Mystory@Pallavi Sethi: How I chose my course and college

Mystory@Pallavi Sethi

When I was in class 10th, people, including friends and family advised me to choose Science as my stream out of the sheer myth they had in their mind that it is the only stream in the world that if taken would make one land in prestigious careers (especially doctor, as no one in my family is in this profession) fetching one a handsome package.

How I chose my stream after Class X 

Despite knowing the fact that science is not my cup of tea I ended up

gambling and taking Science in my 11th standard. So, what next! Failing to cope up with heavy subjects, especially Chemistry, I finally ended up choosing Humanities – my stream, which I was made for. Sailing swiftly through 11th and 12^th, the day finally arrived where I had to choose my ‘real’ career stream that once chosen had to be taken forward my entire life. I took Economics (Hons.) knowing my competency in this field plus its scope in the job sector. Although I might have chosen Psychology (Hons.) as the area of my interest, which I always wanted to explore. Nevertheless, whenever I get time I surf through google and I never miss on reading articles in the editorial section related to this field.

How I chose my course and college

I didn’t take any coaching for entrance exams. I had learnt from my past mistake (the gamble of taking Science in Class XI) that one should take everyone’s advice but the final say or decision should be one’s own.  I made one thing clear in my mind that I will be going for Economics (Hons) in my graduation and thus applied for it in Delhi University having scored a good enough percentage for seeking admission in the course. For many DU aspirants, it is a dream to get admission in North campus colleges or South campus, but for me the course mattered over college as after all, it’s the course that decides our future. Though, having landed in Lakshmibai College, the first ever thought that came to my mind was how will I ever be able to tell its name when someone asked where I am studying but thankfully till now, I have only received positive response when I talk about my college. This strengthened my belief that in the battle of course v/s college, it's always the course that wins provided that your college faculty is well read, which fortunately is true as far as my department goes.

My college experience                       

I make sure that I regularly attend my lectures in college. Whatever free time I get in between the lectures, I either read newspapers or prepare for my post-graduation entrances. Being an Economics student, I rarely get free time so I haven’t been part of any College society. But yes, the Economics department fulfills this desire of students like me by organizing a ravishing fest every year, along with debates, quizzes that keep us actively involved in other co-curricular activities apart from being a mere bookworm.

Beyond this my college has taught me the way to adjust with people that have differing opinions and tastes. Meeting people from different backgrounds, winning over the dilemma of whether I should initiate a conversation I initially made many friends in my first year, and slowly and steadily I got close to only a few of them whose tastes and thinking somewhat matched with mine. But as they say bygones are bygones, overall my college experience was more of a learning experience that has transformed me from being shy and reserved to becoming a more confident person and has greatly boosted my sense of self confidence that I lacked three years back. If given a chance I would like to write a book on people like me (ambiverts), the way they think and view life. It is because as far as I think there are immense misconceptions in our society regarding this group of people that I want to eradicate. All thanks to my college life that I thought of writing on this topic and I will sure shot write my piece of thought on this. I want to let the world know that we people are, in our own way, endowed with a balanced force i.e. we know when to speak our mind, laugh out loud and express our emotions. In other words, we are the ones who possess a high emotional intelligence-EQ (another area of psychology that I want to explore).

About the Author:

I’m currently in my final year and pursuing Economics (Hons.) from Lakshmibai College, Delhi University.

Ambivert (A mix of being an introvert and extrovert) is the word that best describes me.  I love travelling long distances alone. Psychology is one of my areas of my interest as it is all about human mind and soul, introspection, and one’s perception of the world all of which I am very keen to understand. Till now my experience tells me that if you want to be happy, satisfied (though no one is) the very first thing you should change is your outlook on your own life. Only then can we realise that world around us is also a happy go lucky space to live in.