Summary
- Student life
- What to expect from campus life
- Why do some students prefer to stay off campus?
- Which is better, campus life or off-campus life?
- Living the IIT dream
- Harvard University campus life
- Student life based on professional courses
Student Life in and out of Campus: When you are a young college student, usually between the age of 19 and 26, your life seems to resemble a whirlwind. The only thing on your schedule are examinations, projects, assignments, internships, grades and scores. While this can be exciting for some, many students often feel exhausted by the end of the day. However, it is possible to lead a very organized and fulfilling student life on and out of campus with resourceful planning. Let’s talk a bit about student life and the different living styles of students from other campuses worldwide.
What does student life entail?
We can say that student life typically includes two types of lifestyles, that is, one that is on campus and another which is off campus. A student can rightly claim to be living a dual life with a mix of college and personal space. While fresh university students may wonder what campus life to expect, through this blog, we give you an insight into what you might encounter while you enter your new university or college.
What to expect from Campus life
Campus life is far from the comfort of your family and home. However, there is nothing to be afraid of while you enter your new campus. You need to expect that campus life will be different, not scary or frightening. Here is what to expect in your life on campus.
Be prepared
Walking onto the college campus with everything you need is one of the first steps of being prepared to face university life. However, remember to pack only essentials. You may be sharing room space with more than one student. This gives you a smaller space than what you enjoyed in your home till now. Good sets of clothes, a few ready-to-eat edibles from home, just till you find the right kind of food in your new campus, stationery, and comfortable footwear are just some things you might want to pack.
Student diversity
When you enter university life, you will be exposed to and introduced to several other students from different backgrounds and cultures. While this can be exciting, you might also feel lost because it might be the first time you stay away from your close-knit family members. It is essential to know that each of your new friends on campus is also going through the same anxiety as you are. It is best to comfort your new friends and make them feel at home. At the same time, you will feel comfortable around them.
Feeling comfortable with your roommate.
Usually, campus life means you will share your room with a roommate or more than one roommate. You might not have a choice of who you wish to have as your roommate, so you must be prepared to feel comfortable with whoever walks in that door. Remember that each of you is from different backgrounds, homes and families. Not every person will have the same thinking or mentality as you. That’s where the excitement lies, getting to know your roommates, their cultures, traditions and language.
A good relationship with your roommate will enhance your campus life experience. Your roommate is someone you will be spending most of your university life with, so it is always better to make the most out of it and be happy with your newfound friends.
To make things cordial between your roommates and yourself, you can let them know your likes and dislikes right in the beginning. Remember to listen to their preferences to help build a lasting bond during your student life on campus.
Importance of communication for a student
While entering your new student life on the university campus, one must possess student life skills. Communication is one of the essential student life skills. You can reach greater heights with effective communication even with friends, family, teachers and professors. Communicating effectively with all your acquaintances on the university campus allows you to feel more comfortable faster.
When we talk of communication as one of the most critical student life skills, we do not mean that the student must know different languages. Here, communication skills refer to the art of making the listener understand what you are trying to communicate or say with minimum effort.
Believe it or not, good communication skills can also lead to better academic performance. What more does a student want than to score better grades? A research article published on ResearchGate has stated that communication is a relevant variable influencing the teaching-learning process. Students’ interaction and communication with teachers explains their enhanced academic performance. (PDF) Perceived importance of communication skills and their predictive value for academic performance (researchgate.net)
Adjustments are inevitable
As a student on campus, you will interact and live with different people. You cannot expect the same life you had, surrounded by your family and limited friends in school. University life means that you must adjust to others around you if you want to lead a fulfilling and comfortable campus life. Expect that you will have to adjust to being happy. Let’s take a simple example of your and your roommate’s study schedule. You are a night bird and usually study late at night until the wee hours of the morning.
On the other hand, your roommate is a morning person and prefers to wake up in the morning to study. So, while your roommate wakes early in the morning and puts on the light to study, you want a dark, undisturbed room to continue your sleep. This is where you and your roommate will have to adjust and learn to balance your study-sleep schedules well with each other.
Student life outside campus
A student is a student, whether on campus or outside the campus. That is the best part about student life. You can enjoy the benefits of being a student even off campus. However, it is important to continue following discipline and rules outside the campus.
Student life does not end the moment the student exits the campus gates. Students must carry the ideals and goals of the university even outside its gates. Outside the campus, students are more exposed. You will be exposed to the real world and must prep yourself to face the world out there. You will come in contact with various genres of people, and dealing with each one of them will be your true test.
Student life off campus
On the same lines, there is another aspect to student life outside the university campus. That is, students who wish to stay in lodging facilities other than those provided by the college or university. Such students can seek boarding and lodging or flats outside the campus, depending on the university rules. The same problem may occur with flatmates if the other flatmates are non-cooperative and non-adjustable. Why do students wish to seek boarding or flat facilities outside the campus?
Privacy
Some students wish to lead a more private life than one guided by the university or college rules. University life or campus life means that specific rules will have to be followed. Guest visiting hours, hostel curfew timings, and food restrictions are some rules that must be followed while you live on the university campus. On the other hand, when students stay off campus, there is a bit more freedom given to the students. However, this freedom comes with its own set of responsibilities.
Affordability
Many times, affordability is what drives students to seek boarding or sometime in flats outside the campus. Some students find it cheaper to rent a space outside the campus rather than to pay the hefty amounts quoted by the university or college.
Independence
Students have more freedom outside the campus. Students who live off campus can cook and prepare their meals, work after college hours and return to the boarding facility at odd hours during the day. All these acts are not controlled by hostel wardens or college authorities like on the university campus.
