An Open Letter to the 2020 Batch
Written on September 22nd , 2021 by {"login"=>"jcbphc21", "email"=>"f20181005@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"Journal Club", "last_name"=>"BPHC"}To the seniors that have no juniors, the second yearites that are yet to step foot on campus and the batch that can’t relate to the rest of us raving about Yummpys - this is for you.
Leaving home for college has always been an iconic moment in life, and this should be no different. It sucks that you won’t be able to have parents fuss over you on campus, set up and clean your room and basically just treat you like their baby for one last time, but hey, given the situation, it’s better than nothing?
Once you’re settled in, that’s when the socially distanced and masked fun can take place. All those online friendships cultivated over the past 2 semesters can finally be realised in person - hopefully there are no unpleasant surprises there.
While everyone has different goals in mind and a different approach to college life in general, if there’s one thing I’d like to tell you, it’s don’t live your life in order to build a resumé. If you’re doing something - as part of a club, department, society, even something on your own - when someone asks you why you’re doing it, you should be able to answer with something more than “Because it’ll look good on my resumé” or “For my masters applications.” These remaining 3 years of undergraduate life, you’re probably never going to get anything like it ever again, so keep that in mind whenever you make decisions. Whenever contemplating over joining/doing something new, ask yourself “Will I regret it if I never get to at least try this?” More often than not, you’ll get some clarity.
For a lot of you, living on your own in a new city secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city may be daunting at first, but remember every challenge presented to you can be turned into a new experience. Life may seem dull, when the only food available to you is mess food, but it will get better eventually. In times like these, having friends to whine about mess food and how ANC is better usually helps the pain. Meet those faces who you’ve only seen behind a screen and many more, because these people will be your family as long as you’re on campus. If you’re a person who struggles to socialize, nothing breaks the ice better than joining a club of like-minded individuals. Stepping out of your comfort zone may be the hardest part of trying out new social activities, but once you are able to cross that mental block, you’ll have experiences to remember.
Enjoy yourselves and have fun, but be mindful of the fact that the arrival of your seniors and (future) juniors is contingent on your time on campus, so follow all the rules and stay safe, to ensure we can all be under the same metaphorical roof sooner rather than later.
Explore whatever opportunities present themselves, talk to people you find on campus and hopefully you’ll learn that BPHC has so much more to offer than a plethora of Facebook groups.