Mystory@Ananta Das: How I selected my course and college

Mystory@Ananta Das

I was always interested in subjects which made me think, where answers were not concrete, where there were endless possibilities. Although I know I was looked down upon by some people around me for choosing Humanities in class XI-XII, as it is still considered as a subject that does not give a person a life with high status. However, with the unconditional love and support from my parents to go ahead with my choice, I took a step ahead and chose what I felt was the best for me. Subjects like Political Science and English always intrigued me as I was always allowed to present my opinion in front of others.

After completing high school Board exam with a very good score, it was time to decide my future field of study. So staying true to my love for English literature and writing, with my parents blessings I took up the course of Bachelors of Arts in English (Hons), which I am currently pursuing from Christ University, Bengaluru. This course has everything I could not resist. From Shakespeare to Eliot, from Plato to Derida and Baudrilard, from learning to putting forward my opinions, I learnt everything and I am still learning.

How I prepared for college admission

After clearing my Board Exams, I applied for the best colleges and Universities across India. I applied for my course in Benaras Hindu University (BHU), where I had to sit for a common entrance test. I needed a lot of practice for the test, so I downloaded the question papers from the previous years and practiced the questions whenever I had free time (which was most of the time as my Board exams had already ended). While preparing for BHU CET, I filled the forms for Stella Maris College, Loyola College and Christ University. I successfully applied for Stella Maris College and Christ University but Loyola College rejected my application stating that English (Honours) course is not offered to females.

Few days later, I got a message from Christ University stating that I had been chosen for the entrance exam and personal interview. The written exam was not difficult to crack because of my command over the language and general knowledge in the field of English literature. However, I found that the personal interview was a bit difficult to crack because the interviewers were strict and asked questions that mainly tested the confidence as well as the knowledge of the interviewee. This strictness of the interviewers intimidated me and my confidence weakened. Despite this blunder, I got a message from Christ University saying I had been accepted for the course. After a few days of starting my classes at Christ University, my parents called me and told me that I had been called for counselling in BHU and asked if I would like to try. I gave it some thought and finally decided that I would continue my education at Christ University.

What I gained from my college years

Most of my time in college is spent in class as my campus, that is on Bannerghatta Road, unlike the main campus, is not big enough to take a walk. We usually have a ten minute break between the classes when we are free to go anywhere in the campus as long as we get back to class for the next hour on time before the attendance is taken. Since our teachers take our attendance through an online portal, there is a chance that a student can miss attendance if he or she does not come back to class on time. During this ten minute break, I usually go out for drinking water or go to the nearest cafeteria for munching on some snacks.

During lunch hour, I spend time with my friends in the main cafeteria or else spend my time in the campus library completing my assignments. I attend all my classes as I need to keep my attendance high. The rules of Christ University stated that a student must have more than 85% attendance so that he or she can sit for the exams. Students with attendance below 85% have to pay heavy fine in order to be allowed to sit for the exams. Another reason why I attend all my classes is that all the subjects are very interesting for me and I love to learn more about each subject and gain knowledge. All the teachers are brilliant and friendly. Though some of them are very strict, they put all their heart in teaching us.

I was previously a part of the Centre for Social Action at Christ University but I had to leave it due to the increasing academic pressure. Now I am a part of the University Discipline Committee which takes care of the discipline of the students whenever there is an important event going on inside the campus. I also take part in various intra-collegiate and inter-collegiate fests either as a participant or as part of the event management group.

Studying at Christ University has had a positive effect on my personality. I have emerged as a totally new person. I have developed a positive outlook towards most of the things around me. I have become way more confident and independent than I ever was and I do not fret having to stand up for myself. I have learnt what is wrong and what’s right through my experiences as there is no one to directly guide me. I have learnt to take positive criticism and use it for my development and move on and away from any type of negativity be it negative people or negative thoughts. Sometimes my mind wanders off and I start thinking about the countless possibilities if I had agreed to go for the counselling in BHU. But at the end I always come to the conclusion that Christ University is the best for me and I would not change it for anything at all.

About the Author:

I hail from the city of Noida, a part of the National Capital Region. I was born on 17th April, 1997 in Kolkata, after which my family shifted to Noida. While growing up, I developed an immense love for writing, English Literature and travelling. I love exploring places and meeting people from the places I visit and then write my experience and thoughts in my blog which I started recently. True to my love for writing and English Literature, I am currently pursuing BA in English (Honours) from Christ University, Bengaluru.