Undergraduate students look back at their first year at Ashoka
Ashokans lend their words for the incoming freshers, as their arrival is just around the corner.
1
August, 2016: The summer leading up to the first year of college is never easy. Who could understand this better than the ones who have already been first year students?
The idea of college can be overwhelming, but fear isn’t something that should override the excitement of new experiences. On this note, here are some words of wisdom from Ashoka students who have been there, done that:
“I’d say everything might feel scary at first: new people, new ways of learning, lots of reading and writing work, but eventually, I think – though Ashoka might not shoo away your fear, it will definitely make it easier to live with them. To be among people from such different walks of life, whether it is classmates, faculty or other Ashokans, everything will have something to offer. You just need to find your little space here (maybe physically too),” says Manisha Koppala, a third-year undergraduate student.
“One important thing that I’d like to remind the new batch is that Ashoka is still building. Make the building process personal. If you are to find something lacking or missing, then pick it up as a project and try to work on it. To all the future undergraduates, I’ll tell them to enjoy. As amazing as Ashoka has been to me, I think the largest credit lies with the courses and the professors. There will be a lot of scope for one to just indulge in studies and enjoy. Of course, I also mean enjoy the plethora of societies, the extra-curricular work, and cultivate and discover all your passions,” says Hamza Farooqui, a second-year undergraduate student.
“It is okay not to know things. If you find that you are stuttering in pseudo-philosophical conversations about hedonism or having to google silly terms like Brechtian theatre or existential phenomenology, that’s okay. Remember to be kind to yourself. Your enthusiasm to learn is your best ally. You will be okay,“ says Vibhuti Gour, a second-year undergraduate student.
“The key is to be yourself really. Be prepared to adapt, but keep in touch with your core,” says Success Sibanda, a second-year undergraduate student.
“Be ready to be challenged and also develop the courage to never give up,” says Yaswanth Sanagapalli, a third-year undergraduate student.
