Answering the campus’ call

There is a reason why the Delhi University administration decided to take the admission process online- Avoiding the sweltering heat and long queues, lack of transport and perhaps an environmental reason like saving paper.

But all of this was too hard for my hard for my rather idealistic mind to comprehend. Having been thoroughly enchanted by the legends surrounding the whole first campus visit experience, I did not want to miss out. Now that I have decided to give journalism a shot, I thought I should at least breathe in my possible future alma mater(s).

Shooting down vehement protests from my parents, I did not take the car. I wanted to show my parents that at almost eighteen I am a strong, independent and intellectually evolved being, so I took the Metro.

That was a bad move, since reaching DU from my house takes two train changes and a lot of standing up and it felt like a terrible ordeal. By the time I set foot on the premises, my hands shrieked for help after all the standing with support.

The colleges were not bustling with activity as I had imagined, most people were sensible enough to stay indoors and use the online facility. Still, I could feel the energy as students ran from one counter to another (I had no idea India had so many sportsmen, the line outside the sports quota form counter opened my eyes)

Also, I realized that some things never change. The photocopy shop in school is the most sought after holiday destination and the same appeared to apply to the colleges. When I finally went to submit my form the admission officer looked at me queer, seeing the number of courses I applied to. In my defense, all I can say is that I like filling bubbles. On a more serious note, I was unsure of getting to pursue English with only 96.5% so I filled in other courses that appeared interesting- History, philosophy and anthropology.

And eventually after all the hard work I landed at the canteen. I must tell you if on a diet, visiting a college canteen is a very bad move. The food is so cheap you are tempted to buy a lot of it! The place was packed with prospective freshmen and I got a sense of what it was actually going to be like once I joined a college.

In the course of these past few years, there have been successes and disappointments, but being at this place and feeling the real world beckoning makes it all worth it.