Make your first year in graduation college (after Class XII) rock

Here’s a roadmap of things students in first year graduation (pursuing B.Sc, BA, B.FA, B.Com, BMM, BMS, LLB) should do, after completing their 12th standard. For most students, first year of college is when they get to experience actual college life. Most of the suggestions here are for graduate colleges, excluding engineering and medical.

In FYJC/class XI, most students are busy preparing for entrance exams, and really don’t get into that college mode. But after 12th its a different experience. You will most likely spend 3-5 years in the same college, with more or less the same set of friends.

It’s a whole new chapter in your life, you leave behind the secure environment of your school and your childhood buddies and embark upon an education that will have a direct impact upon your career.

College feels like a new place full of challenges, right from making good friends to balancing study time and reveling in newfound freedom. So how should you handle it and start off on the right foot?

We spoke to students, teachers and principals from a few colleges in Mumbai who offered advice.

1. ‘Excuse me, but where’s the library?’
If it’s your first year and you haven’t made any friends, the best way to pass time would be to explore your college campus.

Come a little earlier than usual and walk around your campus before your classes begin and get familiar with the layout and various departments.

Look for places you will be constantly visiting throughout the year, eg the library, canteen, gymkhana, auditorium, cultural forum etc.

Says Mitali Parekh, a first year BSc student from KJ Somaiya College, Mumbai, “If you take up science, you will be spending most of your time in the laboratory doing practicals and completing journal work. So your first year is the time when you can hang around a little in the canteen and gymkhana. These are good places to make friends, since students from different branches come there. You can spend some quality time after/before class rather than bunking lectures and going home or watching movies.”

“In fact you will be surprised to know that even in their second year, a lot of students don’t know where the college library is,” continues Mitali. “The library, as most people think, is no longer a place stuffed with books alone. Most colleges are either Internet-enabled or have Wi-Fi to help students. You won’t know what facilities your college offers, until you explore it.”

Are you a first year college student (not FYJC) or have interesting experiences to share about college? Tell us about how you tackled your first year.

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