The Bumpy Ride: Surviving Your First Year at BITS Pilani

Preparing for BITSAT, you are spending endless nights working, worrying, praying and fighting against your weakness. And it is all worth getting an admission in such a prestigious institute of the country- BITS Pilani. But would it be exasperating just to crack through the examination and would life be smoother after that? Will you enjoy your college life as your friends from other non-professional courses would do? Is it the end of your troubles? Or is it just the trailer of much scarier things in store? If you are having such questions in mind, it should not be a concern. This is just what every other BITS aspirant must be thinking as well.                             

You might get a handful notes full of incomprehensible text every day, there might be absurd amount of tutorials and tests and even worse things can happen like, after working really hard you might be able to get an average of 50 in these tests. Well, don’t get worked up. What you have to understand is there are many BITS pass-outs out there who are earning accolades in their work and they are not even half as smart as you! So what to do to survive your first year in BITS Pilani; here are some pointers-

1.       Ask Questions: There might be much theory than you can comprehend and there might not be practicality in everything. So ask a lot of question to your professors. Don’t think that others might consider your questions to be stupid. They are just where you stand, and no better. It’s their first time as well in BITS Pilani.

2.       Read a lot: If you the examples and illustrations in your text books to be difficult, then try looking at those topics in other reference books. This might help you understand things in a better way. BITS Pilani has a state of art library spread over 63000 sq. feet with more stuff than you would ever require. Spend time in the library.

3.       Befriend seniors: They are the ones who can really give you a direction with their own experience. Approach them, hangout with them and discuss all your problems. And believe me when I say it- seniors at BITS Pilani are much cooler than the other big professional institutes of the country.

4.       Team work/Group work: Remember that your fellow BITsians have all come to the same stand as of you with a lot of dedication and hard work. Work with them in close groups, help them and learn from them to build a constructive life at the campus.

5.       Networking: As a first year student at BITS Pilani you would get many chances to attend guest lectures from the biggies of the industries across the nation and across the globe. Try reaching out to them in the form of questions and intelligent healthy debates. Introduce yourself to them and follow them thereafter. This may work wonders for you in your future life.

6.       Time Management: Your first year exams at BITS Pilani may put you into intense pressure. So you can’t afford to lose out on daily study routines. The time once wasted will definitely take a toll on your peace of mind later. So experience monitor and control over each hour you have from your initial days.

7.       Engage in non-academic activities for wholesome development: College life is not just about studies! If you are good at managing time well, you will get time to indulge a lot of non-academic activities too. You can be a part of different community initiatives and work towards bringing a change in different environment or social issues.  You can also be a part of different clubs in the campus for cultural evolution of your inner self. You can be a part of the Photography Club, Trekker’s Club, Swimming Club, Radio Club etc. according to your interest areas.

8.       Enjoy Oasis: And last but not the least, have fun at the college cultural fest: Oasis. It happens around Diwali season, and during these days the college becomes a hub of fun, colours, laughter and joy. Take a break from your busy schedule and take part in different activities. Also you will get ample opportunities to meet, greet, know and network with the students of guest colleges. Oasis every year is a much needed 4 days and night break for the students and teachers both.

So surviving the first year in BITS Pilani is entirely up to how you want it to be! You can choose to have a gala time in the campus, roam around with friends, ignore studies, and end up panicking and affecting your health during the exams; or you can study meticulously and in between have fun breaks following a dedicated schedule, and make your first year at BITS Pilani a smooth ride to be cherished forever.

This post was published by Aditya Singhal, co-founder of askIITians.