Back To College : 7 Things You Need To Gear Up For

College reopening will redefine and rewire our campus life a bit. The new-normal is what we students, teachers, and parents will need to abide by. While doing so we will be seeing many of our friends and colleagues for the first time after almost a year. 

In fact, the students who have newly joined colleges would be meeting their friends and teachers they met virtually for the very first time. There are certain things you may experience and certain that you must look out for.

1. Be Self Sufficient

Don't rely on the sanitisation booths which are supposed to be installed at checkpoints. Instead, carry your own pocket sanitisers and sprays for yourself and your workspace. Also relying on the canteen may leave you disappointed as they are not working on their full capacity and it is very difficult to keep large quantities of food safe. Instead, try to get your own 'dabbas' and chill with friends.

As part of a sustainable lifestyle and also to keep away from the deadly virus, carry your own cutlery and hand towels. In this case, using a paper towel and then discarding it after use may not only contribute to waste and landfills but also create new places of transmission of the infection.

It is also advisable to avoid cash payments everywhere possible to avoid the transmission of the virus. 

2. Stay home when you feel unwell

Inform the relevant authorities about your condition and stay home if you feel feverish, cough, cold, or body ache. This is not only important for your safety but also for others. Spreading the infection which may not be severe for you can turn out to be fatal for someone else. Hence, it's best to take precautions rather than being sorry.

3. Check the commutation timings

The timings of buses and railways changed drastically. This means if you're late then there will be very less options of traveling that you will be left with. And forget being on time then. Hence be informed about the latest timings and keep yourself updated with the latest rules of moving around.

4. Walk the talk

All the plans and all the promises of going out and exploring and being the better version of yourself that you made during the pandemic while sitting on the couch. Well, it's time to walk the talk and take responsibility for our own actions. As a college student, we contribute to the youth of the country. And the role of the youth is not just to make funny videos.

In the time, you enjoy excessive surfing the internet, you could actually work out and make yourself healthier. And this is just talking about yourself. There are people out there who are doing for others actively without showing it off.

5. Volunteer

We saw the workers and labourers walking miles and starving for food. We saw millions of people losing their lives in the pandemic. We see doctors and frontline workers exhausted from working extra hours. We see the police vigilantly working day and night. 

The problems have grown as real as they could and the water has now risen above the nose. As the college only has a 50% of the physical attendance policy, encash this opportunity to do good. Volunteer in NGOs and schools that need your help. 

You could teach basics to the underprivileged children who don't have schools now while maintaining social distancing. There are orphanages that need active helping hands. Or you could just sit at home and work towards promoting the institutions that are in dire need of donations for sustenance. Use your social media skills and help them find the right audience. 

And finally, volunteer at home. We all have holidays but our mummas don't. So, volunteer to do the dishes or the dusting.  Be the help that they need with technology. And don't get frustrated to answer their questions again and again. If one thing the pandemic has taught us for sure, then it is the unpredictable nature of time. So cherish it, especially with your parents. Help them and see the million-dollar smile you have missed for so long.

6. College and career

Recent times have reduced the number of opportunities that we expected to be there as we graduate. So it is time to increase your skillset and work on your resume. Many internships available on different websites offer work from home jobs. Some paid and some unpaid, both bring in the set of experience and knowledge that you need in the industry. In fact, this is the best time to be busy when you are actually free. 

7. Make sure to have fun

Yep, seriously. You are getting out after quite a long time. Seeing all those friends can be an emotional and joyful experience. So make sure you don't just dwell in the world of restrictions and don't let yourself free in the fear. Keep your heart open and masks closed and enjoy the opportunity in hand.

For all the college-goers, we are going to meet the freshers and seniors entering the college. This experience is going to be a new type of fun. As we wouldn't any freshers with the masks on first and then the mask off later. So get Instagram IDs and connect in a better way as we cant pull our masks down. 

As we have already realised the importance of our friends and colleagues as the lockdown served as an eye=-opener for all. Make sure you at least try to reconcile with the ones, the bond was broken over ego and other things. The pandemic has already given us the taste of 'kuch bhi ho sakta hai' in our lives, cherish the little time that we have with the people around us. 

Make sure you break the ice, be the bigger person, and give the hand. We never know what a certain person may be going through and this little gesture can be a ray of light in their lives. So step up from the petty fights and grow as a person.

The lockdown and the compulsion of using the online medium have definitely taught us that meetings can be conducted peacefully without bras and pants. And yes that a lot of work that takes unnecessary traveling time can be done from home. As we already have our homework and study setups ready, the new normal demands us to optimise rather than just utilise resources.