Responsibilities
Living off the campus comes with its own set of responsibilities. Students now need to prepare their meals, which require ingredients. These ingredients need to be bought from a local market. Students will have to step out to buy essentials for their student life on campus, unlike student life on campus, which is managed by college authorities. However, many students prefer off-campus boarding and lodging or apartments to learn these responsibilities during their student life.
Which is better- Living on campus or outside the campus?
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to this question. It depends on each student. Both living conditions have their pros and cons. It is better to do a complete and detailed study before you decide on living on campus or outside. Remember small details like transportation costs if you decide to live off campus. Take into account commuting expenses that you will have to incur travelling to the college campus every day.
Student life around the world
While student life worldwide is more or less the same, many students from noted institutions in India and around the world claim to lead a different student life; let’s look at student life in some of the top institutions in India and abroad.
Life in IIT
The Indian Institute of Technology is regarded as the premiere technology institute in India. The curriculum and syllabus of the course are rigorous and meticulous. Students seeking admission into the IITs have to appear for a range of specialized examinations and entrance tests before being selected as a coveted students of IITs. From being school toppers, these IIT students secure high grades and scores to secure their admission to IIT. It is known that an IIT student’s life is filled with activities throughout the year. The rigorous academic curriculum, along with an emphasis on holistic education, is what distinguishes an IIT student’s life from the rest. It is a misconception that IIT life is only about academics. Students at IIT enjoy rigorous academic training and participation in co-scholastic activities like sports and cultural events.
As a student of any IITs in India, you will be introduced to various aspects of academic training. From project work, critical and analytical thinking skills, research, and all-around development, IIT students enjoy an overall, holistic development. The campus life of IIT students is enriching. With sports facilities, state-of-the-art infrastructure, laboratories, workshops, libraries and digitally aided learning, among other campus facilities.
The life of an engineering student at IIT is said to be very holistic, with an introduction to all aspects of education and development. Students who join any of the Indian Institutes of Technology graduate to become some of the brightest minds in the country. As a student of IIT, they are the cream of engineering students from around the country. IIT students will be subject to projects and assignments with immediate deadlines, which allows them to stay focused throughout the year. Apart from academics, students can enjoy extracurricular clubs, cultural activities and events and fests organized during the year. The exposure received at IIT renders life at the IIT campus- action-packed. Here is a self-penned blog about a student who graduated from IIT Bombay in 2020. Life in an IIT | CSE at IIT Bombay – Living the IIT dream
Life after IIT
Life after IIT is full of wholesome opportunities for students who graduate from IIT. These students were exposed to high academic standards during their life at IIT. Companies worldwide are aware of the high calibre of students graduating from one of the top institutes in the country. IITs in the country can churn out the most commendable and world-recognised personalities like Sundar Pichai, N.R Narayana Murthy, and Chetan Bhagath. Their versatile experience in IIT has contributed significantly to their successful careers. Also, see these world-famous IITians 10 famous IIT-Bombay graduates who held positions of power – Education Today News (indiatoday.in)
Harvard University Campus Life
Harvard, one of the most prestigious institutes in the world, is located in Cambridge. Harvard University Campus life is nothing short of royal. A temporary home to some of the world’s greatest minds, the Harvard University campus is known for its academic richness and holistic approach. The campus is filled with students from all over the world. The campus has a separate diversity and inclusion department to promote the equality of all students on campus. Diversity and Inclusion – Harvard University
Sport is an integral part of student life at Harvard University. With athletics and recreational fitness an integral part of the curriculum, Harvard has made ample facilities for sports. Athletics | Harvard
Harvard University Campus life is known for its holistic approach. The campus is large and spacious, with world-class facilities and amenities. Life at Harvard | Harvard College
Student life based on a professional course
While students’ lives will vary from university to university, there is also a difference in students’ lives when it comes to the course the student intends to pursue. While the difference lies in course curriculum, specific differences exist in the student campus life.
An engineering student’s life may differ from an MBBS student’s life mainly because of the course curriculum. On the one hand, engineering students will have practical training and workshop visits, and MBBS students will be exposed to live procedures and patient connections. The life of MBBS students is considered more rigorous because of the course syllabus. It can be exhausting and more tiring compared to the life of an engineering student. While engineering and MBBS courses are exciting, they deal with different aspects altogether.
As a medical student, you must be prepared for hard and exhausting student life. Assignments, practical training, theory and internships are just a part of what you will be exposed to during your medical student life. As you study to become a doctor, so shall you grow into a better human being. While pursuing your MBBS course, you will come across different patients and people that may even change your perspective on life. In India, MBBS students have to undergo rural training, which exposes these students to the harsh realities of the rural sector.
Life as an engineering student requires equal amounts of hard work, and perseverance is not considered on the same lines as MBBS because of the difference in the course curriculum. Engineering students are also subject to practical training and theory classes that give them a different worldview. While engineering students are mainly absorbed in multinational companies and private startups, MBBS students join hospitals, clinics and health centres.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be concluded that student life is tedious, but if well planned, can be a cakewalk for all students. Time management is one of the essential skills required for students. With adequate time management, students’ life can be easy Expert Tips & Importance of Time Management for Students Whether you are on or off campus, student life requires skills to overcome difficulties during the student tenure. Specific skills like self-management self Management: Why Is It Important for Students?, organizational skills organisation Skills for Students | Ways to Improve Organizational Skills, leadership skills for Students: How Important Is It? and soft skills for Students: Benefits & Importance in Life are required for students to be successful inside and outside the university life.
