary story can leave the deepest mark.
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.
Writing AWL was surely harder than it seemed to be. After reading countless archives over the years, it didn’t really feel like I had anything to leave for coming generations to read and be inspired by. There are people with grandeur achievements, dramatic transformations, or campus fame and I am not one of them. Honestly, most of my college life was just me trying to survive courses, pretending to understand what was happening around, and exploring parts of myself while getting to know campus better.
But then came the day fondly called and posted as T-0. The day I packed all my belongings and left the campus; the place that had somehow become home to me, which holds countless memories and has my heart<3. And while leaving through those gates, I realised maybe not every story needs to be extraordinary to be worth telling. Some stories are simply made of sunsets on hostel terraces, badly managed sleep and schedules, people who quietly become your everything, and random memories stitched together so gently that you only realise their importance only when it’s all over. Hence, after completing the whole circle and coming back to home, I realised I had something to leave behind as I graduate from this esteemed college.
Maybe this is not a grand story but hopefully, it is an entertaining one 🙂
The story begins in the cold corridors of Hall 4, which were tried to be warmed up by 30-40 people sitting together and having wing meets:) To be fair, it kind of did. The initial meetups, the amma-bappu system, orientation and everything organised for us as freshers felt like one giant awkward hug which I never expected before coming here. IITK welcomed us with open arms, freezing winters, and the constant possibility of spotting a leopard somewhere.
The first semester passed like the wind – fast, confusing, and slightly painful. There were the first lectures (most of which I slept through), first bday in the wing, the freshers’ dance (which introduced me to the concept of late-night practices and sleep deprivation), first interactions (yes, most of them were really awkward), first time studying bare minimum before exams and having the fear of failing a course, regretting taking athletics as cpa, first New Year’s Eve, first fests (experiencing what it feels like to stand in the middle of loud music and crowds).
The second semester was when things slowly started changing. I was still sleeping through lectures (some habits survive all four years, huh:)) but now campus felt less unfamiliar. I started exploring the whole acad area and found my comfort zone – the H4 library room, participated in Galaxy and Inferno, made friends, started going on night walks, and having conversations that stretched for hours without us realising time had passed. Around this time, I also spent nights on the OAT terrace doing the astro club project under the starlit skies. H4 terrace became another favorite place of mine (I do love sunsets and sunrises). For the first time, I started enjoying simply existing around people. Looking back now, it’s funny how huge IITK felt in the first year.
As the second year began, IITK stopped feeling magical and reality kicked in. The transition from H4 to H6 felt traumatic; the shifting process was chaotic with luggage everywhere, rooms not vacated and unbearable heat. Core mechanical courses arrived with full violence. CPI started dropping. Responsibilities made things go out of hand. Orientation duties, E-cell cold mailing and calls, book club shifts, AUV team work, quizzes, assignments and labs – everything overlapped until days started feeling too short. And yet, strangely, this was also the phase where life became fuller. Every commitment carried a story with it. I enjoyed working for E-Summit (those three hectic days), the dance performance during orientation was memorable, the long hours in AUV room and the Book Club catered to my love for books and peace amidst all the chaos. I met more people and attended almost every event possible. Some people stayed only as fun interactions. Some disappeared after one semester. And some slowly became my ‘go-to’ people.
Well, this realization hits now, because back then the end of this year was CPI dropping below 7.5 and the intern season approaching ahead like an incoming storm. Everyone around me seemed more skilled and prepared. I had involvements everywhere but somehow didn’t feel “good enough” anywhere. I remember mailing professors endlessly for projects and SURGE opportunities until finally getting selected in PIL Labs.
The IITK summers were brutally hot, but strangely comforting too. The PIL lab was freezing cold, a simulation of a professional environment, the work was draining yet meaningful but on top of it all, I had the best guide and mentor I could ask for. At the same time, intern preparation was eating everyone alive. DSA. Resume reviews. Interview preparation. Deadlines. Rejections. Self-doubt. There’s something strangely humbling about the intern season. Everyone acts chill outside while internally calculating their worth based on shortlists. The first weeks of fifth semester completely broke me. No shortlist. No interview. Nothing.
And then came my first shortlist.
My first interview and first offer. (Yay!)
I still remember that relief. And honestly, third year became my golden year after that.
Managing Book Club became one of the happiest parts of college life. All the events; Halloween, fresher’s competition, Author talk, Diwali celebrations, long planning team meets, chaotic discussions, and the incredible team; every moment was special. While IITK often felt loud, competitive, and constantly rushing somewhere, Book Club always felt soft. Warm. Like a pause button. I loved the people there, the discussions, the quietness of being surrounded by books and readers. After all, these quiet moments become necessary when life keeps moving too fast. I met and talked to a person I never thought I would and even had the best Techkriti of my college. Without noticing, my circle became smaller and stronger. The people I randomly interacted with earlier, slowly became the people I now cannot imagine college without. Somewhere between random hangouts, intern prep breakdowns, gossip, shared meals, terrible academic decisions, long night walks, and conversations that stretched from school memories to future dreams, they quietly became a non-negotiable part of my life.
It was the first time I truly loved what I was doing.
For once, I wasn’t trying to fit in anymore.
I had quietly found my own corner within it all.
And then came Bangalore. My internship at Accenture was honestly one of the most eye-opening experiences I had, the first real experience of corporate life. I loved the city almost immediately; the office culture, the people I met, and the independence it all brought. Long conversations at night dumping all office stress onto the person who would understand it the most. It really was a blessing to be in different places and still stay connected. That innocent me didn’t realize the finale for college was on the brink (and soon I would not fantasize about corporate and a big city but instead miss those big red walls of IITK).
The last year passed both painfully slowly and unbelievably fast.
Placement season was ruthless. Hall 13 looked like a battlefield. Stress lived permanently in everyone’s rooms. Rejections came quietly and repeatedly. There were nights when everyone looked exhausted beyond words, yet somehow still showed up for the next test, the next interview, the next shortlist. I genuinely do not think I would have survived placement season without my support system.
I still remember sitting outside interviews completely panicked and not knowing what to do or where to go, meanwhile, having friends who were literally running everywhere, helping me manage interview schedules, and motivating me all at once. Through every rejection, every stressful moment, every spiral of self-doubt, there was always a reminder that life would eventually work out.
And somehow, it did.
First interview of day 2.1, I got placed in a company I had never really expected, and suddenly the months of stress were over.
Just like that.
I still remember the strange emptiness after placements ended. For so long, life had revolved around preparation and anxiety that once it disappeared, everything felt unusually quiet.
The strange thing about final semester is that happiness itself becomes bittersweet. Trips, parties, random bakchodi, coat-and-shorts photoshoots, making reels, having meals together, endless walks and hangouts, spontaneous plans, late night conversations and every fun moment comes with the silent awareness that it is becoming a memory while it is happening. And maybe that is why it felt so beautiful.
When I first entered IITK, I never imagined I would love this campus so much. Honestly, I think I only began loving IITK after I found my people here.
Because in the end, campuses are just buildings.
It is always the people.
The people who sit beside you during breakdowns.
The people in front of whom you can endlessly babble about almost anything.
The people who force you out for walks and stay awake during nightouts.
The people you instinctively think of whenever life starts feeling too overwhelming.
The people who become home so quietly that you don’t even realise when it happens.
Maybe that’s the final lesson IITK gave me: that ordinary moments were never ordinary at all. And now while leaving, I think that what hurts the most is not leaving the campus, but leaving the version of life where all these people existed together in one place.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”— Winnie-the-Pooh
– – The End – –
Written by: Vishakha Goyal
Edited by : Gurmannat Kaur, Riddhi Shingte
