I have been living away from home for more than half a decade now. Hailing from a small town with absolutely no colleges or universities of repute, it was imperative for me to leave home after finishing high school. I went to Calcutta and earned an undergraduate degree majoring in Economics, but somehow never really felt totally satisfied with the subject. I found some parts of it too technical, and couldn't really connect with it. There were of course certain areas, like Development Economics which fascinated me, but those were in the minority.
Yet, due to the deplorable campus placement scenario, I grudging decided to apply for Masters in Economics anyway. I applied for almost all the important colleges, and had my heart set for Delhi School of Economics because of its impeccable reputation. The only other institute that interested me was TERI University that provided an M.Sc in Economics (with specialization in Environment and Resource Management) because I have always had a deep love for nature. I knew I didn't want to stay in Calcutta any longer because even though I was in love with the city, I hadn't been able to find much in terms of career prospects.
I knew it was time to move on, and start a new chapter, which was why I hadn't applied for any Calcutta colleges. I secretly wished for Delhi, and accordingly had applied to four Delhi institutes. By the time the results were declared, I was accepted at only TERI University. I was heartbroken for DSE. And the first time I visited the TERI campus, I didn't like it at all! I had been to North Campus for my admission exam, and after the lively student environment there, I really didn't like an isolated campus at the end of the world.
But I wanted a fresh start, and despite inhibitions, I enrolled in the college.
I had read a quote by Roosevelt quite sometime ago, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." which had stayed with me, and helped me decide to not turn back to go to the familiarity that Calcutta provides.
So, here I was, in the capital of the country, a city where I had always wanted to be, with an admission letter from a university providing courses I liked, but located far, far away from civilization, or so it seemed. And I knew I had to make the best of it. I could have stayed back in Calcutta, but I wanted a fresh start, with a clean slate. I realized I have to work with what I got.
And in the last 20 months that I have been in this city and this college, though I have come close to a couple of times, I have never actually regretted my decision to start afresh.
It hasn't been all rainbows and ponies. I have been disappointed with situations, people and myself, but for every old friend who bailed on me, I made a new one; for every ridiculous situation I got myself into, I found a solution and for every time I made a mistake, I found a way to forgive and move ahead.
I left quite a few old friends with a heavy heart while moving away, wondering if I will ever find people I can connect to in Delhi. Yet, I found that I have the perfect roommate I could ask for. We have the same quirks, and have mastered the art of living in harmony. I missed moving out of the flat I shared with a friend in Calcutta, but my hostel is super amazing, with all the amenities you need for a comfortable, if not luxurious living, and a bunch of wonderful girls with diverse interests and backgrounds.
And the main reason I am so glad that I followed my heart and came to Delhi is that I finally found a subject that I could fall in love with, and a supervisor amazing enough to understand what I am trying to accomplish and helping me towards it. And, most of my sadness for not getting into DSE was reduced significantly when I realized after talking to my DSE friends, how very mathematical their syllabus was, and completely vanished when I got the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant for Center for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics, last summer.
So, what I am trying to tell here is that do not be afraid to #StartANewLife. I understand it might be frightening to let go of the familiar and venture into the unknown. I understand that it's easier to just list the cons of taking a bold step, because its generally too risky. I understand because I have been there too! But once you take the plunge, and decide to try out the new and unfamiliar, you will realize that it wasn't as scary or difficult as you thought initially. You just need to be ready to explore, and never settle for anything less than what you deserve. Your decision and reason to move to a new avenue, be it by moving to a new place, or by changing you life in other ways are your own, but do check out https://housing.com/ to find easy housing options which might just tip the scales in the favor of making your move to a fresh life!
Yet, due to the deplorable campus placement scenario, I grudging decided to apply for Masters in Economics anyway. I applied for almost all the important colleges, and had my heart set for Delhi School of Economics because of its impeccable reputation. The only other institute that interested me was TERI University that provided an M.Sc in Economics (with specialization in Environment and Resource Management) because I have always had a deep love for nature. I knew I didn't want to stay in Calcutta any longer because even though I was in love with the city, I hadn't been able to find much in terms of career prospects.
I knew it was time to move on, and start a new chapter, which was why I hadn't applied for any Calcutta colleges. I secretly wished for Delhi, and accordingly had applied to four Delhi institutes. By the time the results were declared, I was accepted at only TERI University. I was heartbroken for DSE. And the first time I visited the TERI campus, I didn't like it at all! I had been to North Campus for my admission exam, and after the lively student environment there, I really didn't like an isolated campus at the end of the world.
But I wanted a fresh start, and despite inhibitions, I enrolled in the college.
I had read a quote by Roosevelt quite sometime ago, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." which had stayed with me, and helped me decide to not turn back to go to the familiarity that Calcutta provides.
So, here I was, in the capital of the country, a city where I had always wanted to be, with an admission letter from a university providing courses I liked, but located far, far away from civilization, or so it seemed. And I knew I had to make the best of it. I could have stayed back in Calcutta, but I wanted a fresh start, with a clean slate. I realized I have to work with what I got.
And in the last 20 months that I have been in this city and this college, though I have come close to a couple of times, I have never actually regretted my decision to start afresh.
It hasn't been all rainbows and ponies. I have been disappointed with situations, people and myself, but for every old friend who bailed on me, I made a new one; for every ridiculous situation I got myself into, I found a solution and for every time I made a mistake, I found a way to forgive and move ahead.
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| College Girl Gang |
I left quite a few old friends with a heavy heart while moving away, wondering if I will ever find people I can connect to in Delhi. Yet, I found that I have the perfect roommate I could ask for. We have the same quirks, and have mastered the art of living in harmony. I missed moving out of the flat I shared with a friend in Calcutta, but my hostel is super amazing, with all the amenities you need for a comfortable, if not luxurious living, and a bunch of wonderful girls with diverse interests and backgrounds.
And the main reason I am so glad that I followed my heart and came to Delhi is that I finally found a subject that I could fall in love with, and a supervisor amazing enough to understand what I am trying to accomplish and helping me towards it. And, most of my sadness for not getting into DSE was reduced significantly when I realized after talking to my DSE friends, how very mathematical their syllabus was, and completely vanished when I got the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant for Center for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics, last summer.
So, what I am trying to tell here is that do not be afraid to #StartANewLife. I understand it might be frightening to let go of the familiar and venture into the unknown. I understand that it's easier to just list the cons of taking a bold step, because its generally too risky. I understand because I have been there too! But once you take the plunge, and decide to try out the new and unfamiliar, you will realize that it wasn't as scary or difficult as you thought initially. You just need to be ready to explore, and never settle for anything less than what you deserve. Your decision and reason to move to a new avenue, be it by moving to a new place, or by changing you life in other ways are your own, but do check out https://housing.com/ to find easy housing options which might just tip the scales in the favor of making your move to a fresh life!
Hi, I think you have wrongly submitted your Happy Hour entry to Indivine. Revert it to draft, publish it again. This way you will change the url and submit it again. Just wanted to tell you that and you can delete my comment.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure? I submitted it using the happy hour page itself.
ReplyDelete