7 things that college life will teach us

                                                   
#7:
Relatives had become way more bearable….than ever! You actually missed those irritating aunts and uncles and them annoying cousins. You’d even attend family events just so that you get a chance to interact with society. Basically your time away in the hostels made it possible and once you move back, they all become less endearing with every passing day. Also one truly understands, the hard way, why “there’s no place like home “ and also almost not complaining at all because finally one realises how good one has had it all these years and starts appreciating things more.

#6:
The term freshen-up always meant “go sleep for a while” and that whenever given free time, it was always utilised for sleeping. Sleep had gained utmost importance and showering took a fall in the list of necessary things to do. On weeknights 7 hours sleep didn't cut it for you and on weekend nights, hardly 4-5 hours of sleep was achieved and you are as fresh as a daisy. There is an explanation for this somewhere in the theory of relativity.

#5:
Your caffeine consumption was indirectly proportional to your consumption of water. At one point coffee or tea replaced water. You also know that you’ve become a slave to caffeine like Skywalker to the dark side. One sip of a hot beverage would be enough for you to decide if the caffeine is strong with this one. For some people, on a day when there was no need to stay up late, sleep would be impossible to achieve without a sip of coffee. It may sound crazy but some of you know it’s true.

#4:
One of the most important life-changing lessons that college taught us and we ACTUALLY learnt from is to cope with DEADLINES. Oh yes. Those deadlines were our kryptonite. To make things worse, we also picked up an advanced form of procrastination, an ailment for which there seems to be no cure as such. Procrastination only worsens approaching deadlines and much like our simian ancestors, we evolved to become a class of humans who learned to achieve near perfection on things which were done last moment including the famous last minute studying for exams, which for the ages past has been advised against by all our teachers and professors. As a result of this, hindsight became a part of almost every college goer’s repertoire.

#3:
College is one place where the first year is spent by coping with being tricked, embarrassed by your friends and seniors and PROFESSORS (in capitals because I cannot stress upon the number of times my professor has made me wish I was ostrich and I could bury my head under the sand). All these experiences just give points that help one to level up to a whole new level, that of being shameless. Nothing really embarrasses you anymore because you’ve been embarrassed and put to shame enough to last you a life time. You’re also emboldened which is an added advantage. All your combined experiences make 1) COOL and 2) PREPARE you to face anything and maintain an impressive level of composure. This is nothing but a stepping stone into learning another important aspect of being a student or inexperienced person, SUCKING UP TO PEOPLE. Nothing gets done in colleges or life as such unless you please the ego of someone with authoritah.

#2:
Cash flow management and also appreciation for smaller bills and coins like the 5/-, 10/-, 20/- and the 1’s and 2’s and 5’s kicks in. Having to fit your expenses into your budget is a mountainous task and initially you overshoot by miles and well the “broke experience” is an experience indeed. Learning the hard way has its advantages and well you learn to manage the cash effectively and also learn to prioritise and control spending. It is an entirely different story for blokes who are dating and those who have a steady girlfriend. It’s too painful to even think of narrating their stories with cash flow management and budget issues. One also learns to bargain effectively.

#1:
The most important thing that college has taught everyone is to be independent, to be self-sufficient and to never have to rely on anyone for anything unless you’re bedridden or can’t bear to stand straight because of a sickness. You’ve learnt to fend for yourself the hard way and now you don’t like it when someone interferes or tells you what to do, because you have your set ways and it has always gotten you through. There is a very different kind of discipline one adheres to. This is perhaps something everyone will cherish because even if you find yourself alone ever, you know that as long as you have a book and a cuppa, you’ll never be lonely, because we’ve all had the moments when we were alone at a coffee shop, a restaurant or sometimes even the movies.