From Class 10 to College: A Journey of Self-Discovery at Academy of Technology (AOT)

Beginning of a New Chapter

At first glance, college life seemed intimidating. The white blank walls and new faces made me feel intimidated. However, all that intimidation disappeared because when I entered the class, all the faces were as confused as mine. I sat beside a girl and eventually started to introduce myself and gradually everyone became acquainted. I made the best friends here in college. They are funny, caring and everything, all I could ask for.

A Snippet of the past

I was a 15-year-old with no goals and worries about the future. I scored 90+ in the class 10 examination. I was a bit dissatisfied with the score, but, my mom’s smile made me satisfied about the results. As a 90+ scorer, the only stream I could think of was Science but I hated Biology, thus, Computer Science seemed the best for me. So, I chose PCM+CS for Class 11 and 12. Eventually, I grew curious about coding. It didn’t take me a long time to learn to code in Python, I enjoyed coding thoroughly.

I never imagined myself being an Engineer. After class 12 was over, I knew I wanted to do something related to Computer Science only, and choosing Engineering as my career came to mind first. The names of coaching centers for entrance exams made me nervous. So, I never went to one. I prepared myself for JEE and WBJEE on my own through online resources. My school teachers were really supportive and always provided study material for preparation too.

My 1st JEE attempt didn’t go well. But, I scored decent marks in the 2nd attempt. Finally, I got admission by scoring well in the WBJEE exam. I went through counselling and ultimately chose Academy of Technology, Adisaptagram for B.Tech in Computer Science and Business System.

WBJEE counselling and AOT

I really wanted to get admitted to HIT, HALDIA. I even had the rank to get into ECE but I had to place it at lower position in the preference list because my medical condition would not have allowed me to stay in the hostel. I went to Academy of Technology (AOT) for the first time for counselling. I loved the campus immediately as it was situated in the rurals away from the buzz of the Urban, yet not much far from the busy air of Kolkata. The campus of AOT is really magnificent, looks breath-taking during sunsets, with the yellow and white walls of the college adding into the campus.

I chose Computer Science and Business System as my discipline at AOT. The reason was not only that I like coding but also Business System for my increasing interest in entrepreneurship. The discipline as a whole seemed really interesting making me curious for my future possibilities. The campus of AOT and my course seemed like the perfect combination, campus in lush green village provided the perfect environment for learning and tech enthusiast professors being added to the list. One more thing I loved about the college is the student clubs, and the communities. All these seemed like a cherry on the cake. Now that I look back, I realise how much the college has helped me get matured. Meeting new faces every day, making friends, learning new things, participating in clubs and communities even getting scolded by the professors has added a new face to my personality.

ARCADIA-The Annual Fest

We recently had our annual cultural fest called the ARCADIA which was, of course, a blast. We had a mind blowing concert by Salim-Sulaiman too. All the students and professors danced with great enthusiasm. It was hilarious sewing the professors who always taunted and scolded us for every minor mistake dancing crazily. Overall, we had a great experience. It was quite a memorable day for all of us.

Future Goals

I hope that I get a wonderful college life ahead also. I am ready to explore myself and new places. I hope that when the college ends, I have millions of memories to share, lots of story to write and a job with a decent CTC. I am looking forward to challenges and growth.

About the author:

Ankhi Bhattacharya is currently pursuing BTech in Computer Science and Business Systems at the Academy of Technology, Adisaptagram. She loves coding and has started developing interest in entrepreneurship also.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha.