Pre-university students all over Bengaluru have thrown their graduation caps in the air are finishing up their interviews and preparing for the end of summer to bring a whole new phase of their lives as colleges re-open in the next few weeks. For Ipshita Sengupta, who is headed to Mount Carmel College, Vasanth Nagar, for her BA in Psychology, it is pure unbridled joy at getting to shed off her school experience, “I was always a rebellious kid, so my school experience wasn’t a complete utopia,” she says, adding with a laugh, “Now I’m free! I am going to college!”
This summer has felt different than any other for collegegoers, with a sense of finality and uncertainty in the air at saying goodbye to familiar teachers and friends. For Adithi Vijaya Kumar, who has made the cut off for the IIMs, the excitement is tinged with nerves. “Every other summer vacation, things were established – you go back to school, you have structure in your life. But this feels completely different,” she says. They have also seized the opportunity to do everything they’d put on hold for the most important exams of their lives. For Sengupta, this meant ‘reading 40 books, joining bungee and dancing classes, spending time with my dog and burning exam papers,’ while Sakshath Sumanth Srikakulam, who is joining BMS College of Engineering this year for AI/ML engineering, took the opportunity to ‘learn vibe coding with AI, join martial arts classes and go to the gym regularly.’
After the laser focus on board exams and entrance tests, their visions of college are coloured with activities, fests and college clubs. Sakshath is a guitarist and aspiring vocalist who is looking forward to joining a band in college. “I started learning in 11th standard, so I couldn’t take part in school band events, but now, I feel like I can go out there and show my skills to everyone,” he says optimistically. On the other hand, Sengupta, a former national-level karate practitioner, is looking forward to participating in inter-collegiate competitions while also getting back into martial arts.
Moving away from home, on the cards for Kumar, is both exciting and daunting. “The dream college experience is having the time to explore myself, meet new people and live with a roommate. I’m pretty excited about decorating my room with nice bedding, curtains, cool posters and creating the cosiness of home. It’s definitely scary, but I think I’ll learn to trust myself,” she says, adding, “It’s sunk in for my parents, but it hasn’t sunk in for me that I’ll be leaving!”